The New Birth
Basic Christian
Doctrines 32
1.
Man Must Be Born Again to Enter Heaven.
The Bible
uses a number of terms and analogies to describe salvation. One of them is
regeneration, or the new birth. John 3 is the classic chapter on the subject.
Unless one is born again, He cannot see or enter Heaven. The word can be
translated “again” or “from above”. Both are true. We must be born a second
time, from Heaven. We enter this world by physical birth; we are made ready for
the next one by spiritual rebirth. We are dead in sins and need this new life
to be saved. Those who are not born again do not go to Heaven, but to Hell.
Those who are born once will die twice, but those who are born twice will die
once.
2.
Regeneration is Not Reincarnation.
The new
birth is not a physical one. We do not re-enter our mother's womb, nor that of
another mother, whether human or animal. Hinduism and Buddhism both teach the
error of reincarnation. But this is not to be confused with the Bible doctrine
of regeneration. We are born physically once, we die physically once. See Heb.
9:27. There are no after-death experiences, as sensationally reported. Some of
the Jews evidently were influenced by pagan ideas when they thought that Jesus
was the reincarnation of John the Baptist, Jeremiah or other prophets (Matt.
16:14). Also, we will be resurrected in the future in new and better bodies, but not reincarnated in different
bodies. Regeneration is a grand truth, while reincarnation is a dangerous
heresy.
3.
God Convicts a Sinner Before Conversion.
Just as
a physical birth has birth pains, so does the spiritual birth. It is called
conviction of sin. The Holy Spirit does this as He prepares us for the new
birth. He takes the holy Law of God and burns it into our consciences in a
deeper way than ever before. We do more than feel guilty; we know we are lost
and doomed. The Puritans used to call this a Law-work (not to be confused with
a work of the Law). It is painful and devastating. We resist it, and the more
we fight it the worse it becomes. It is painful to kick against God's work
(Acts 26:14). God thus breaks open the soil to plant the seed. Conviction is
the needle of the Law piercing us, in order to pull the thread of salvation. No
conviction, no conversion. But God turns the pain to joy in time.
4.
The Holy Spirit Alone Gives the New Birth.
John 3
says that we must be born by the Spirit. Our parents gave us natural life, but
they cannot give us supernatural life. Our spirits must be regenerated by the
Holy Spirit. John 1:13 tells us that this new birth is not produced by parents
or even our own wills. God Himself gives the new birth (James 1:18). God never
says, “Regenerate yourself”. A dead man cannot give himself life. Jesus raised
Lazaraus. Man is totally passive in regeneration. It is solely the work of the
Spirit.
5.
Baptism Does Not Produce Regeneration.
One of
the most damnable and popular heresies around is baptismal regeneration. It is
taught by the Catholic Church, Greek Orthodoxy, Lutheranism, Methodism, Church
of Christ, Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, Episcopalianism, and others.
It manufactures false Christians, whether as infants or adults. But water does
not produce regeneration. Baptismal water is not magic “holy water”. Cornelius
was regenerated before baptism (Acts 10). The dying thief was never baptized.
Simon Magus was baptized, but died unregenerate in his sins (Acts 8).
6.
The Word of God is the Means of Regeneration.
If
water is not the means, what is? The Bible. God compares it to a seed (Luke
8:11). We may plant it by telling people the Gospel, and another person may
water the seed by explaining the Bible to him. But it lies dormant in the
sinner's dead heart unless God germinates it (I Cor. 3:6). God works on the seed
by special grace, causing it to break open and produce life in the sinner's
heart. The Bible is thus the means of irresistible grace producing the new birth
(James 1:18, 1 Pet. 1:23). Those who never get this seed will never be saved.
Nor does God work this miracle in everyone who does hear the Gospel. Nor does
God produce regeneration without this seed. <![endif]>
7.
Regeneration Precedes Faith.
A dead
man cannot move, speak, walk, etc. A dead sinner cannot do anything that
requires spiritual life, such as believing. He must first be given life, then
he can believe. Lazarus was raised before he could walk out of the tomb. God
gives the new birth and then the gift of faith. That is the order. He that
believes already has eternal life (I John 5:1). There is no time lag or
interval between them. It is merely a matter of which logically precedes and
produces the other.
8.
Regeneration Changes Our Basic Nature.
When we
are regenerated, we do not become angels. We remain humans. But our nature as
humans changes. Sin still dwells in us, but now so does grace. The point is
that we now have spiritual life. We become a “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17). It
is a spiritual resurrection. It is a radical transformation. Sin affected us
totally in every part; now grace affects and changes us in every part. Our new
nature is basically regenerate, good, Christlike, spiritual. We have remnants
of the old, like a swimmer has seaweed clinging to him as he emerges from the
sea. It is not a sinner with some good attached, nor equally good and bad, but
primarily regenerate and new with remnants of sin in us till we die.
9.
Regeneration is an Instantaneous Miracle.
It is a
miracle of God, not an act of self-reformation or resolution by Man. God
prepares the heart for it by conviction and other things, but regeneration
itself occurs in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. It is not gradual or
progressive, but instantaneous and sudden. Nobody is half-regenerate, nor more
regenerate than someone else. If one dies before regeneration, he goes to Hell;
if after, Heaven. In physical birth, there is a gestation period of 9 months
following conception. This might be paralleled in the spiritual realm by the
process by which God gradually prepares one for regeneration in a moment.
10.
Only Born-Again People are Real Christians.
All
Christians are born-again and all born-again people are Christians. There are no born-again Moslems. Nor are
there any Christians who are not born again. "Born-again Christian"
could be a misnomer, if it is taken to mean that some Christians are not born-again.
One becomes a Christian by being born again; there is no other way. “You must
be born again” (John 3:7). But, of course, not everyone who says he is a
Christian really is a Christian. This is sad and tragic. Most Americans say
they are Christians, but it is highly unlikely that more than 1 or 2% really
are. Saying that you are doesn't make it so. It is not whether we say it, but
whether we are in fact. And likewise, not everyone who says he is born again
really is regenerate (Catholics and other heretics claim to be). It is vital to discern if we really are.