Just what do you mean...
BORN AGAIN?
Herbert W. Armstrong
Don't
be too sure you know! Many professing Christians sincerely believe they have
been "born again" - but do not understand what Jesus meant by those
words. The true answer is not only surprising - it is startling! - THE MOST
IMPORTANT truth you can know, here made SO PLAIN you will UNDERSTAND!
WHY did not the Pharisee, Nicodemus,
understand when Jesus said to him: "Except a man be
born again, he cannot see the
WHY do people not understand those words
today?
HOW MANY know, today, that Jesus' Gospel
was a sensational, never-before proclaimed NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT?
Jesus Was a Newscaster
Those in
Jesus was a NEWSCASTER. His news was
something absolutely NEW - never before proclaimed to mankind. It was the most
wonderful NEWS ever reported. Actually almost too wonderful for humans to
believe. It was news of the utterly transcendent potential of man.
A humorous columnist wrote a bit on the
news printed in daily newspapers. It is actually NOT news, he insisted, since
it is a reporting of events that already have happened. Therefore it is no
longer NEW, but OLD when printed. He insisted it really ought to be called
OLDS!
The tremendous Message that Jesus brought
was NEWS! It was not a report of past events. It was ADVANCE news! - news of an almost UTOPIAN WORLD TOMORROW!
And it is SURE!
And it was news that we may be BORN AGAIN!
Yet almost nobody understands it!
HOW MANY, even today, know that Jesus'
Gospel was NOT in any sense a new or different religion - yet it was actually
so BREATHTAKING - so seemingly incredible, so startling, it should have left its
hearers in a daze of awe! It didn't. WHY?
WHY has it never been recognized by the
world as the stupendous NEWS that it actually was?
Simply because the leaders in
The time was at hand, then, for this
Message to be announced! The time is at hand, today, for its true MEANING to be
made so PLAIN that the people may UNDERSTAND IT!
It WILL BE, in this booklet! And it is a
crucial CHALLENGE to you who now read it!
And you have to UNDERSTAND what was that
news announcement, or you can never UNDERSTAND what Jesus meant about being
"born again."
What Was the News?
Just What Do You Mean ... BORN AGAIN?
Notice, briefly, first, what that
astonishing NEW Message was!
The pre-announcement, in Malachi's
prophecy, says: "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare
the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek [the Messiah], shall suddenly
come to his temple, even the Messenger of the covenant ... " (Mal. 3:1).
Now notice the beginning of the
Messenger's proclamation of that Message.
It is recorded in Mark's Gospel, chapter
1: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; as it is
written in the prophets...." Then follows the citation from Malachi,
written above. That is followed by the account of John the Baptist, preparing
the way for the Messenger.
Then, verses 14-15: "Now after that
John was put in prison, Jesus came into
What IS the
What did He mean - the
Jesus' whole Message - His Gospel - was
about the
A Kingdom is a), a NATION composed of
people, and b), the GOVERNMENT of the nation.
In some cases, the people of a nation are
the descendants the children - of one man. The nation of
Now Jesus the Messiah was to come as the
"Messenger of the COVENANT." The "Old Covenant" had
established the human children of
As the ancient
And what does this have to do with
"being BORN AGAIN"? It has everything to do with it!
DANIEL FORETOLD IT
The Prophet Daniel wrote of this
It will be a
Daniel's 7th chapter portrays it again -
and shows the connection with being "born again". The four world
empires -
Saints Become Immortal
Verse 17: "These great beasts, which
are four, are four kings [kingdoms], which shall arise out of the earth. But
the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom,
and possess the kingdom forever, even for ever and ever." To possess it
FOR EVER, the saints have to be IMMORTAL!
Then the Babylonian religious power, now
Roman, "made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the
Ancient of days [Christ at second coming] came, and judgment was given to the
saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the Kingdom"
(verses 21-22). Read also verse 27.
The second coming of Christ is described
thus: "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in
heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our
Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever'" (Rev.
11:15).
Yet in spite of these and many more
scriptures, many deceived theologians today mislead the people saying that the
CHURCH is the
Jesus said, "The time is fulfilled,
and the
What did He mean? WHY had this Message
never been proclaimed before? The answer requires a pre-history background.
There Was Once PEACE on Earth
It isn't popular, today, to mention the
existence of a devil. But the Bible, again and again, puts great emphasis on
the presence of a real, literal devil.
Biblical revelation shows that originally,
this earth was a place of PEACE, happiness - a real utopia. It was then ruled
by the GOVERNMENT OF GOD. That Government will be once again RESTORED (Acts
But what happened? WHY don't we have that
Government now? Why is there no PEACE on earth?
When the earth was originally created, the
angels shouted for JOY! (Job 38:7). It was beautiful. It was PEACEFUL. It was
populated by angels - not then by humans. It was governed by the GOVERNMENT OF
GOD. There was a super arch-angel - a cherub named Lucifer (meaning bringer of LIGHT)
- one of two cherubim whose wings stretched over the very throne of God in
heaven. Lucifer was thoroughly trained in the administration of the GOVERNMENT
OF GOD (Isa.
God governs by His spiritual Law - a Law
based on the principle of LOVE. Love, first, to God with submission and
obedience, and secondly to His creatures - the way of outgoing concern for the
good and welfare of others. But Lucifer's heart was lifted up in vanity,
because of his beauty and vast knowledge. He rebelled against God, mutinied,
set out to organize his angels into an invading army and to conquer GOD - in
order to rule the entire vast UNIVERSE. This disqualified him as earth's ruler.
However, the very principle of God's Government requires that the ruler retains
office until a successor qualifies and is inducted into office.
Lucifer's name was changed to Satan, the
devil. His angels became demons. As a result of this universal rebellion on
earth, universal destruction and chaos struck the surface of the earth. In six
days God re-shaped the earth's surface (Genesis 1), creating fauna and flora -
and MAN!
When Man Appeared
God formed MAN, not after any animal kind,
but in God's own likeness - not of spirit composition as is God, but of
material flesh and blood. The first man, Adam, father of the human race,
allowed Satan's attitude of REBELLION to enter his heart, failing to qualify as
Satan's successor.
When Jesus was baptized by John (Mark
1:9-11), immediately He underwent the most titanic struggle ever, in His
temptation by the devil (verses 12-13).
Jesus had come to qualify to replace Satan
- to restore the Government of God on earth, and bring back WORLD PEACE! But,
as the first Adam had undergone and succumbed to Satan's temptation, Jesus had
to face and overcome this disqualified Satan.
Jesus underwent this test under the most
trying and difficult conditions possible. He had been almost totally depleted
of physical strength by fasting 40 days and nights - no food and no water! Yet
even in this physical weakness, He was made stronger SPIRITUALLY.
Few have ever realized the stupendous
struggle that took place in the crucial temptation. Jesus resisted Satan's
supreme temptations. He did it by quoting Scriptures and OBEYING GOD. He proved
under the maximum possible test that He would obey God's Laws and administer
God's GOVERNMENT faithfully. Then, in utter physical weakness but supreme
spiritual strength, He proved He was Satan's Master, by giving Satan a crisp
command to leave - and the defeated Satan slunk away!
Then (Mark 1:14), having qualified for the
executive administration of the Government of God on Earth, Jesus came into
Galilee, saying, as quoted above, "The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom
of God is at hand"! (Verse 15).
