Tuesday March 7, 2017
“Heavenly birth”
He who comes from above is above all; he who
is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is
above all. – John 3:31
Born Again – The Doctrine of Regeneration
The
character of regeneration
1. Heavenly
birth
The new
birth is, firstly, heavenly in origin. Over and over again Christ emphasized
this to Nicodemus. He needed to be born of water and the Spirit, for only
the Spirit gives birth to spirit. Just as the wind blows where every
priestess, so it is with everyone born of the Spirit. Indeed, the principle is
heavily underlined by the expression ‘born
again’. The word John uses, translated “again”, can mean either again or from above. It is
difficult to be dogmatic about its significance here. On the one hand, Nicodemus
appears to follow through Jesus words in terms of being born again (for a
second time). He raises the question whether someone can re enter the womb. But
the other uses of the word in John, strengthen the case for translating from above. In John 3:31; 19:11,
23, it conveys the idea from the top downward. If we take it
in this sense, then we are still able to make sense of Nicodemus’ response.
When Jesus tells them that he needs to be born from above, only faintly
understanding the meaning, he lamely asks whether another birth is possible.
The
corollary of this is often ignored. If we are members of the kingdom it must be
by heavenly birth. In other words, if
we are Christians it can only be because God has wonderfully intervened to give
us new life. Every Christian ought to think long and hard about this
because we have an inevitable, and at times, very worldly tendency to regard
some conversions as being more wonderful and amazing than others. Miraculous,
we say when a famous celebrity is born again, and of course we are right. But
the miracle involved in the new birth of John or Jane Smith, whose name never
appears in either Christian or secular press, is no less miraculous, no less
wonderful and no less a cause of joy in heaven. It involves the same exercise
of divine power and the same abundance of God’s love. What we need to do,
therefore, if we would enter into the joys of a new birth, is not to cast a
glance over our shoulder, endlessly regarding the spiritual biography of
another, but the search to Scriptures to see the rich measure of grace that God
pours into every new child of God.
Challenge:
Don’t
belittle your salvation as “just okay” and elevate another because of how “seemingly”
miraculous or “eventful” it came about. The power rests in one location
(person); GOD! His power to save! His grace to extend. So give Him the glory
for the GREAT WORK HE HAS DONE!
This Day in Christian History:
March 7, 202, - martyrdom of PERPETUA, a young devoted Christian from a well-to-do family in Carthage,
North Africa. By refusing to deny her faith, she was killed by wild beast in
the arena. Her devotion to Christ inspired Tertullian’s famous quote, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the
church.”
Memory Verse:
13 ‘a ‘ene
‘Afio na‘a ne hamusi kitautolu mei he pule ‘a Po‘uli, mo ne hiki kitautolu ki
he pule‘anga ‘o hono ‘Alo ‘Ofa‘anga: 14 pea ‘i he‘etau tu‘u ‘iate ia kuo tau
ma‘u ‘a e huhu‘i, ko e fakamolemole ‘etau ngaahi angahala; – Kolose 1:13-14
13 He has
delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the
Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the
forgiveness of sins. – Colossians
1:13-14
Bible Reading Plan: (52 weeks; 5 days a week)
Week
10 – Numbers 15-18; Psalm 113; Colossians 3
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