All the Doctrines of the Bible are of tremendous importance. Some of them should have greater emphasis because of the very nature of the subject treated. Those that relate to our Christian experience should have preeminence in our considerations. Thus, the New Birth and Sanctification should be put at the top of the list. They have to do with our personal relationship to God.

The Doctrine of the New Birth is basic to Christian experience. It is the foundation on which all other experiences in God are predicated. It is the one requirement for membership in The Church. It defies explanation, but the knowledge of its reality must be unquestionable in our minds.

As elementary as possible, I want to direct our study on the New (Spiritual) Birth. Let’s take the most simple approach possible and ask—What? Why? How? When?

FIRST What?

(A) New Birth—The act of God’s grace whereby the sinner, through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, experiences a spiritual birth and is thereby made a new creation.

(B) Biblical Harmony—John 3:3 R.S.V.—truly, truly, I say unto you unless one is born anew he cannot see the Kingdom of God.
John 3:7 R.S.V.—Ye must be born anew.
John 3:3—N.E.B.—unless a man has been born over again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.
John 3:7—N.E.B.—I tell you that ye must be born over again.
John 3:3—The Emphasized N.T.—except a man be born from above.
I Peter 1:23—K.J.V.—being born again not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.
I Peter 1:23—Moffatt—ye are born anew of immortal not of mortal seed.
I Peter 1:23—20th Century N.T.—since your new life has come, not from perishable, but imperishable seed. These different renderings of these oft used texts makes it very clear, that the Bible is emphatic in its requirement that the sinner must be born anew from above, by the Spirit of God, that puts him in possession of a new quality of life in Christ Jesus. This is an absolute necessity if we are to be Christian.

Why?

There are at least 4 logical as well as theological reasons why we must be born again.

1. The nature of man requires it.

Because of the hereditary depravity of the physical birth necessitates we be born again.

Psalm 51:5 … Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Ephesians 2:3 … among whom we also had our conversation in times past in the lusts of the flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature (physical birth) the children of disobedience.

Romans 8:5–8 … For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Because we received the image of Adam through our physical birth we must be born again to receive the image of Christ.

I Corinthians 15:47 and 49 … The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

2. The Holiness of God demands it.

Man was originally created in the spiritual image of God, thus a holy person. They had unbroken fellowship and communion. Man sinned and this holy union was broken. God being holy, cannot have fellowship with sinful man, thus man must be spiritually recreated for God to enjoy his fellowship and man to enjoy God’s fellowship.

II Corinthians 6:14–16 … Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Ephesians 3:8–9 … Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
The mystery of the fellowship was hid in God from creation until Christ made it possible through the New Birth.

I John 1:3 … That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

3. To possess eternal life.

John 17:3 … And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Eternal life does not simply mean eternal existence, for both the sinner and the Christian have eternal existence. The term eternal life in the Bible refers to the quality of life not the quantity.

I John 1:1–3 … That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

I John 5:11–13 … And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

I John 5:20 … And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. We come into possession of this new (eternal) life as we are born anew.

4. To fit us for Heaven.

There are two kingdoms: 1. The Kingdom of God. 2. The Kingdom of Satan. The spirits of these two kingdoms are incompatible and there can be no fellowship between the members. A sinner would be as much out of place in heaven as a Christian would be in hell.

The experience that puts us in the Kingdom of God and fits us for heavens enjoyment takes place when we are born again.

Colossians 1:12–13 … Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.
Heaven is a holy place, filled with glory and with grace, sin can never enter there. If we dwell in sin below, heaven’s grace refuse to know, we cannot enter there.

When?

Some time between infancy and death.

I have seen children who have been taught the will of God be converted at the age of 7–8 and 9. F. G. Smith was converted at age of 9 and testified that he never strayed from the Lord in all of his Christian life.

I have witnessed the conversion of a man 94 years old. God wills it to be in youth.

Ecclesiastes 12:1 … Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
God’s intentional will for us is that we be converted as soon as we have knowledge of our sin and His plan of salvation. Many do not do this, but God does not cast them off as hopeless.

II Peter 3:9 … The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

I have known men in their 60’s and 70’s to be converted after being around the church all their life. So whether you are 9 or 90, God’s word says—ye must be born again.

How?

The word of God says ye must in this life be born again, now we come to the most important question of all—How?

John 1:11–13 … He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

I John 5:1 … 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.

I John 5:4–5 … For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

Simply by repenting of, confessing your sins, believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and receiving Him as personal Savior, you can be born again.

Ye—personal
Must—imperative
Be born—experience
Again—second time of the Spirit.

Have you?

[ The End ]