A Man Must Be Born Again (John 3: 1-7)

 

A Man Must Be Born Again (John 3: 1-7)

 

“There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

² The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

³ Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

⁴ Nicodemus saith unto 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?

⁵ Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

⁷ Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”

 

In the Scripture above, our Lord Jesus explained one of the foundational truths that some of our Christian brothers and sisters have found to be puzzling…even if not to the extent of Nicodemus. The key words are: “born again”.

If we key in on Verse 8 above, we understand that first there must be a live birth. The “water” is the mother’s “water” / amnionic fluid that has encompassed the embryo, then fetus through its growth and development processes. Being “born of water” is for the fetus to be released from the amnionic sac of the mother’s uterus and exposed to the outside world (vaginally or by C-Section). That outside exposure (light, temperature and other sudden environmental changes) prompts the newborn to take that first breath and receive its soul / spirit. [Remember from Genesis 2: 7, it wasn’t until the LORD God breathed the breath of life into the nostrils of the body of the man He had created (Adam), that man became a living soul.] Once that first breath has been taken and the soul / spirit has been imparted, the neonate has received all three necessary parts and the birth process is complete.

Although the human body has been completed, note that the Lord is not speaking to Nicodemus about an infant. He is answering the question posed to Him about a “man”. According to Jewish Law under which they were operating, an individual reaches maturity as an adult when he (Bar Mitzvah) or she (Bat Mitzvah) reaches the age of 12 or 13 years. The distinction between an infant and a man is most important because the second part of the Lord’s statement is that the man must also be born “of the Spirit”. That person already has a “spirit” (note the lowercase “s”) joined with the soul at birth (Hebrews 4: 12) The “Spirit” (note the Uppercase “S”) to which the Lord Jesus is referring is the “Holy Spirit” that must enter the person to give “re-birth” or a new life to the preexisting spirit. That preexisting spirit has been “dead” / dormant due to the fall of Adam (Genesis Chapter Three), waiting for the “awakening” through the “Second Adam”, our Lord Christ Jesus. (1 Corinthians 15: 45-49)  When a person becomes a Christian by believing in the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit becomes a part of them. (Romans Chapter 8)

The person’s preexisting spirit was that part of the “soul / spirit” that was the communication link between the LORD God and Adam in the Garden of Eden.  Remember that after Adam’s eating of the forbidden tree, God asked him: “Where art thou?” (Genesis 3: 9) Their normal communication had been broken. Although God unilaterally restored His link to Adam, each of us since then has had to make the choice on whether to restore this communication link.

The Bible provides the historical accounts of many men’s decisions regarding making that free choice. The “Spirit” would never force God’s will upon someone. It will be our individual choice as to whether we receive the gift of our Creator to eternal life through our Lord Christ Jesus.

Dr. W. A. (Bill) Robinson

God's Grace - Where It All Began

 

God’s Grace – Where It All Began

 

When I am trying to write to or speak with other Christians, I attempt to include in the conversation the Gospel of Grace which leads to salvation. That Gospel is a primary part of the message that our Ascended Lord Jesus gave to the Apostle Paul that was to be shared widely, especially to Gentiles. The essence of that Gospel is specifically noted in two parts of the Scripture:

1 Corinthians 15: 1-4, which reads:

“1	Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2	By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3	For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; scriptures Matt 26:24, Acts 26:22
4	And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:..” And… Romans 10: 9-13, which reads: “9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. confess Matt 10:32, Luke 12:8, Rev 3:5 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. Isa 28:16 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

 

In both those references, the Gospel of Grace represents God’s most generous offer to mankind, that will result in man receiving the eternal salvation of his soul / spirit, by simply having faith and believing what God has said.  After 6,000 years of Bible history of God’s dealing with man, God has remained constant in His love for man. (Malachi 3: 6; Hebrews 13: 8)  Even so, since the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden mankind has been under the influence of Satanic powers that have led many, if not most, to reject God’s message of love, mercy, grace and reconciliation. 