WHY the News Was NEW
HOW was the time fulfilled?
WHY was the
Simply because the wonderful news of the
At last the
WHY Kingdom Not Yet Set Up
Yet Jesus was not going to take over the
reign immediately. There were a number of reasons:
1) God had set a definite PLAN, with a
definite time-program, for working out HIS PURPOSE here below! It is a
7,000-year plan of seven millennial "days", of which the first seven
literal days of re-creation were a type. The first six of these millenniums
were allotted for man, of his own free volition (though swayed by Satan) to go
his own way. Also, in effect, they were allotted as the six millennial "days"
for Satan's "labor" of deception over humanity, to be followed by the
millennial "Sabbath", in which Satan will observe enforced rest from
his work of deceiving the nations, and God will teach humanity His TRUTH!
2) Jesus, in God's PLAN, was first to
choose and teach disciples to become apostles, to carry on the proclamation of
the GOOD NEWS - and to become the foundation of His Church.
3) Christ is going to set up a world
government over all earth's nations only with the administration of a
thoroughly trained and experienced organization. The first six thousand years
of human experimentation has proved abundantly that man, under Satan's sway, is
utterly incapable of ruling himself. Human-devised governments always have
failed to bring world PEACE. Yet man, even now, seems unwilling to admit that
fact. Men are still trying, in vain, to work and fight for PEACE. And that is
where being "born again" comes in. And that, also, is where
"born again" has been tragically misunderstood and misrepresented!
God's Government will be DIVINE GOVERNMENT, by the saints converted into divine
SPIRIT PERSONS, born of GOD! As those born of humans are human beings, so those
born of the divine God will be DIVINE BEINGS, having been given IMMORTALITY!
They shall be born into - enter into - inherit the
Kingdom Is a Family
A KINGDOM is a nation composed of people,
as well as the GOVERNMENT of that nation. The
Christ is a Son of God - a member of that
divine FAMILY, even as we may be!! That divine FAMILY is the
There are five KINGDOMS - the vegetable
kingdom, the animal kingdom, the human kingdom (we are not of the animal
kingdom, erroneous education to the contrary notwithstanding!!), the angel
kingdom - and the
God (Heb. Elohim - the uni-plural name,
meaning more than one Person, forming the ONE GOD) said, "Let US make man
in OUR image, after OUR likeness." We were made of material flesh, but in
the form and shape of God, and with MINDS on a totally different plane than
animal brain. The human family was made so that we might be able to receive
God's Spirit, and become His children. Animals were NOT so made.
In God's wonderful Plan for working out
His PURPOSE here below, God has allotted the time-period between Jesus' first
coming in human flesh, and His second coming in power and GLORY, for the
calling of some to receive His Spirit, and be spiritually educated and trained,
through His Word, to become rulers with Christ when He sets up His KINGDOM.
THE CRUX OF SALVATION
4) In order that man might be
reconciled to God, Jesus also came for the express purpose of DEATH, by His
shed blood paying for us, in our stead, the death penalty we have incurred as
the penalty of sin. In order that we might be given God's gift of ETERNAL LIFE,
Jesus' resurrection from the dead was necessary before we could receive eternal
life.
5) The PLAN called for Jesus' ascension to
God's throne in heaven - the throne of the government of God over the UNIVERSE
- to become our High Priest, during these years of training and spiritual
development of the heirs of God to be used in the executive administration of
the Government of God when Christ does set up that Government over earth's nations.
6) Jesus could not induct Himself into the
office while here on earth in human form. It was necessary for Him, as
explained in the parable of the pounds (Luke 19), to go to heaven to there
receive the authority of the Kingdom from God (the Father) - and to be CROWNED!
The coronation ceremony will take place in heaven at God's throne, before
Christ's return in POWER and GLORY!
7) Then He must return in all that POWER
AND GLORY and supreme authority to RULE!
Those are the reasons why Jesus did not
then, immediately, set up or establish the
But even Jesus' own disciples could never
seem to understand that He was not going to set up the
WHY Jewish Rulers Hated Message
The Jewish rulers of Jesus' day, also,
thought He was proclaiming a government to be set up immediately - to overthrow
the
One of these rulers of the Jews was a man
named Nicodemus. He was a Pharisee, and the Pharisees were hostile to Jesus,
because of this new Gospel. Nicodemus, however, wanted to meet this astounding
Messenger and discuss it with him. To avoid criticism from his colleagues, he
came to Jesus by night.
"We know," he said, "that
you are a teacher come from God."
The "we" implies that the divine
identity of the Messenger and the Source of His Message was known to the
Pharisees. But they were "NOW" people, concerned with protecting
their status as rulers under the Roman government, not with receiving revelations
from God.
At once Jesus perceived the import of
Nicodemus' first words. His Message was the good news of the coming WORLD
GOVERNMENT of GOD - that is, the KINGDOM OF GOD - the GOVERNMENT of God.
These Jewish rulers feared that Message.
Jesus was of their race - a Jew. If they did not oppose Him, they feared being
shorn of their power, and perhaps put to death as subversives threatening the
overthrow of the Roman government. And the Pharisees thought Jesus proclaimed
the immediate take-over of that rule!
Not of This Age
Therefore Jesus did not waste words. He
struck straight through to the crux point - the
So Jesus said,” Except a man be born
again, he cannot see the
Notice carefully, please - being
"born again" has a vital connection with the
But Jesus' abrupt opening statement left
Nicodemus confused. The religious leaders, and the hundreds of denominations
and sects professing Christianity today are confused and deceived! Today's
religionists put a different twist on it than did Nicodemus, however.
Nicodemus did understand clearly what is
meant by being born. He knew it meant being delivered from his mother's womb.
It meant being delivered into the WORLD! Today's religious leaders read into it
a different meaning! What Nicodemus could not understand was how - in what
manner - anyone could be born AGAIN! And of course, being carnal-minded, he
could only conceive of a second physical birth. But he knew what being born
meant!
Born Human a Second Time?
Puzzled, he asked, "How can a man be
born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and
be born?" He was not confused about what is meant by being BORN. What
Nicodemus could not understand was a second birth. He thought that Jesus was
talking about a second human birth.
He was unable to conceive of any but a
second physical birth his mind could not grasp spiritual things.
Now Jesus had made clear that the
Then Jesus came quickly to the point - that the
Here is the crux point that explains it
all: Jesus said: "That
which is born of the flesh IS flesh: and that which is
born of the Spirit IS spirit."
Man is now flesh - human. He is MATERIAL
SUBSTANCE. "Dust thou art," God said to Adam, "and unto dust
thou shalt thou return." Again:” And the Lord God formed man of the dust
of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man
became a living soul" (Gen. 3:19 and 2:7).
Those Born Again to BE Spirit
But, said Jesus plainly, when one is born
of the Spirit HE WILL BE SPIRIT! Look at it! Read it in your own Bible.
The
At birth of human flesh, one is delivered
from his mother's womb into this world. When born of the Spirit one will be
delivered from the
Man is now COMPOSED of flesh - material
substance - matter.
When BORN AGAIN he will BE spirit - a
SPIRIT BEING, no longer human. He will be COMPOSED of spirit - of spirit
composition with life inherent - with self-containing life - not then existing
by the breath of air and the circulation of of blood.
