BECOMING A TRUE CHILD OF GOD
The new birth is a necessity, a must. Two
facts show this: The strong assertion, "Except a man be born again."
The word "again" (anōthen )
has three different meanings in Greek. It means... From the first:
from the beginning or completely and fully; Again: a second time, a repeated
act; From above: from the top, which means from God . The point is
a man must be "born again." He must be... born completely and
fully, a complete and full change - born all over again,
in the sense of a second time - born from above, from God. No one
person is a child of God until that person is born again.
The
new birth is a spiritual birth
It is spiritual, not physical and material.
The flesh cannot bridge the gap between flesh and spirit. Flesh is only flesh;
it has no power to be born again, to become spirit.
The
Regenerating Work of the Spirit
The impartation of a nature is an
operation so deep that the nature that is imparted is never said to be removed
for any cause whatsoever. This statement may be verified from the Scriptures.
The vital fact of relationship through birth is never said to be disannulled.
Thus, again, the fulfillment of the eternal purpose of God in grace is to be
anticipated with unwavering confidence.
In other words, once a person is born again and becomes a child of God,
that person is a child forever, you cannot be disinherited. A person that is
not born again is not a child of God.
The Spirit's Indwelling
The Spirit of God now indwells every believer this is
verified from the Word of God. It reveals that the Spirit has come to
"abide" in the heart He has once entered. This abiding presence of
the Spirit is in answer to the prayer of the Son of God, Jesus, which prayer
cannot be unanswered. "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you
another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever". The Christian may
"grieve," and "quench" (resist) the Spirit; but there is no
Scripture which teaches that the Spirit will be grieved away, or quenched away.
So long as the Spirit indwells, the eternal purposes of God in grace are sure,
and He must abide forever.
Jesus said that unless an individual
be born again, that will not even be able to see the kingdom of God, let alone
enter it (John 3:1-8).
What about you? If you were to die today,
would you be able to enter the Kingdom of God?
If you are not, you will not be able to enter, but God so loved the
world that He sent His only begotten Son that WHOEVER believes in Him will not
perish but have everlasting life (John
3:16).
God is calling all to be saved, you must
respond, yes or no. Time is running very short.
Latin, "the order of salvation." The ordo salutis is the theological doctrine that deals with the logical sequencing of the benefits of redemption as we are united to Christ which are applied to us by the Holy Spirit. This first thing to remember is that we must never separate the benefits (regeneration, justification, sanctification) from the Benefactor (Jesus Christ). The entire process (election, redemption, regeneration, etc.) is the work of God in Christ and is by grace alone. Election is the superstructure of our ordo salutis, but not itself the application of redemption. Regeneration, the work of the Holy Spirit which brings us into a living union with Christ, has a causal priority over the other aspects of the process of salvation. God opens our eyes, we see. God circumcises/ unplugs our ears, we hear. Jesus calls a dead and buried Lazarus out of the grave, he comes; In the same way, the Holy Spirit applies regeneration, (opening our spiritual eyes and renewing our affections), infallibly resulting in faith. All the benefits of redemption such as conversion (faith & repentance), justification, sanctification and perseverance presuppose the existence of spiritual life. The work of applying God's grace is a unitary process given to the elect simultaneously. This is instantaneous, but there is definitely a causal order (regeneration giving rise to all the rest). Though these benefits cannot be separated, it is helpful to distinguish them. Therefore, instead of imposing a chronological order we should view these as a unitary work of God to bring us into union with Christ. We must always keep in mind that the orders expressed in the following articles occur together or happen simultaneously like heat and fire. All aspects of the work of God continue together throughout the life of a Christian.
ReplyDeleteHistorically in the Church there has been disagreement about the order of salvation, especially between those in the Reformed and Arminian camps. The following two perspectives of God's order in carrying out His redemptive work reveals the stark contrast between these two main historic views. Keep in mind that both viewpoints are based on the redemptive work which Christ accomplished for His people in history:
In the Reformed camp, the ordo salutis is 1) election, 2) predestination, 3) gospel call 4) inward call 5) regeneration, 6) conversion (faith & repentance), 7) justification, 8) sanctification, and 9) glorification. (Rom 8:29-30)
In the Arminian camp, the ordo salutis is 1) outward call 2) faith/election, 3) repentance, 4) regeneration, 5) justification, 6) perseverance, 7) glorification.
Notice the crucial difference in the orders of regeneration and faith. While the Reformed position believes spiritual life is a prerequisite for the existence of the other aspects of salvation, the Arminians believe that fallen, natural man retains the moral capacity to receive or reject the gospel of his own power. Even with the help of grace he still must find it within himself to believe or reject Christ. This has broad implications and raises questions like why does one man believe and not another? You might also notice that, according to Arminians, election is dependent on faith, not the other way around. This is no small matter ...understanding the biblical order, while keeping in mind its unitary process, is crucial and has a profound impact on how one views God, the gospel, and the Bible as a whole.