Birthed
John 3:1-7
I WAS READING A BOOK ABOUT HEAVEN RECENTLY in which the author compared the death of a Christian to birth. He said our world is like a womb; we are bound within her. Death for the believer is deliverance to a life beyond our imagining.
Interesting, isn’t it?---comparing death to birth. Well, that set my mind to thinking about the whole concept of birth leading to birth. After meditating upon the scriptures I came to realize that actually each person can and should experience four births:
1. Physical birth: out of our mother’s womb.
2. Spiritual birth: out of the womb of darkness and
condemnation—being “born again.”
3. A second spiritual birth: out of the womb of self-
centeredness to Christ-centeredness---the
Spirit-filled life.
4. Heaven: out of the womb of this life of sin and
sadness to the dwelling place of God
There are at least two characteristics that are common to all births---even these 4 aforementioned:
1. Pain: physical and spiritual
2. A transfer from one state of existence to another
One of these birth experiences is purely physical and involuntary in nature. Two of them are purely spiritual and voluntary in nature—salvation and sanctification.
And one of these 4 is both physical and spiritual: death and heaven.
The last two (sanctification and entrance into heaven) are completely dependent upon the second. In other words, as Jesus said in John, chapter 3: “You must be born again.” Because of the importance of this experience, we’re going to focus in upon it for a few moments.
I. What Exactly Is the New Birth?
A. It is spiritual in nature. It is like the wind—cannot be seen or touched, but its effects are clearly visible.
B. It is a new creation. II Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are become new.” Paul spoke from personal experience---from a persecutor to a preacher of the gospel; from a legalist to a lover of lost souls.
In 1833 Charles Darwin went to the South Sea Islands looking for the so-called “missing link.” As he studied the cannibals who lived there he concluded that no creatures were more primitive and hw as convinced that nothing on earth could possible lift them to a higher level. He thought that he had indeed found a lower stratum of humanity that would fit his theory of evolution.
Thirty-four years later he returned to the same islands. To his amazement he discovered churches, schools, and homes occupied by some of those former cannibals. In fact, many of them wore clothes and frequently gathered to sing hymns. The reason was soon learned. Missionary John G. Paton had been there proclaiming the truths of salvation! Darwin was so moved by their transformation that he made a generous contribution to the London Missionary Society. His “Missing link” remaining missing.
C. The new birth is a passing from death to life. Sin kills (Romans 6:23). Every person is dead in his trespasses until he is born again.
D. The new birth is a calling out of darkness into God’s light. Darkness is always associated with evil, confusion, uncertainty, and fear. But the light of God’s truth usher in a new life of certainty, clarity, purity, peace, and security.
The Apostle Peter wrote, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (I Peter 2:9).
The new birth then, is spiritual in nature, a new creating, a passing from death to life, and a calling out of darkness into God’s light. All of our old sins, the darkness of our hearts, the drudgery of our lives are replaced by a new, living, vibrant freshness.
This is the new birth. It is a fresh start, a new beginning, a rebirth. And only God can do it. Have you been born again?
II. Why Do We Need the New Birth?
A. The Lord Jesus told Nicodemus that apart from the new birth a man will never see the kingdom of God. You see, there is something wrong with every man, something that can be supplied only by the new birth.
When a baby is born, the doctors examine it very carefully and give each newborn a rating that is known as the “Apgar Score.” Based on a scale of one to ten, the Apgar Score rates an infant in regard to heart rate, respiration, reflex sensitivity, muscle tone, and color. A perfect score of ten is rare, but not unheard of. But even those who receive a ten have a defect that the Apgar Score doesn’t test for---a sinful nature (Romans 3:10,23).
B. Someone said, “Man has made great strides. He can swim like the fish and fly like the birds. Now he needs to learn to live like a man”---like he was created to live, before the Fall. Even the great psychologist Carl Jung said, “All the old primitive sins are not dead but crouching in the dark corners of our modern hearts---still there and still as ghastly as ever.”
All we have to do is watch the nightly news to be reminded of how true this is. All the education, all the laws, all the religion, all the philosophy in the world have done nothing to lesson the existence or effects of sin. As someone has put it, “We are sinners by birth, by nature, and by choice.”
C. Several years ago Walter Lippman, a political analyst, took a look at society and said, “What is required is a new kind of man.” Brilliant! But that was already stated 2,000 years ago. Jesus analyzed mankind by saying that he needed to have a new birth.
III. What Will the New Birth Do For You?
A. Make you a member of God’s family—assume the name, position, and characteristics of God the Father. We belong. We have a family. We are blood relatives! We are under His care; we are His special possession.
B. It will also renew your intellect and moral nature. Colossians 3:10: “And you have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.” As God’s children we begin to assume the nature and mental and moral characteristics of God our Father. We begin to develop a sensitivity to the things of God. We seek those things which are above. We begin to love God and the things of God---His people, His Word, His Church, His holiness. The new birth effects a change of desires.
C. The new birth makes you the abiding place of God’s Spirit. Nothing can so transform a life as the complete surrender to the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Immediately the human will is conformed to the will of God. The whole being is transformed. God wants to make like Himself. He wants you to have, as the gospel song puts it, “your Father’s eyes.”
D. Lastly, the new birth starts us on our journey to heaven. You can know where you’ll go after death. The fear of death and the future is taken away. And what a journey it is! A journey of joy, even when trouble assails us. A journey of peace when the winds of adversity blow hard against our soul. A journey victory over the enemy by the power of the indwelling Christ.
IV. How Can I Be Born Again?
A. Believe that Jesus died to pay the penalty for your sin and that He rose from the dead that He might live within your heart.
B. Confess your sins to Him and receive His forgiveness.
C. Repent—that is, change your mind about your lifestyle. Determine that henceforth, by His power at work in you, you will live for His glory.
D. Receive Christ by faith. Trust Him to take away your sin and guilt. He will do it!
The new birth is a work of God. You can’t earn it. You can’t inherit it. The new birth is a supernatural happening. It is achieved by faith in Christ alone.
So, there you have it: four births, but one is absolutely necessary for salvation and ushers in a life unspeakable and full of glory.