 

Remember that when Adam sinned by disobeying God’s instructions to not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, he not only brought death and many other problems into the world that would plague all future generations. Adam also lost dominion over the earth to the Enemy who had fostered his separation from his Creator God. Genesis Chapter Three explains the circumstances leading up to Adam’s fall, and further shows how the LORD God moved to establish the process whereby the Enemy would be destroyed. (Verses 14-15) 

 

Just as importantly, if not more so for us today, and tying into the Gospel of Grace, it shows how God moved quickly through His Grace to restore the relationship and provide His Righteousness to Adam and Eve.  Although it might not have seemed apparent to readers of the scripture at first glance, God had to shed the blood of an innocent animal to use the skins to fashion clothes for them. The LORD God took this action to replace the aprons of fig leaves they had made to cover their nakedness (a sign they had lost not only their innocence, but also the glory that identified them as having dominion on the Earth). (Verse 21)  In the future, the use of a blood sacrifice to atone for sin by man became the cornerstone for man to cover sinful offenses against God.

 

Remember that the LORD God had warned Adam that if he ate from the forbidden tree, the punishment would be death. The Scripture later explained that “the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Leviticus 17: 11)  The Nation of Israel used animal sacrifices to shed blood to this end. (Hebrews Chapter 9…note especially Verse 21: “…and without shedding of blood is no remission.”] Only death could pay for sin.

 

This concept explains why our Lord Jesus, the Son of God, sacrificed Himself and shed His Holy sinless blood to make final, permanent atonement for the sins of mankind.

 

Do you remember the story of Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam and Eve?  (Genesis 4: 1-16)  Reading between the lines, both brothers had been instructed how to make offerings to the LORD. They were to make blood sacrifices. As a keeper of sheep, it was easier for Abel to comply by sacrificing one of his animals, and he complied. However, as a tiller of the ground  Cain required a different effort (possibly bartering with his brother) to obtain an animal for the sacrifice. Cain decided to ignore the instructions he had been given, and he offered God the products of his farming from the ground.  The LORD rejected his offering. It was not a blood sacrifice. [Further, you might recall that the LORD God had previously cursed the ground after Cain’s father Adam had sinned against God, also by not following His instructions. (Genesis 3: 17-19)]

 

When the LORD saw that Cain was upset, He questioned why he had not followed the instructions given. Then, through His love and compassion for Cain, the LORD Himself provided a substitute animal for Cain to use to make the appropriate sacrificial offering and be restored through righteous behavior. (Verse 7)  Scripture reminds us that the Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3: 9)

 

 Instead of being grateful and accepting the LORD’s gift, Cain contended with his brother Abel and subsequently killed him. (Verse 8)  He allowed his own “self-righteousness” [in essence saying to God: “I’ll do it my way!”)] to overtake the good logic of both obeying God’s original instructions and / or accepting God’s gift of grace. The punishment for Cain for these collective sins was his being cursed and marked by the LORD, and being made a fugitive and vagabond for the remainder of his time on the earth.

 

In looking back, Christians can see how greatly blessed we have been.  Beyond others, we see how God has provided His own Beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ to be the substitute sacrificial offering to atone for all our sins, and the sins of all mankind. (John 3: 16-21; Hebrews Chapter 9). Through His mercy and grace, He took the penalty of death that we deserved for our sins. And as amazing as it might seem, we enjoy this wonderful blessing by only believing  / having faith in what God has said, and being willing to verbally acknowledge Him.  Not only did our Lord Jesus shed His blood and die to atone for our sins, but He also defeated the Enemy / death through His Resurrection victory over death on the third day!!  He is alive today…and we who believe will have eternal life through Him!!  That is our Gospel of Grace!

 

Dr. W. A. (Bill) Robinson

Christianity and Israel - Linked From the Beginning - Part Two

 

Christianity and Israel – Linked From the Beginning - Part Two

 

In the first part of this post, I tried to further establish the link between the Nation of Israel and the nature of Christianity in this present time. In doing that I quoted the following scripture:

The Scripture of Romans 11: 25 says: “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.”

I then focused on the last phrase of that quote to interpret it as saying that the fullness of the Gentiles would take place when the complement of the Gentiles in the Body of Christ was filled; the Body of Christ would be complete; those events would trigger the “Rapture of the Church”; and then Israel’s “blindness” could come to an end. However, in my continuing study I’ve found another interpretation of that scripture that seems at least as feasible, if not more so, than my statements. The source of that differing opinion is found at this site: https://reasonsforhopejesus.com/fullness-of-the-gentiles-romans-11-25/

The author of that article makes a very sound argument that the “fullness of the Gentiles” could / should be more accurately compared to the Old Testament scripture of Genesis 15: 16, which reads: “…for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.”  The author stresses that it was the “iniquity” of the Amorites that was not yet full, and argues that it could / should be similarly translated in Romans 11: 25 to read: “…the fullness of the iniquity of the Gentiles be come in.” Considering the continuing moral and ethical decline being seen in this country and globally, there is little room to refute her logic.  On reconsideration, I am inclined to agree with her interpretation.