Of the next age when the
Jesus explained this further to Nicodemus:
"The wind bloweth where it listeth,
and thou hearest the sounds thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither
it goeth: so is everyone that is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8).
You cannot see wind. Wind is compared to
spirit. It is INVISIBLE. That's why mortal FLESH, as we now are, cannot SEE the
Energy of an A-Bomb?
Jesus was also comparing the POWER of one
born of the Spirit to that of wind. A scientist of the U.S. Weather Bureau, Dr.
J. Murray Mitchell, Jr., Research Climatologist, said that the energy of one
average hurricane is much greater than an A-bomb such as destroyed
Not While Flesh and Blood
The Apostle Paul made clear that the
"Now this I say, brethren, that flesh
and blood cannot inherit the
Leading up to this verse, Paul made it
very clear.
"The first man is of the earth,
earthy [human]: the second man is the Lord from heaven [- a divine GOD
Being]" (I Cor.
This is what Jesus was saying to
Nicodemus. He was of the earth, earthy - human - he was flesh, not spirit. He
was born of the flesh, so that's what he was - FLESH. When one is born of the
Spirit, he will BE spirit. Paul here is explaining the same truth.
But we cannot BE spirit in this present
age.
THERE IS A TIME ELEMENT CONCERNED WITH
BEING BORN AGAIN!
Continue, now, in I
Corinthians 15:
"As is the earthy, such are they also
that are earthy" (verse 48). That is precisely what Jesus was explaining
to Nicodemus. He was born of the flesh - he WAS flesh. He was born of the earth
- he was earthy. And so are we all! And, same verse, "... and as is the
heavenly, such are they that are heavenly." But for us humans, WHEN? Not
in this life!
Next verse: "And as we have borne the
image of the earthy, we shall [future - resurrection] also bear the image of
the heavenly" (verse 49). As we are now flesh, we shall be SPIRIT - at the
resurrection. That is when we shall be "BORN AGAIN" - when we shall
see, enter into, the
"Now this I say, brethren, that flesh
and blood cannot inherit the
How CHANGED When Born Again
HOW shall we be changed? The next words
answer!
"For this corruptible" - (flesh,
as we now are) - "must put on incorruption" - (spirit - that which is
born of God is spirit) - "and this mortal must put on immortality."
Be changed from material flesh to spirit!
Until born again, we cannot see the
Until born again, we cannot enter into the
Until no longer flesh, but changed into
SPIRIT, we cannot enter into the
Until the resurrection, at Christ's
coming, we shall not be changed from corruptible flesh into incorruptible
SPIRIT (Paul - I Cor.
Until the resurrection, therefore, we
cannot see, enter into, or inherit the
Now Heirs - Not yet Inheritors
While in our present status, born of the
flesh and composed of flesh, we cannot see, enter into, or inherit the
"Now if any man have not the Spirit
of Christ, he is none of his" (
Holy Spirit Entering Compares to Sperm
Entering Ovum
But now see how God's Spirit entering and
dwelling in one compares to the physical sperm impregnating the ovum - the
imparting of eternal SPIRIT life, later to produce - to bring forth - a SPIRIT
PERSON! A fertilized ovum - an embryo - is NOT a born human person. Life from
the father has been imparted to it - he has begotten it - but neither embryo
nor foetus is YET a born person. In the same manner the Spirit-begotten human
is not, yet, a SPIRIT PERSON or BEING, as Jesus said he shall be when born again!
Continue: "But if the Spirit of him
that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from
the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in
you" (verse 11).
UNDERSTAND THIS! There is a direct comparison
between having been born of the flesh, and being born AGAIN of God. Jesus said, that which is born of the flesh is flesh - a born human.
That which is born of the Spirit (God) is spirit - a born SPIRIT PERSON!
A mortal human life starts when a sperm
cell from the body of the father impregnates - imparts physical LIFE to - an
ovum (egg cell) in the mother. At this point the father begets, sires. He does
not "bring forth": the mother does that, later. His part in the
process in the PROCESS leading to a final birth is then done. BUT THERE IS A
TIME ELEMENT. At the TIME of begettal, birth (parturition) has not YET
occurred.
It is necessary to make this explanation,
at this point, because the popular deception of a deceived traditional
"Christianity" is to claim that when one "receives Christ"
- "accepts Christ" - "professes Christ" - or first receives
God's Holy Spirit to dwell in him, that he is already "BORN AGAIN".
First, then, notice the physical type and
comparison.
The TIME Element
In human physical reproduction, there is a
TIME ELEMENT. From impregnation - begettal on the part of the father - having
conceived on the part of the mother - to BIRTH, or parturition, or being
delivered from the mother's womb is a TIME ELEMENT of nine months.
That nine-month period is called
gestation. Upon conception, the now fertilized ovum is called an embryo. A few
months later, it is called a foetus. But during this nine-month period of
gestation, we do not speak of the embryo-foetus as having been born. It is in the
PROCESS toward birth. It is the child of its parents. But is then the unborn
child of its parents. The father has already begotten it - sired it. But the
mother has not yet given birth to it. Yet it is, during the gestation period,
the unborn child of the parents.
Now in being "born again", the
PROCESS of this birth begins when GOD'S divine SPIRIT- LIFE is imparted to us
by the Holy Spirit, from His very PERSON, entering to dwell within us. Repeat,
from Romans 8:
"But if the Spirit of him that raised
up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead
shall also quicken [change to immortal spirit] your mortal bodies by his Spirit
that dwelleth in you" (verse 11). This is describing the same thing
explained in I Corinthians 15:50-53, the resurrection.
I want to make this crystal clear.
Millions of sincere professing Christians believe that when they profess Christ
(or receive His Holy Spirit) they are "born again". What actually
happens is this:
The Church Our Mother
When one, after repentance, faith and
baptism receives the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God puts him into - baptizes
him into God's Church. The Church is called the Body of Christ. Se we read:
"By one Spirit are we all baptized into one body" (I Cor.
Again, the Church is called "
The analogy is this: When begotten by God
the Father by receiving His Holy Spirit, we are put into the Church, which
during this gestation period is our MOTHER.
The human mother of the foetus within her
womb serves the function of feeding her unborn child with physical food, so
that it may develop and grow physically. And also she carries it where she may
best protect it from physical injury or harm, until parturation - delivery from
her womb.
The spiritual mother - the Church - is
commissioned to "feed the flock" (I Pet. 5:2) through the ministry
which God has set in the Church "for the perfecting of the saints ... for
the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith,
and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man ..." (Eph.
4:11-13). Just as the human foetus develops and grows physically during the
PRE-birth gestation period, so WE, after begettal by God's Spirit, develop and
grow SPIRITUALLY in PRE-birth state.
But not only is the Church to feed the
members on the Word of God - spiritual food - but also to protect these
conceived but yet unborn children of God from spiritual harm, as the very next
verse shows: "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro,
and carried about with every kind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and
cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive ..." (Eph. 4:14).
Then, at the time of the resurrection, we
in the Church - the spiritual Mother - shall be DELIVERED from her, and born
into - brought forth into - the Kingdom - the spirit-composed FAMILY of God.
Sons of God NOW
Now, further: "For as many as are led
by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" (Rom.
Continue: "And if children, then
heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so that we suffer with
him, that we may be [future - at resurrection] also glorified together"
(verse 17).
