Jesus answered and said to him, truly, truly, I say to you, except a man be born again, he cannot see [experience] the kingdom/kingship of God - Yehovah.
Nicodemus said to him, how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
Jesus answered, truly; truly, I say to you, except a man is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. [The new birth that takes place when one is baptized and receives the Spirit of Yehovah] That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said to you, you must be born again.
The wind blows where it wants, and you hear the sound thereof, but can not tell from where it comes, and where it goes: so is everyone that is born of the Spirit. [This will be the end result of being born again, for all who become glorified, immortal men/women, as members of the New Humanity, in the kingdom of God, that Jesus will rule over when God sends him down to sit on the throne of David at Zion]
What an amazing display of Yehovah’s grace that we as members of a fallen race, sinful men/women should have the offer and opportunity of becoming sons and daughters of Yehovah Elohim - God; and if children, then heirs, heirs of Yehovah and joint-heirs with the Messiah [Notice we become joint-heirs of God and then become joint-heirs with the Messiah the son of God and our elder brother]. “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be!”
Note: 1John 3:2: Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
When we stop and think about how many who were headed for death and destruction have been pulled out of the fire to become washed, set apart, and made righteous in the name of Jesus by the power of the Spirit of Yehovah.
“And as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become the children of God, even to them that believe on his name, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, but of God” (John 1:12, 13).
It is in the spirit that the birth from above takes place. “The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Romans 8:16).
It is by the spirit that we pray and meditate and grow in grace and knowledge. It is by the eyes of the heart (another name for the organ of the spirit) that we come to know what our God and Father Yehovah has given to us.
Note what our God – Yehovah gives to us who believe and walk before Him in obedient covenant faithfulness:
Ephesians 1:17-23: That the God – Yehovah of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints [holy ones], and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in the Messiah, when He raised him from the dead, and set him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And has put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the called-out Assembly, which is his body, the fullness of Him that fills all in all.
What amazing grace that our God and Father Yehovah has bestowed upon us who were dead in our trespasses and sins!
The Spirit of God, resident in the Word of God, must be received into our nature that we may be born again not from perishable, but from imperishable seed [the word of God] through the message He gave to His son Jesus to give to us, the message of salvation.
Note: 1 Peter 1:22-23: Seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that you love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides forever. For all flesh is as grass and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower thereof falls away: But the word of the Lord - Yehovah endures forever. And this is the word which by the gospel [good news message of the kingdom of God] is preached unto you.
“He that sows the good seed is the Son of man. The field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom” (Matthew 13:36, 37).
Here are five signs that we have become sons and daughters of our God and Father Yehovah:
1. The world does not know us: 1 John 3:1: Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
2. We will not make a practice of sinning:1 John 3:9, 10: No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed, abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this, it is evident who are the children of God,
3. We will love our neighbors as we love ourselves and especially our brother and sisters in the Lord Messiah: 1 John 3:14: We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brothers/sisters.
4. We will experience Yehovah’s love working in us and through us. 1 John 5:1, 2: Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this, we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments.
5. We know that we are protected by the Messiah who has given to us an understanding to know him that is true: Jesus 1 John 5:18-20: We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in His Son Jesus the Messiah
The most convincing and helpful sign of all is given to us in John 1:10-14: He was in the world, and the world was made because of him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God. And the word was made flesh [Genesis 3:15], and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.
2 Peter 1: 2-4: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus, our Lord, according to as His [Yehovah’s] godly power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him [Yehovah] that has called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the nature of God, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
What an amazing privilege to be among those who have been called out from among the nations to have a place with the Lord Messiah when his Father Yehovah sends him down to take his place on the throne of David at Zion.
What a privilege to be among those who have been born again by the Spirit of the only true God Yehovah. As born-again ones let us all strive to go forward toward the goal our God has called us to have a part and place in.
There is nothing on this earth that is worth holding on to; if it will impede our progress to walking in faithful obedience toward the call our God and Father Yehovah has given for us to attain! Be on fire to achieve what God has called you to do!
No comments:
Post a Comment