Further, though, I would not completely discount the interpretation I made earlier.  To fully appreciate the context for the discussion above, I encourage you to read the entire Chapter 11 of the Book of Romans.  The Apostle Paul is apparently writing to a group of believers consisting of both Israelites and Gentiles. Note Paul’s “Old Testament references” best understood by the Jews, in the early verses (verses 1 – 10) , and then the transition to his remarks to the Gentile believers (verses 13 – 28). The phrase in question is found in Verse 25, during which Paul was speaking specifically to the Gentiles in the audience. It is not unreasonable to think that his remarks were to get them as a group to focus on their roles and positions, having been specifically targeted by the Lord for inclusion into His Body.

My “take-away” conclusion is that both interpretations have merit.  Do you have an opinion?  That is what makes Bible study so interesting, as we try to understand what the scripture is telling us.

Dr. W. A. (Bill) Robinson

Christianity and Israel - Linked From the Beginning

 

Christianity and Israel – Linked From the Beginning

 

One of the most significant issues that any Christian should address is why so relatively few believers and / or their places of worship will publicly acknowledge their support for the Nation of Israel.  Some might see this as a politically charged issue. Others might “not want to take sides against the Palestinians”.  Still others might not be aware of the history of the Middle East and might feel unprepared to take a position one way or the other.  I believe that our Bible provides sufficient information that should encourage all Christians to both acknowledge and support efforts to aid and protect Israel.

History:

The first eleven chapters of the first book of our Bible, Genesis, tell us of the Creation; Adam’s fall; and generations of man’s sinful and violent decline from God’s favor. (Chapters 1-6)  In His Grace, God determined to give man another chance by flooding the earth and “starting over” through Noah and his family. However, after generations had passed, man refused to listen to God and even began to worship idols. (Chapters 6-11, Joshua 24: 2)  After these 2,000 years of man’s disobedience, God determined to give mankind another chance to gain His favor and return His love.

In Genesis Chapter 12: 1-3, the LORD made the foundational covenant with Abram (later Abraham) that set the course for both the creation of the Nation of Israel and more importantly, the pathway for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible record states:

“Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

² And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

³ And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

Outcome:

Note that one key part of the Covenant required Abraham to have the faith to believe God, and willingly leave the only life he knew, just as we Christians were to believe Him for our salvation. Another key part of the Covenant was that the LORD had chosen the  land that would later be called Israel’s “Promised Land”. In fact, when Abraham questioned the LORD as to how he would truly know that the land would be his, the LORD “officially” deeded the land to him. (Genesis Chapter 15)  Many Christians have not realized that according to our Bible, the LORD Himself gave the often-disputed land in the Middle East to be the Homeland for Israel.

Also note in the scripture above that the LORD told Abraham that He would make a “great nation” (Israel) through him.  Through Abraham’s son Isaac, and Isaac’s son Jacob (later re-named Israel by God – Genesis 35: 9-12), and Israel’s 12 sons, over a period of centuries the Nation of Israel was created. The LORD’s promise continued to develop when the people of Israel were redeemed from the slavery of Egypt and led across the Red Sea by Moses. But to fulfill the next phase of God’s Plan to redeem man in general, the LORD would call upon Israel to be His “kingdom of priests, and an holy nation” to teach the rest of mankind (Gentiles) God’s standards for moral behavior. (Exodus 19: 1-8)  The Scripture also records that all the people of Israel agreed to accept this Covenant. (Verse 8)

The Bible documents that Israel was unable to keep their commitment to that covenant. In fact the Nation’s difficulties themselves in trying to live up to God’s moral standards were described over centuries.  Even so, as Christians today we can understand their human frailties and the strength of the impulses of sin that they faced.

A third major point in the Abrahamic Covenant related to the strength of the LORD’s commitment to Abraham and his future generations. When the LORD said: “I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curseth thee…”, He laid advice for us to follow even today. History has proven that throughout the Bible and extending through today, people and nations that interacted with Israel were blessed or cursed, based on the nature of those interactions.