Now we see how this passage designates the
resurrection into GLORY - when we shall BE spirit - as a BIRTH!
"For the earnest expectation of the
creature [creation] waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God" -
that is the time of Christ's coming to REIGN, and of the resurrection to [being
born of] SPIRIT composition - " ... because the creation [RSV] itself also
shall be delivered [a birth] from the bondage of corruption into the glorious
liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth
and travaileth in pain together until now" (verses 19-22).
What could be more clear?
Here is another comparison: we shall be
delivered from this world (the Church is in, though not of this world) into the
glorious WORLD TOMORROW and the Kingdom which shall rule it.
The CREATION is waiting for this time of
Christ's coming, the resurrection, and the
The resurrection - the time when we are
changed to BE spirit and to INHERIT the Kingdom will be a time of DELIVERY FROM
the bondage of corruptible flesh and from this world of SIN - A REAL BIRTH!
Christ Born a Second Time By the
resurrection
Continue in Romans 8:
"For whom he did foreknow, he also
did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he [Jesus] might
be the firstborn among many brethren" (verse 29).
Now compare with Romans 1:3-4:
"Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of
David according to the flesh; and declared to be the Son of God ... by the
resurrection from the dead."
Jesus was, in the human flesh - His first
birth - a descendant of David, and, by the resurrection from the dead - (born
AGAIN) - the Son of God, now no longer human, but composed of SPIRIT - a Spirit
being. He thus became the FIRST so BORN of many brethren who shall be BORN
AGAIN at the time of the resurrection of those who are Christ's.
Of course we understand, and so did Paul
in writing the above, That Jesus was also the Son of
God while in the human flesh. Though born of a human woman, He was sired by
God. But this is comparing the two births - the one from Mary, as descended
from the human David - the other, by His resurrection to glory, as Son of God
by His resurrection, in the same manner we may be.
Emphatically this does NOT imply that
Jesus was a sinner needing salvation. He was the pioneer, setting us the example
that we, too, may be BORN of God.
When Born Again What Shall We Be Like?
When we are born again, what shall we be
like?
Here is the answer: "For our
conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the
Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ; who shall change our vile body [FLESH], that it
may be fashioned like unto his glorious body ..." (Phil. 3:20-21). And
what is Christ's GLORIOUS body like? His eyes are as flames of fire - His face
bright as the sun in full strength - Revelation 1:14-16.
A TIME When Begotten but Not YET Born
Thus, scripture after scripture - analogy
after analogy - comparison after comparison - shows that being BORN of God is a
PROCESS, in which there is a time element. Just as being born of the flesh is a
process.
At the time when the father begets and the
mother conceives of the union of sperm cell and ovum - the fertilized ovum
becomes an embryo. But it is not yet delivered from the womb - not yet born!
And will not be for nine months. A pregnancy is in progress. Yet during this
period of physical development and growth, it is the unborn child of its
parents.
In like manner, at the time when the
Spirit Father, God, begets a human with the Spirit (the spiritual counterpart
of the physical sperm) - the Holy Spirit - he becomes a son of God! He is then
already a son of God.
But he is still human - he is still
material flesh and blood. He must now undergo a period (until death, the
resurrection) of spiritual development and growth. He is in the gestation state
in the PROCESS toward being born. He is in the
The Church is composed of human,
flesh-and-blood children of God. And, flesh and blood cannot see, cannot enter
into, cannot inherit the
He is in the gestation state toward
spirit-BIRTH, but not yet BORN of the Spirit. He yet has a lot of spiritual
developing and growing to do - acquiring the spiritual character-image of God.
POWER Greater Than Energy of Wind
There is another passage, understood by
almost none, that reveals our astonishing transcendent potential!
It begins in Hebrews 2, verse 6. But
first, notice about Christ, in chapter 1:
"God ... hath in these last days
spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things [Moffat
and others, the universe], by whom also he made the worlds; who, being the
brightness of his glory, [Moffat] stamped with God's own character and
upholding [sustaining] the universe by the word of his power ..." (Heb.
1:1-3). ALL POWER, in heaven and earth (Matt. 28:18) has been given to Christ.
He is now Chief Executive of God's Government of the UNIVERSE.
Now begin with Hebrews 2:6; a citation
from Psalms 8:4-6:
"What is man, that thou art mindful
of him?"
Yes, why should the Great God be concerned
about us mortals? WHY did He put us here on earth? What is the PURPOSE of life
what is our transcendent potential? It is so far above and beyond of what you
have thought or imagined, it seems shockingly incredible!
Can you believe it? Are you willing to
believe what is now plainly stated? Here comes the astonishing answer,
beginning verse 7:
"Thou madest him a little lower than
the angels." Some translations have it, "for a little while lower
than the angels." Continue: "Thou crownedst him [kingship] with GLORY
and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands ..." - that is,
God's creation. Continue:
NOT YET the Universe!
"Thou hast put ALL THINGS [Moffat:
the UNIVERSE] in subjection under his feet. For in that he put ALL in
subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him...." Can
you grasp that? The entire vast, endless UNIVERSE! But that is for the BORN
sons of God. Man is not yet BORN - except Christ only! Continue: "Here
comes the answer: "...But now [in this present gestation state] we see NOT
YET all things [the universe] put under him “(verse 8). (Emphasis mine.)
But what do we see, NOW?
"But we see JESUS ... crowned with
glory and honour" (verse 9). Yes, as revealed in chapter 1, Jesus has
already been given the executive administration of God's Government - the
"For it became him [Jesus], for whom
are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto GLORY,
to make the captain [margin, leader - or, forerunner, pioneer - the One who has
gone on before us, as we are to follow] of their salvation perfect through
sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of
one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren" (verses
10-11).
Christ First Born of Many
We are, as quoted before, heirs of God,
and joint-heirs - as BRETHREN - with Christ. He has gone on ahead, through a
resurrection, to GLORY as the pioneer!
He is the firstborn of many brethren! He
has INHERITED "all things" - the UNIVERSE! We are still heirs - still
in the gestation stage of the process of being BORN of God. Jesus is now our
High Priest, supervising our spiritual development - preparing us to be kings
and priests, reigning with Him!
The first thousand years we shall reign ON
THE EARTH. For He shall have "made them kings and priests: and they shall
reign on the earth" (Rev. 5:10, RSV).
The First Thousand Years
For that first thousand years, Jesus is to
reign on the throne of His earthly ancestor DAVID in
Jesus said, again, "To him that
overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne [Jerusalem], even as I also
overcame, and am [now] set down with my Father in his throne" (Rev. 3:21).
When BORN of God, we shall BE spirit, no
longer human flesh and blood. We shall be given POWER! As Daniel revealed, the
saints then shall take the kingdoms of earth's nations and RULE them - for the
first thousand years.
And ... after that? The passage in Hebrews
2 shows that then, under Christ, we shall be given power to rule over the
entire vast universe - literally ALL THINGS. For that is the power that has
been given to Christ, and we are joint-heirs, to become joint-INHERITORS with
Him.
All Power - The UNIVERSE
Most people have past right over many vital
statements in the Bible, not recognizing their tremendous import!
Let me give you a few. Ask yourself if you
have ever recognized the true import of these statements in God's Word?
