The Lord Jesus had told Nicodemus of the necessity, the nature, and the author of the new birth, but he still said, "How can these things be?" Was it a personal question? Did Nicodemus want to know how such a miracle as regeneration could be wrought in himself even though he might still be unwilling to admit the need of it? Whether this be true or not Jesus now used the Scriptures with which this master in Israel was very familiar to tell him how he could be born again.
John 3:12-15, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
The Old Testament incident was well known to every Jew. The Israelites were murmuring against God and Moses. The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, they were bitten by them and large numbers were dying. Moses prayed for their deliverance and the Lord told him to make a serpent of brass and to put it upon a pole that every one who was bitten when he looked upon it, should live.
The serpent of sin has put its deadly poison into every descendant of Adam. But God lifted up His Son, "made in the likeness of sinful flesh" to the Cross where He put away sin and all its deadly effects by the sacrifice of Himself. One believing look at the serpent meant life to the death-smitten Israelite. One believing look at the Crucified One means life to the one "dead in trespasses and sins."
"There is life for a look at the Crucified One;
There is life at this moment for thee;
Then, look, sinner, look unto Him, and be saved,
Unto Him who was nailed to the tree."
The Cross of Christ reveals to us the Son of God dying as our Saviour. We look to Him in faith and the Holy Spirit implants in us the life of God and imparts to us the nature of God and we are born again. The Cross of Jesus Christ is the believer's spiritual birthplace.
At the Cross of Christ through the new birth the sinner leaves the family of satan and becomes a son and an heir in the family of God. The new birth causes a radical reversal in his filial relationship.
Galatians 3:26, " For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."
1 John 3:8-10, "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil; whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother."
Romans 8:16-17, "The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God; And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with Him."
At the Cross of Christ through the new birth the rebel, the alien, the outlaw, becomes a citizen in the Kingdom of God.
Phil. 3:20, "For our citizenship is in heaven; whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ."
A New Creation Formed
The new birth entitles the believer to membership in the new order of beings of which the risen Christ is the Head. Through the implantation of the divine life and the impartation of the divine nature in the believer a completely new entity is formed. The man in Christ is a new creation.
2 Corinthians 5:17, "Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he s a new creation; the old things are passed away: behold, they are become new."
Galatians 6:15, "For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation."
~Ruth Paxson~
(continued with # 2)
No comments:
Post a Comment