When the Pharisee Nicodemus went to Jesus in the dark of night (John 3), he didn't question that Jesus was from God, "for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him" (v. 2). Jesus responded by going straight to the heart of the matter: "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (v. 3). Of course, that answer puzzled Nicodemus, for how can a man be reborn when he is old? In the verses that follow, Jesus explains to Nicodemus that the new birth, or regeneration, is an act of God alone in which he makes a spiritually dead person alive in Christ. It is the work of the Holy Spirit that takes a heart of stone and turns it into a heart of flesh. The result is a soul that can now respond in faith and have an inclination toward the things of God.
But what are the signs of being born again by the Spirit? How do we know if we have truly been regenerated? The book of 1 John has much to say about a life that has experienced the new birth:
1. 1 John 2:3-5: "Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, 'I know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him, He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked." Are we concerned about obeying the Lord? Do we cheapen the grace of God by continuing in a life of sinful behavior?
2. 1 John 2:15-16: "Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world -- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the prides of life -- is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." Where do our true affections lie? Do we have idols that we love more than the Lord?
3. 1 John 3:9: "Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God." In this life, we will never be without sin; however, our lives should be marked by a decreasing practice of sin through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.
4. 1 John 4:7: "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." Do we see an increase in our love for the family of God and an desire to fellowship with other believers in Christ?
5. 1 John 5:1a: "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God." Our lives should reflect an abiding faith and trust in Jesus as our Savior and Lord.
Five questions that Baptists and Evangelicals should ask themselves
ReplyDelete1. Does the Bible state that a sinner is capable of choosing righteousness/choosing God?
The Bible states that the sinner must believe and repent, but are these actions initiated and performed by man of his own intellectual abilities, or are faith, belief, and repentance a part of the entire "package" of salvation? Are faith, belief, and repentance part of the "free gift"? Does God give you faith, belief and repentance at the moment he "quickens" you, or does he require you to make a decision that you want them first, and only then does he give them to you?
2. Is there any passage of Scripture that describes salvation in the Baptist/evangelical terms of: "Accept Christ into your heart", "Make a decision for Christ", "Pray to God and ask him to forgive you of your sins, come into your heart, and be your Lord and Savior (the Sinner's Prayer)". Is it possible that being "born again" is something that God does at a time of his choosing, and not something that man decides to do at a time of his choosing? Is man an active participant in his salvation in that he cooperates with God in a decision to believe, or is man a passive participant in his salvation; God does ALL the work?
3. Is the Bible a static collection of words or do the Words of God have real power, real supernatural power? How does the Bible describe the Word? Is it the meaning of the Word that has power or do the words themselves have supernatural power to "quicken" the souls of sinners, creating faith, belief and repentance?
4. Does preaching the Word save everyone who hears it or only the "predestined", the "elect", the "called", the "appointed" will believe when they hear the Word?
5. WHEN does the Bible, if read in its simple, plain, literal rendering, say that sins are forgiven and washed away?
Gary
Luther, Baptists, and Evangelicals