Matthew 28:18: "And Jesus came and
spake unto them [after the resurrection], saying. ALL POWER is given unto me in
heaven and in earth."
Matthew 11:27: Jesus said: "ALL
THINGS [the whole universe] are delivered unto me of my Father ...."
John 3:35: "The Father loveth the
Son, and hath given ALL THINGS into his hand."
John 13:3: During the last Passover,
"Jesus knowing that the Father had given ALL THINGS into his hands, and
that he was come from God, and went to God...."
John 16:15: "ALL THINGS that the
Father hath are mine...."
I Corinthians 15:27: "For he [the
Father] hath put ALL THINGS under his [Christ's] feet. But when he saith ALL
THINGS are put under him, it is manifest that he [the Father] is excepted,
which did put ALL THINGS under him. And when ALL THINGS shall be subdued unto
him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put ALL THINGS
under him, that God may be all in all" (verse 28).
And - incredible, yet true! - we, in Christ, are made co-heirs with Christ in this
ultimate supreme rule.
Incidentally, I Corinthians 15:27-28,
along with verses 22-26, indicates that our reign over the universe shall
follow the thousand years' reign on the earth.
Must GROW During Gestation
Human life starts with what the Bible
terms "corruptible seed" - physical male sperm. Divine life starts
with that which is incorruptible - the Holy Spirit of God entering the human
person. But as the human embryo must GROW till it becomes a foetus, which must
GROW to the point of being born in the human family, so the Christian in whom
divine life has been started by the gift of God's incorruptible Spirit must
GROW toward perfection to be born into the God Family. He will then be perfect,
unable to sin.
Peter gives an analogy of this:
"Being born again ..." (I Pet.
Peter continues, chapter 2:
"Wherefore ... as newborn babes ..." Not that we are already- born
perfect divine spirit persons having entered into and inherited God's Kingdom.
He is comparing the Christian's spiritual "gestation" period to the
growth of a newborn human baby simply because it would be awkward indeed to
compare it to a physical embryo or foetus. He is not saying we are already born
babes in God's Kingdom - but as - or like newborn human babes. It is an
analogy, which Webster says is a comparison or "likeness between two
things ... consisting in the resemblance not of the things themselves, but of
two or more attributes, circumstances or effects."
Peter is simply showing that, as a newborn
human babe must be nourished and GROW physically (even, for that matter, as
must be an unborn foetus), so Christians must grow spiritually. Continue:
"desire the sincere milk of the word" (RSV has: "long for the
pure spiritual milk") "that ye may GROW thereby" (I Pet. 2:1-2).
Paul styled it "unto the perfect man" (Eph.
The Comparison
During our converted human Christian life,
we are already children of God, as yet unborn. We have within us through the
gift of the Holy Spirit, the presence of ETERNAL LIFE - Spirit life - divine
life - BUT, only from and through GOD. We do not, yet,
have any eternal life inherent - of ourselves, independent of God! And, WE
COULD LOSE IT - be aborted!
This compares to the unborn physical
fetus, in the gestation period. It has human life - but only through the
umbilical cord and FROM the mother - NOT independently of itself. And it can be
aborted!
This is so clearly brought out in the
Bible, in I John 5:11-12: "And this is the record, that God hath given to
us eternal life, and this life is in His Son."
It is NOT inherent in us. We do not now in
this life have BORN life of our own, independent of Him. Our contact with Him
through His Spirit is the umbilical cord through which we are partaking of
eternal life from Him. Continue, verse 12: "He that hath the Son hath
life; and he that hath not the Son hath not life." If one is cut of from
Christ, he has NO eternal life.
A BORN human baby has human life on its
own - independent of its mother. THAT DEFINES THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE STATE
OF
HOW Jesus Was the ONLY Begotten Son
King David of
The prophets had received God's Holy
Spirit. Peter wrote: "... Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the
Holy Spirit" (II Pet.
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are to be seen in
the
But if they were begotten of God by the
Holy Spirit - and hundreds of years before Christ was
born, how could Jesus be called "the ONLY begotten Son of God"?
ANSWER: The scriptures calling Jesus the
ONLY begotten Son of God all apply to His begettal as the human Son, His first
birth - born of the human mother, Mary. Jesus was the ONLY human ever begotten
by God prior to HUMAN birth. In Revelation 1:5, the A.V. speaks of Christ as
the first begotten - but other translations render it, properly firstBORN -
referring to His resurrection, not His human birth from His mother Mary.
Jesus was NOT the first begotten in the
sense that Abraham, David and Old Testament prophets were begotten.
Before Jesus was conceived by Mary, He was
not the SON of God. God is the divine FAMILY. He was one of that Family. In John 1:1 He is called the "Logos" - the
Word. He, like the Father, had existed eternally. But He is nowhere in God's
Word referred to as SON of God prior to conception by Mary. His human birth was
His first birth. He gave up the GLORY He had with the Father in order to be
born into the world to save the world.
Abraham and many others - prophets and
writers of the Bible were begotten of God - they were in the same identical
state as human Christians who have God's Spirit within them today. But they have
not, even yet, INHERITED - entered into - the
Jesus had to be the FIRST to be BORN of
God - the FIRST-BORN of many brethren. That was His second birth, as the
resurrection will be ours! "And these all, having obtained a good report
through faith, received not the promise [were not born into the KINGDOM]: God
having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be
made perfect" (Heb.
This again, PROVES that the conversion in
this life - receiving the Holy Spirit - is only a begettal - NOT a birth! For
Old Testament fathers and prophets received God's Spirit - but they were not
"born again" because Jesus was the first so born!
How does this PROCESS of being born again
take place?
What Is the WAY?
Peter gave the WAY, and the conditions.
Repent, he said, and be baptized, as an act of FAITH in Christ, His shed blood
in payment for the penalty of our sins, and His resurrection making possible
our eternal life and being born again. Then, he said, we shall receive the Holy
Spirit.
Those in whom the Holy Spirit dwells ARE
CHRIST'S (
All these scriptures MAKE CLEARLY PLAIN
that we are to be BORN AGAIN by, and ONLY by, a resurrection to spirit
composition.
We are now heirs of God and joint-heirs
with Christ - NOT YET INHERITORS, or possessors of the Kingdom.
The Human Birth
What is a birth - what is meant by being
born?
The actual final birth is called
parturition - a baby being delivered out of its mother's womb.
But this birth requires a father, as well
as a mother! If it were not for the PART the father contributes in the process,
there would be no fetus to be born. But THERE IS A TIME ELEMENT. The father's
part in what shall, later, be birth is to beget - to gender - to sire. From his
body emanates the sperm cell that unites with and starts life in an ovum within
the mother. This occurs 9 months prior to parturition - or birth.
We never say, in the English language,
that immediately when an embryo is conceived in the mother - sired or begotten
by the father - that the embryo has already been BORN! Birth has not occurred!
To say it would sound idiotic, ridiculous!
From conception must follow the PROCESS
called gestation for 9 months. The embryo takes on human form and is called a
fetus. It must develop and grow physically to be born.
So with being born again, in a spiritual
birth.
What comes from the divine Father is the
Holy Spirit. Just as the unborn child in the mother's womb is, even in the foetal
state, the child (yet unborn) of its parents, so those in whom God's Spirit dwells
are, already, children of God. But they are still OF this first birth - still
human - still composed of physical flesh. They are still in their spiritual
Mother - the Church which is still in this corruptible present world, though
not of it. When born of the Spirit, said Jesus, they shall BE spirit.
