The New Birth

John 1:10-13: “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

The will of God is that every man be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:3-4). But what is this truth? It's the truth of God's immeasurable love for humanity, the truth of God's provision in Christ for those who are not saved, and the truth of the incorruptible treasure laid up in heaven for those who dare to believe in the Gospel.

In the opening text of this writing, John the Beloved, the writer of the book of John, introduces the concept of a new birth. A birth that doesn't spring up as a result of human influence or a fleshly desire, but rather from the divine will of God. In this article, I intend to delve deeper into this subject, which the Apostle of our Lord Jesus Christ speaks about.

The topic of the new birth or what most people commonly refer to as being born again, is not entirely unfamiliar to many people. One might wonder why one has to be born again. However, It's important to recognize that unless there was an issue with the initial birth (our natural birth), there would be no need for a subsequent birth(The new birth).

Let's take a stroll down memory lane, shall we? When God created man, the apex of all of God’s creation, He made man a free moral agent. This means man had the ability to make choices and one of the crucial decisions that impacted the course of the human race was the choice to eat from two trees: the tree of knowledge of good and evil or the tree of life. God had clearly stated the consequences of eating from either tree and eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil would eventually lead to death (Genesis 2:16).
We all know how this story unfolds in the following passages: man eats from the tree, and man dies. However, we do not see an immediate death for man after this act. So, what was God saying? Well, the death mentioned here is a spiritual death. Adam physically died some 960 years later, but physical death was only a visible outcome of a deeper issue - a spiritual separation from the nature and the life of God.
The fall came with numerous implications. Dysfunction and corruption entered creation causing everything to deviate from its original design and purpose. Consequently, the very things man was created to rule and dominate over began dominating man. Man fell short of the glory of God and now man had the nature of sin abiding in him. As a result, man became subject to sin, and sin, in turn, brought forth death.

Romans 5:12 NKJV “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned”

Death entered the picture as a consequence of Adam’s fall, serving as a clear indicator of all that had gone wrong with both humanity and creation as a whole. Regardless of whether we accept it or not, we all trace our origins back to Adam's lineage. This fact is undisputed because we recognize only one human origin; all other individuals on Earth are descendants of the first man; Adam. In fact, the Hebrew word "Adam" translates to "man." Thus, every man springs forth from the lineage of this first man, and inherent in us is this man’s nature - the nature of sin and death.
So you can see that by virtue of our natural birth, we inherited a nature that deviated from God's original design and plan for us. Therefore, there is a need for a different kind of birth, one that isn't based on any natural means, fleshly will, or even human influence. Rather one that is solely dependent on the operation of God - a new birth, a spiritual birth.

How can one enter into the experience of the New Birth?

John 1:10-13 NLT “He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.
They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.”

The new birth undoubtedly leads us into a higher quality of life, a life that God desires for all to embrace.
The Bible lets us know that God so highly valued and dearly prized the world that He gave us His only son. Whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life. Our faith and belief in the sacrifice of Jesus is what leads us into this new life. By believing in what God has done for us in Christ – that God became a man, suffered for our sins, died in our place (the death we deserved), and rose after three days – we are saved and brought into this new birth. This message is the Gospel, and Paul tells us it is the power of God unto salvation for anyone who believes.
Humanity is spiritually blind, lost, spiritually dead, and on a path towards eternal damnation, as described in Ephesians 2:1-3. It has a false perception of what life truly entails. However, by embracing and believing in the message of what God has done for us in Christ, the veil is lifted, and our eyes are opened to a never-ending experience of life.

What are the implications of the New Birth?

Eternal Salvation:

Romans 5:17-18 NLT “For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone”

The greatest inheritance we receive through the new birth is Salvation; the indwelling presence of God's Spirit in us which imparts the very life of God to us and grants us the ability to live eternally. You might wonder about the inevitability of death, however, in John 11:25, Jesus Himself reassures us that He is the resurrection and life, and anyone who believes in Him will continue to live, even if they may experience physical death. Death no longer has dominion over those who are in Christ, for He died in our place and triumphed over death and this is the foundation of our confidence—our faith is in the One who has conquered death. If we have placed our faith in Him for salvation, death holds no power over us, because we will also be transformed into the likeness of His resurrection. Just as one man's transgression (Adam) brought death to all men, so does one man’s sacrifice (Jesus) bring life to all. Death is ultimately defeated, swallowed up in victory.

Ephesians 2:4-6 NLT “But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.”

Justification:

Romans 4:24-25 AMP “but for our sake also—to whom righteousness will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead— who was betrayed and crucified because of our sins, and was raised [from the dead] because of our justification [our acquittal—absolving us of all sin before God]”

Romans 5:1-2 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

We are declared righteous solely because of our faith in the sacrificial act of Christ. Every sin we have ever committed is no longer counted against us because the burden of those transgressions was placed upon Jesus Christ, and He bore the consequences on the cross. The blood of Jesus served as the atoning sacrifice for our sins, with Christ taking our place in judgment and fulfilling the demands of justice. Instead of facing condemnation for our sins, Christ assumed that burden and granted us the precious gift of grace, which resulted in our justification (as mentioned in Romans 5:16).

It's also important to recognize that Jesus not only bore our sins but also credited us with His righteousness. As a result, we can confidently proclaim that we are righteous because God Himself declares us as such.

1 Corinthians 5:20 “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Victory over Sin:

Romans 8:1-2 “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”

Our new position in Christ grants us victory over sin. We were once subject to sin because we lacked the ability to live above it. However, God has now bestowed upon us and in us the agency of His Spirit, enabling us to lead a victorious life free from sin each day. Sin no longer holds dominion over us; Jesus resolved the sin problem by removing the sinful nature within us and gifting us with His Spirit. We have been liberated from sin and are now servants of righteousness. Although there may be occasional moments of weakness when sinful desires arise due to our fleshly nature, Paul encourages us to continually, with the guidance of the Spirit, overcome these sinful tendencies. If we consistently walk in the Spirit, we will not succumb to the desires of the flesh, as stated in Galatians 5:16.

A New Identity and a Purpose for Life:

Ephesians 2:11-13 “Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ”

In this passage, the Apostle is reminding the believers in Ephesus of their previous condition before they encountered Christ. They were regarded as individuals with no hope and no sense of purpose, as true fulfillment and meaning in life can only be discovered through a connection with God and submitting to His divine plan. He proceeds to explain that they were once distant from God, but through the sacrifice of Jesus, they have been brought near to God. Consequently, they have acquired a new identity and have become a part of God's family.

1 Peter 2:9-10 “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.”

In Christ, we have a new identity. It no longer matters how we view ourselves. What is most important is aligning ourselves with what God has said about us. When we view ourselves in that light, we realize that we are now God's special people. Once, we were not considered a people, meaning that we once struggled with our identity. However, the Bible states that we are now a part of God's people. Our identity is firmly rooted in a loving and all-good Father.

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

2 Corinthians 5:15 “and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”

Life becomes truly pointless and meaningless without a sense of purpose. In Christ, we discover our reason for living: to live according to the purpose of the One who created us. We find our ultimate delight in doing this, and we are no longer bound by the opinions of others. Instead, we live for the glory of the One who died and rose for us. We now have a solid foundation upon which to make life decisions.

In conclusion, God desires that every single person responds to this call to the new birth experience, He wants to take away the former things and do a new thing in your life and He hands out an invitation to you today, will you go on this life-transforming journey with Jesus?