Born Again; New Covenant; Kingdom of Christ

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. John 3:3-14

“Born again” in verse 3 could be translated “reborn from above,” thus enabling the two ideas of the new birth

being a birth from God in heaven. (Leon Morris)

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world

was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not

receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children

of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:11-13

 

Jesus made humanity, but humanity didn’t know their creator. When he came to their world, they didn’t accept Him! He wanted to get them to believe in Him so He could remake them and give them eternal life. A rebirth was necessary, and only possible if they trusted Him.

Not just circumcision to reshape a piece of their flesh, but rebirth to reshape the human spirit. This would be a mark of entry into the New Covenant.

 

“Born of God,” here in John 1, is referring to “born again” and “born of water and the Spirit” in John 3. Jesus

“did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself” (Philippians 2:6-7) so as to enter our world and show us how to be born again to follow Him out of Satan’s world back to God’s world. Philippians 2:5-13; Hebrews 2:1-18.

 

The one who created all men also desired to save all men by offering a rebirth by the Holy Spirit.

“Seeing” the kingdom means “experiencing” the kingdom, and therefore equivalent to “entering” it.

“Born again” is more specifically “born of water and the Spirit.”

Born of water is baptism. Anyone who can’t concede that born again and baptism go together hasn’t read Romans 6:3-11 and Colossians 2:11-14. Isn’t dying and being raised to walk in newness of life a new birth??

Those baptized by John, and therefore forgiven, Mark 1:4-5, were not born again because the Holy Spirit was not then available. When did being born of water and the Spirit begin?   See  John 1:29-34; 7:37-39; Acts 2:1-39. John was preparing Jews to believe in Jesus and enter the New Covenant and the kingdom through being born of the Spirit.

Does “born again” imply being born into the Christ family? See Romans 8:14-17; Hebrews 2:11-18; Colossians

When were the apostles born again? That’s a very good question.

Since the church was begun by the apostles, 1 Corinthians 12:18,28; Ephesians 2:19-22, and being born again was the way to enter the church and kingdom, the apostles had to be born of water and the Spirit. But when?

Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”

9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”

10 Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely

clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.”  11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.” John 13:8-11

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”  22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” John 20:21-22

The apostles were washed in water by Jesus and cleansed, and they received the Holy Spirit, in a special

dispensation, before He was “poured out” and made available on the next Pentecost. See Luke 24:49; Acts 2:1

The man, not far from the kingdom, Mark 12:34, and Joseph of Arimathea, who was waiting for the kingdom, Mark 15:42-43, were still not born again and in Christ’s kingdom. They would have to wait for Pentecost after the Passover at which Christ was crucified, then resurrected.

If a person died, after being baptized of John and believing in Jesus, but before he could be born of water and the Spirit, would that person enter the kingdom of God?

What is implied by the following two Scriptures:

Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. 13For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, Matthew 11:11-13

“The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it. Luke 16:16

Those who were baptized of John and therefore forgiven, were again forgiven when they were baptized into Christ to receive the Holy Spirit and be born again.

Note regeneration (rebirth) in Titus 3:4-7; Romans 6:3-7; Ephesians 4:20-24 and Colossians 3:9-11.

What is the difference between the baptism of John and baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ? Be baptised of John and you believe in Jesus; be baptised into Christ means Christ and the Spirit are now in you, and you are in the kingdom. Acts 19:1-5.

You are a Jewish believer, waiting for the kingdom of God, and you live through the baptism of John, and belief in Jesus, past His death and resurrection to the day of Pentecost when the apostle Peter preached that first gospel sermon of the New Covenant in Acts 2. Upon hearing the sermon, what is your response?

 

·       You can’t be in the kingdom till Jesus is King.

·       Jesus wasn’t king till he ascended into heaven after his resurrection.

·       You have to be born again to enter the kingdom.

·       You can’t be born again till Jesus is King and He’s sent the Spirit into the world.

·       That’s all explained in Peter’s sermon in Acts 2.

·       Those who repented and were baptized, in response to Peter’s sermon in Acts 2, were born again when they were baptized and received forgiveness and the Holy Spirit.

 

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. 12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. Romans 8:9-17

 

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. 20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. 21 I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life. 26 I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. 27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him. 1 John 2:19-27

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to

redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are

sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave,

but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. Galatians 4:4-7

To become a son of God you have to die spiritually, be buried with Christ, and your spirit be reborn of the Spirit as your body is washed clean by water. John 3:5-6; Romans 6:3-7; Hebrews 10:22-23; 1 Peter 3:18-22.

 

Being born again belongs to the New Covenant so that you can receive the circumcision of Christ - made without hands Christ. Colossians 2:11-14.

 

Have you been baptized to be born again for the New Covenant and become a new creation in the Spirit?

 

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18

 

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

 

David Hunter