But IF God's Spirit dwells in them, God
then will resurrect them (if they are dead), or change them (if still living)
from physical to spirit composition at Christ's coming. They will then be
brought forth - delivered from their Mother, the Church, into the
Of the first birth we are, and remain,
FLESH! HUMAN beings!
Of the second birth, which is spiritual,
we shall BE spirit, no longer flesh - but SPIRIT beings! - Divine Beings!
The Greek Words
The New Testament of the Holy Bible was
originally written in the Greek language. It is inevitable that some
difficulties confront translators in the rendering from one language to
another.
For example, there are some idiomatic
expressions common to one language that have no equivalent in another.
One word may have more than one meaning in
a language where the equivalent word in another language would not have the
same different meanings. For example, the English word saw may mean did see, or
it might mean - as a noun - a carpenter's instrument to cut through wood, or,
as a verb it may mean to cut with a saw.
However, by checking different
translations, and by UNDERSTANDING of the context and all other passages of the
Bible in relation to the same subject, we may come to the correct meaning as
expressed in English.
One such example is the original Greek
word for the English born - a word Jesus used in speaking to Nicodemus.
The Greek word used in John 3:3-8 for born
is gennao (pronounced ghen-ah-o). Here are the English definitions of the Greek
gennao from leading lexicons - Greek-English dictionaries:
Thayer: "gennao: 1. properly: of men
begetting children. Matt. 1:1-16; Acts 7:8, 29; foll. by
ek with gen. of the mother, Matt. 1:3, 5,6; more rarely of women giving birth
to children. Lk.
Liddell and Scott: "gennao: to beget,
of the father; to bear, bring forth, of the mother: II, to generate,
produce."
(Webster defines "generate"
"to beget; procreate.")
Strong: "gennao: to procreate (prop. of the father, but by extens. of the mother); fig. to
regenerate: - bear, beget, be born, bring forth, conceive, be delivered of,
gender, make, spring."
Young: "Gennao: to beget, bring
forth."
George Ricker
One man, a native Greek from
However, it is to be noted that the
scholarly AUTHORITIES whose definitions are quoted above, all put first and
primary emphasis on begetting by the father. It is, as I have always said, A
PROCESS, with the time element at different stages of the process.
It might be made more clear, in
nontechnical language, to explain that in some languages words may be
all-inclusive as to TIME, without distinction as to past, present, or future
state of a process. For example, in German there are not the two words
designating of being an heir or an inheritor. The one German word would be used
in describing a young man who is his father's heir, having not yet inherited
anything, or a man who, after the death of his father, has become an inheritor
of his father's estate.
A Frenchman said, "If I were an
author, I would much prefer to write in English, because there are so many more
words, expressing various shades of meaning."
There is a TIME PERIOD between
fertilization by a male sperm and parturition - delivery from the womb - which
state as to time, in English, is medically termed gestation. We never refer, in
English, to that gestation state as a born state. Likewise, in English, we
cannot properly refer to the Christian in whom God's Spirit dwells as having
been "born" of God. My commission is to make the truth PLAIN in
English.
Definition: "Supernatural Begettal
by the Holy Spirit"
"To beget means begetting, the action
or process of generating or producing; generation" [from New English
Dictionary of Historical Principles, 1988]. It is interesting also, in this
dictionary to find the following: "Begettal (f. beget v. + al, cf.
Commital) Begetting, 1873, C.M. Davies: They believe in his preternatural
begettal by the Holy Spirit."
Thus, the one Greek word, gennao, means
PRODUCTION THROUGH A PROCESS that includes and is generated by the imparting of
the fertilizing or life-giving element by the father. There is a TIME when
culmination in BIRTH has not yet occurred.
In the Greek, gennao, the word is
all-inclusive as a PRODUCTION PROCESS. But in English, the word birth is NOT
all-inclusive, and refers only to the final stage of the process - the time of
parturition - delivery of child from the womb. One's birthday in English always
means the DAY - or anniversary of the day of his delivery from his mother's
womb.
Status of Christian, NOW
Now let us notice one of the problems to
be expected in rendering the verb gennao into our being born again of God.
When Jesus was talking with Nicodemus, He
was referring to the TIME when we may see, enter into, the
Combining this with I Corinthians
15:45-53, the resurrection chapter, it is made absolutely plain that we do not
enter into and inherit the Kingdom of God while still flesh and blood, but only
after the resurrection to SPIRIT COMPOSITION.
Being born again refers to the time - the
future state - when we shall BE spirit, no longer flesh and blood - born
actually by the resurrection.
But in certain passages, the Greek gennao
is used, in referring to the present state of those who have received the
spiritual life-begetting, impregnating Holy Spirit. They are, upon receiving
His Holy Spirit, children of God, in the same sense that the embryo-fetus is
the unborn child of its human parents.
We are in the state - the TIME ELEMENT -
after generation-conception, but prior to birth. In the human instance, the
medical term for this state is gestation.
We are NOW begotten children of God - but still
flesh-and-blood humans - still heirs - not yet spirit-composed divine beings
not yet inheritors - not yet having been "brought forth" into, or
seen, or inherited the Kingdom of God - therefore, not yet BORN of God.
In other words - shocking though His truth
may sound to some to whom this truth is new, that which is born of humans is
born into the human family - the human kingdom - and that which is born of God
is born into the GOD Family - the
The English Verb, "Beget"
Now a word of explanation about this
English verb beget - or the adjective form, begotten.
The simple dictionary definition,
(Webster) is: "1: to procreate, as the father: sire. 2: CAUSE."
Above, I quoted the definition from the New English Dictionary of Historical
Principles; "begetting, the action or process of generating or producing
...."
Also this same dictionary in giving an
example of the use of begettal in a sentence, quotes, from author C. M. Davies,
1873: "They believe in his preternatural [supernatural] begettal by the
Holy Spirit."
Beget refers to the father. And the
father's action is to cause the start of the process toward birth.
Various Translations
Since the New Testament was originally
written in the Greek language, our English-language Bibles have been translated
from the Greek.
And since the Greek gennao is an
all-inclusive term - referring to the begetting by the father, but also,
secondarily according to the lexicons, including the process culminating in
birth, the translators had to decide which English term to use in each case.
It had been the teaching of the Roman
Catholic Church that their church is the
In every instance where the Greek gennao
refers to Spirit-begotten Christians, it should be rendered
"begotten."
Notice a few outstanding examples!
In John
In the American Revised Version I John
I John 4:7, the A.V. incorrectly has it:
"... and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God." But
the Revised Version corrected this error, rendering it: "... is begotten
of God."
I John 5:1, in the A.V. incorrectly has
it: "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and
every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of
him."
Here, this same Greek word, gennao, was
inspired by the Holy Spirit three times in the same verse. The first time, the
King James translators erroneously rendered it into the English word "born".
The second time gennao is used in the Greek they could not render it "him
that was BORN" or "him that 'borned'" - for it refers to God,
and not the human believer. Here they were forced to choose the correct
translation of gennao, in the past tense, as "begat". Then, since
they already had to use the past tense "begat" in that instance, they
also correctly rendered it, in the third place the word occurred, "is
begotten".
