Question
What do you teach concerning the “new birth”?
Response
My understanding is that all men need to be spiritually regenerated by God in view of the fact that they are spiritually dead by nature because of sin, and that this is so regardless of whether God’s program with Israel is in effect or whether this present dispensation of God’s grace is in effect. Hence men in this dispensation do need to be born of God, or regenerated by Him, and this is just what does take place when someone believes “the gospel of Christ” and he receives justification of life from God. A ‘new birth,’ (to use the term), does take place as the believer goes from being a ‘child of wrath’ by nature, to being a ‘child of God’ by the regeneration of justification of life.
The specific “born again” expression and its related terminology is especially used, and is highly significant, in God’s program with Israel; which is why it is especially found there. And this is because of the erroneous doctrine put out by Israel’s apostate religious system which taught that since they were Jews by nature having Abraham as their natural father that they were not sinners by nature like Gentiles were. Hence, in view of this erroneous thinking the people of Israel were pointedly told that they must be “born again”; not physically or of the flesh, but spiritually by the Spirit of God. For contrary to what the Pharisees and others taught, their natural birth was not enough. They needed to be regenerated by the Spirit of God through believing the word of God unto them on this matter.
Keith Blades
Enjoy The Bible Ministries
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