The New Birth!

 The New Birth!

"You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and abiding Word of God!" (1 Peter 1:2).

No one is born a Christian. No one comes into the world with a pure heart.

The new birth is not effected by baptism - yet some have wickedly declared that we are regenerated by baptism, made children of God, and heirs of the kingdom of Heaven. A person may be baptized in infancy or in riper years - and yet, like Simon Magus, remain "in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity!" (Acts 8:23).

The new birth is not merely external, nor does it consist in mere religious duties. Some people have been preserved from immoralities, yet they too must be born again.

A man may perform a multitude of religious duties - and yet have an unholy heart. He may be honest and fair in his dealings - and yet be an enemy to God. He may be of a generous to others - and yet not of a gracious disposition. He may be able to say with the young ruler, "All these things have I kept from my youth up," and yet lack the one thing needful.

The new birth is not merely a profession of faith. Not all who profess Christ, posses Him.

The new birth is a change wrought by the power of the Holy Spirit in the understanding, will, and affections of a sinner, which is the commencement of a new kind of life; and which gives another direction to his judgment, desires, pursuits, and conduct.

This new birth is a divine change. Thus He who gave man his physical being at first, can alone create him in Christ Jesus unto good works. He alone can enstamp His own image, and make us partakers of a Divine nature. To give life to the dead, and to bring a clean thing out of an unclean - is the work of Omnipotence, and the effect of sovereign grace! "Who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God!" (John 1:13).

The new birth is an inward and invisible change. This new birth is a universal change, extending to the heart and life. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come!" (2 Cor. 5:17).

He who is born again, gives evidence that he has passed from death to life. It is visible in his conduct. How different now; from what he once was! He hates sin, enjoys brotherly love, delights in spiritual duties, live a life of holiness; he is self-loathing, and sincerely loves Christ with a passion!

~William Nicholson~