The Revised Version also corrected this
error, rightly rendering it: "whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ
is begotten of God, and whosoever loveth Him that begat, loveth him also that
is begotten of Him."
One final example: I John 5:4 - the A.V.
erroneously renders it: "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the
world ..." but the Revised Version corrected it to read: "Whatsoever
is begotten of God overcometh the world ...."
Correctly Translated
Now quickly notice a few instances where
the SAME GREEK WORD was correctly translated "begotten".
I Cor. 4:15, the Apostle Paul is talking
to those converted under his ministry. "For though ye have ten thousand
instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have
begotten you through the gospel." There it is correctly translated,
showing that Paul's converts at
The experience of conversion, in this
life, is a begettal a "conception" - an "impregnation" -
but NOT YET A BIRTH! This we have made very PLAIN!
One more - Heb. 1:5 - speaking of CHRIST'S
begettal in the Virgin Mary. This verse shows that Christ, later BORN of God by
a resurrection of the dead (Rom. 1:4), was an actual BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD, in a
manner that no angel is, or can be. Angels are merely created beings. They are
not actually begotten of God, so in this sense they are not His born sons, as
Christ now is - and as we may also be. Notice this verse: "For unto which
of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten
thee?"
Now that ought to be plain. A converted
person - one who has repented, accepted Christ as
saviour, received God's Holy Spirit, does have a changed attitude and outlook
and purpose - his whole character begins to change, and travel in a opposite direction.
BUT HE IS NOT INVISIBLE TO THE HUMAN EYES OF OTHER PEOPLE! He is not composed
of SPIRIT. He is still composed of material flesh, even though God's Holy
Spirit has entered, and now dwells in, and leads his HUMAN MIND.
When He Cannot Sin
There is a particular verse that has
puzzled millions, discouraged thousands who didn't understand, and caused some
to accuse the Bible of contradicting itself.
Look at this verse! It says:
"Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in
him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God" (I John 3:9).
Now is that a contradiction of verse 8 of
the first chapter of the same book which says we deceive ourselves if we think
we have no sin? The answer is easy to understand.
Remember that in New Testament language
the pronoun "we" or "us" refers to converted Christians.
(The unconverted are referred to as "they" or "them". An
example is I Thes. 5:3,4. "For when they shall
say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them ... and they
shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should
overtake you as a thief.")
I John 1:8-9 reads: "If we say that
we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we
[Christians]" - this verse is referring to sins committed, though of
course not deliberately and wilfully, after being converted - "confess our
sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. If we [we CHRISTIANS] say that we have not sinned, we make him
a liar, and his word is not in us" (verse 10). Then, the next verse, I
John 2:1: "... And if any man sin, we [Christians] have an advocate with
the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." It is here speaking of Christ in
His present office as our High Priest.
Christians Should Not Sin
Of course the Bible teaches that
Christians should not sin. The first part of I John 2:1 (not quoted above)
teaches that. The emphasis all through the New Testament is on rooting out sin
overcoming sin - growing in God's righteousness, always toward perfection.
But these and numerous other verses
(especially the Apostle Paul's experience, Romans
Look at Jesus Christ Himself! The
Scriptures say He did not sin - yet they teach plainly that at all times it was
entirely possible for Him to sin. Jesus, in the human flesh, "was in all
points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Heb.
So here we have many scriptures showing
that it is NOT IMPOSSIBLE for converted Christians to sin - it was NOT
IMPOSSIBLE even for Jesus! Yet, in I John 3:9, in the
A.V., we have the flat statement that, if and when we are actually born of God,
we shall not be able to sin - IT WILL THEN BE IMPOSSIBLE!
Two Translations
Here, again, the translators had to decide
how to render the verb gennao. And it MUST be decided by the meaning in the
context as a whole.
Some modern translators render it
"begotten" supposing the passage is talking about Christians NOW not
continuing in indifferent practicing of sin, as they did before conversion.
They know well that it is NOT IMPOSSIBLE for a human Christian, NOW, to sin. So
they render it in the sense of continuing in the habitual practicing of sin,
once begotten of God.
On the other hand, it also CAN be rendered
"BORN" as in the A.V., without any contradiction.
Notice this, in I
John 3:1: "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us,
that we should be called THE SONS OF GOD. ... Beloved , NOW ARE WE THE SONS OF
GOD, and it doeth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when HE
[Christ at His second coming] shall appear, WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM; for we shall
SEE HIM as he is" (I John 3:1-2).
This is speaking of the time when we shall
be spirit - BORN of God.
WHAT We Shall Be
Now notice that! Understand WHAT we shall
be, when we are BORN of God! Then, next we shall see - still further - WHEN we
shall be born of God.
This scripture, in this marvellous 3rd
chapter of I John, plainly says that "WE" - meaning begotten,
converted CHRISTIANS - are, now, already, the SONS of God. Yes, of course, and
the tiny embryo, no larger than a pinpoint in its mother's womb is, already the
SON (or daughter) of its human father, even though not yet BORN.
Next, this scripture reveals that "it
doeth not yet appear WHAT WE SHALL BE."
Grasp that! Isn't it PLAIN? We are, later,
to BE something different. Of course! Although we already are begotten SONS of
God, we are still FLESH - still matter - still VISIBLE. BUT WHAT WE SHALL BE
has not, yet, appeared. As Jesus explained to Nicodemus, we SHALL BE immortal
SPIRIT. That is what we shall later be!
BUT, this scripture continues - READ IT! -
UNDERSTAND this wonderful, WONDERFUL TRUTH! - we know
that, when HE, Christ, shall appear at His second coming to earth, WE SHALL BE
LIKE HIM!
Now what shall HE be like? If you can know
that, you can know what BORN-AGAIN Christians shall then be like - for they
shall be LIKE HIM!
What does the GLORIFIED Christ look like?
His eyes blaze forth like flames of fire! His feet glow like finely burnished
brass. His face shines like the SUN, in FULL STRENGTH - so bright, it would
blind your eyes if He were visible to you now! (Rev. 1:14-16; 19:12-13; Matt.
17:2.)
And THAT is the way YOU and I shall look,
if and when we are finally BORN of GOD! These deceived people who talk about
having had a "born-again experience" certainly don't look like THAT!
WHEN Born Again?
That tremendous, glorious event of being
BORN of God is to take place AT THE RESURRECTION OF THE JUST - at the time of
Christ's second coming to earth!
We are now flesh - vile corruptible flesh
subject to rotting and decay. But at Christ's coming, when we shall be born of
God, this vile body shall be changed, and made exactly like Jesus in His
glorified body!
Yes, I know this is probably too wonderful
for you to grasp!
But scripture after scripture piles up on
us, confirming this tremendous truth!
Look at the very resurrection chapter, I
Corinthians 15.
The Bible, which is God's message and
instruction to mankind, nowhere teaches any such thing as the pagan doctrine of
an "immortal soul" going to heaven at death. It teaches that the soul
is mortal and shall die (Ezek. 18:4,20).
But it does teach the resurrection of the
dead.
Now, when? At Christ's second coming!
"For as in Adam all die, even so in
Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the
firstfruits [that was more than 1900 years ago]; afterward they that are
Christ's at his coming" (I Cor.
That is WHEN - at Christ's COMING! And
notice, Christ is the "firstfruits" - the first of those who have
been human to be BORN OF GOD by a resurrection from the dead! The true
resurrection from the dead!
What Kind of Body?
Now how? What kind of body? That question
is asked in verse 35. Notice GOD'S answer:
"... That which thou sowest" -
bury in the ground - "thou sowest not that body that shall be" (verse
37). The IMMORTAL body that comes up in the resurrection will not be this vile,
rotting body of material flesh - but a different body. Continue: "But God
giveth it a body as it hath pleased him. ... So also is the resurrection of the
dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption. ... It is sown a
natural body" - that is, of NATURE - MATERIAL FLESH - "it is raised a
SPIRITUAL BODY" - composed of SPIRIT! "And as we have borne the image
of the earthy" - material flesh - of the earth - earthy (verse 49) -
"we shall also bear the image of the heavenly" - like GOD - like
CHRIST in His glorified body!
The remainder of this passage we have
covered earlier.
CHRIST ONLY THE FIRST
I have been the father of two sons. I am
human. They, begotten of ME, were born HUMAN, as I am! When we are BORN of GOD,
we shall be of HIS VERY FAMILY. We shall be SPIRIT as He is Spirit - immortal
as HE is immortal - divine as HE is divine!
Why does not organized professed
"Christianity" KNOW that? Why should that seem incredible,
impossible, or even to some like blasphemy?
WHY?
The New Testament of your Bible teaches
that truth all the way through! Jesus taught it! Paul taught it! Peter taught
it! John taught it! The Holy Spirit INSPIRED IT, repeatedly!
You have seen, in Philippians 3:20-21,
how, as stated just above in I Cor, 15, at Christ's coming our vile bodies
shall be changed into SPIRIT, made IMMORTAL, fashioned like Christ's GLORIFIED
BODY. That is when we shall be BORN of God. And THAT change does not take place
in THIS LIFE! All these sincere people who think they have been "born
again" HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED THAT CHANGE!
Now we saw in I Cor. 15:23, that Christ,
who was BORN OF GOD by His resurrection, was the FIRSTfruits of those to be
resurrected - those to be BORN AGAIN!
Now believe other scriptures which say the
same thing!
Believe Romans 8:29: "For whom he did
foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the IMAGE of his Son
[Christ], that he might be the firstborn among many
brethren." Christ was born a SON of God by a resurrection from the dead
(Rom. 1:4). He was only the first to be so BORN of GOD, of MANY BRETHREN. We
are to be in His same IMAGE - as He is, NOW! We are to be put on HIS SAME PLANE
- as His BRETHREN - to be also BORN OF GOD to become GOD'S SONS!
We are already begotten sons - if really
converted - but what we SHALL BE, in the resurrected GLORIFIED BODY - does not
yet APPEAR - cannot yet be seen (I John 3:1- 2).
God is to have MANY SONS born of Him. Of
all these, JESUS was the first to be SO BORN. He is the ONLY human so far BORN
of God, though many have already been BEGOTTEN!
Believe Colossians 1:15, 18: Speaking of
Jesus "who is the IMAGE of the INVISIBLE GOD, the FIRSTBORN of every
creature ... the FIRSTBORN from the dead." Yes, just the first of many
BRETHREN, in the very IMAGE of bright shining GLORY of the INVISIBLE GOD. And
we are to be conformed to the SAME IMAGE (Rom.
Will You BELIEVE?
Now will you believe what God says in the
book of Hebrews?
WHY should God be concerned about human
beings? From a small airplane we look like little ants down here. From a jet 5
to 6 miles high, people on the ground have shrunken so small they can't be
seen. HOW TINY must we look to GOD? WHY should He have concern for us?
The question is answered in Hebrews 2,
beginning verse 6. God made man a little lower than the angels, but, in God's
PURPOSE and PLAN,
He has CROWNED man, as He first has
Christ, with GLORY and HONOR.
What is the GLORY with which Christ is now
CROWNED? A crown denotes KINGship - rule - authority - power. Jesus Christ
said, just before ascending to heaven, that ALL POWER in the universe - in
heaven and in earth - had been given to HIM.
In Heb. 1:1-3, it is revealed that Christ
now is the BRIGHTNESS of God's GLORY!
Yes, His eyes like flashing flames of fire
- His face shining bright as the full-strength SUN.
Christ's GLORY is such that He sustains,
upholds, controls, every force, energy, and power that exists EVERYWHERE -
supreme POWER over the universe!
Now believe what God says about US! -
Hebrews 2:10, "For it became him ... in bringing MANY SONS UNTO GLORY, to
make the captain [margin, Leader, or Predecessor, or Pioneer] of their
salvation perfect through sufferings." And in verse 11 Jesus calls us His
BROTHERS.
Oh, what matchless, transcendent GLORY God
purposes for us - when we are BORN AGAIN! Revelation 1:13-17 gives a graphic
description of that future glory.
WHY Not Now?
But, as we read in Heb. 2:8, we do not see
YET all this GLORY having been inherited by any but CHRIST. WHY, then are we
not YET born?
Because, when we are, we are to be given
such POWERS to guide, direct, and control, that we must first BE TRAINED and
have the PERFECT SPIRITUAL CHARACTER developed in us so that we may safely be
entrusted with such vast powers!
God CREATED this universe. He is the REAL
Supreme Ruler! He is not going to turn over that power to rule to any except
those who will rule HIS WAY, who will OBEY HIM, obey HIS GOVERNMENT, and carry
out HIS GOVERNMENT, UNDER HIM!
So, it is ONLY those that are LED BY God's
Holy Spirit in HIS WAYS who are the SONS of God (Rom.
Yes, even as the unborn, but begotten,
human baby must GROW from its beginning size no larger than a pinpoint, fed on
physical food, so once we are impregnated by GOD'S HOLY SPIRIT - HIS LIFE - WE
MUST GROW SPIRITUALLY, fed on the SPIRITUAL FOOD of God's Word the BIBLE, and
by PRAYER, and what fellowship is possible with truly begotten BRETHREN in
God's TRUTH.
And UNLESS we do continue to GROW in
spiritual character development, more and more LIKE GOD, we become like the
unborn babe that miscarries - or like an abortion! AND SUCH SHALL NEVER BE BORN
OF GOD!
GLORIOUS WORLD TOMORROW
What WONDERFUL, almost INCOMPREHENSIBLE,
GLORIOUS GOOD NEWS!
And the BEST NEWS is,
that the COMING OF CHRIST is now drawing VERY NEAR! Just a very few more years!
And then - the PEACEFUL, HAPPY, GLORIOUS WORLD TOMORROW!
All who NOW are begotten sons of God shall
then be BORN - elevated from mortal to IMMORTAL, from decaying FLESH to SPIRIT
- from HUMAN to DIVINE!
And THAT TRUE BORN-AGAIN EXPERIENCE will
be incomparably more GLORIOUS than the false, vague, meaningless, so-called
"born-again experience" that deceived THOUSANDS think
they have had now.
Can your mind grasp what an incredible,
transcendent GLORY is the true potential of those who do BELIEVE, REPENT and
OBEY?
But, the scriptures that break before our
eyes this GLORIOUS GOOD NEWS, also warn us to TAKE HEED, and to MAKE OUR
CALLING AND ELECTION SURE!