Regarding the curses, consider what happened to Pharoah and Egypt, even as Israel was being redeemed as a nation after centuries of slavery. (Book of Exodus Chapter 14) Consider also what happened to Haman, a descendant of Israel’s enemies the Amalekites, who sought to take advantage of his position to destroy the Jews of his time. (Book of Esther Chapters 3 – 8) As another aspect of history, consider what happened in the Year 1492.  At that time Spain was a major world power and had defeated the Moors, ending 800 years of Muslim rule over them. People in the United States remember that special year, having been taught from our history lessons as the year that “Christopher Columbus discovered America”.  Seldom recognized was Spain’s royal edict that year, the Alhambra Decree, that sought to expel all Jews from that country. See: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/spain-announces-it-will-expel-all-jews . Spain was never again a world power after that decision.

Regarding the LORD’s blessings, we know that the greatest of these was the sacrifice made by our Lord Jesus 2.000 years ago when He took our sins and the sins of all mankind and their consequences onto His body; He suffered and shed His blood and died; then He defeated death and was resurrected. (1 Corinthians 15: 1-4; Romans 10: 9-13). His actions on our behalf opened the door to our eternal life as well as other blessings in this earthly life. This is the Gospel of His Grace.

Earlier historically, our Bible also tells of the blessings to the woman Rahab in Jericho. She protected Israel’s spies as they were on an intelligence mission to support Israel’s attack on her city. Her faith in Israel’s God led to her salvation and saving the lives of her family. (Book of Joshua, Chapters Two and Six)

Another example is of special relevance to Americans. In May 1948, when Israel declared its Independence, in the midst of significant opposition President Harry S. Truman was the first world leader to confirm the legitimacy of Israel as a Jewish state.  See: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/education/presidential-inquiries/recognition-israel

Although he was regarded by most as having no chance to win a full term in that year’s Presidential Election, he was blessed by having what was regarded as the greatest upset victory in U.S. history. Truly a blessing!

The fourth major point that I want to emphasize is critical to each of us individually…and all of us collectively. When the LORD said to Abraham: “in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed”, He was looking ahead to the time when our Lord Jesus would be born through Abraham’s descendants in the Nation of Israel. Especially for Christians, but also potentially for the rest of humanity, there could be no greater blessing than to be redeemed from sin, and receive salvation to eternal life through our Lord Jesus.

There is no question that Israel today is not the Nation envisioned by the LORD in Exodus 19: 1-8, several thousand years ago. The Scripture of Romans 11: 25 says: “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” By reading that entire chapter and the previous one(s), we learned that although Israel rejected our Lord Jesus as their prophesied Messiah and demanded His crucifixion, God has not cast them aside. He used Israel’s fall from His Grace to provoke them to jealousy as He turned directly to the Gentiles to offer us salvation through the Lord Jesus. (Romans 11:11) God will end the “blindness” of His Chosen People Israel after “the fulness of the Gentiles be come in”.  That time is known only to God, but will be characterized when the complement of the Gentiles in the Body of Christ is complete. That will be the time of what is frequently called the “Rapture of the Church”. (1 Corinthians 15: 51-54; 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18)

These collective events reinforce the link between Christianity and Israel. History documents our interdependence, and how God views the importance of both Jews and Gentiles in furthering His Plans for the salvation of mankind.

 

Dr. W. A. (Bill) Robinson

Return to Bible Basics - Part Three

 

Return to Bible Basics – Part Three

 

When I completed Part Two of this post on Bible Basics, I attempted to highlight a few points from the Book of Revelation that I believe are key to understanding the full message of our scripture, leading to our salvation. The most significant of those points was:

“The ultimate goal of every person should be to obtain eternal life with our Creator by being included in the “Lamb’s Book of Life”. (Revelation 20: 15;  21: 27)

The key here is that throughout man’s existence, whether aware of it or not, every one of us has been given a choice affecting this eternal destiny. The Bible tells us “the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men”. (Titus 2: 11-14)  Many people, even among believers, find it hard to understand how people never exposed to Christianity or the Bible could be saved.  Although our minds may have difficulty understanding how that could be, we do know that with God all things are possible. (Matthew 19: 26) He has a way of providing information to people that goes beyond our limited level of understanding. Further, whether the issue is related to salvation or something else, He knows not only what we do, but also what is in a person’s heart…what we believe that motivates us. (1 Samuel 16: 7)

Knowing these things we can start with ourselves and, if we wish, look back through mankind’s history to see what decisions were made by others to secure a person’s name in the “Lamb’s Book of Life.” First, regarding the “Lamb”, I remind you that throughout the Old Testament the lamb was a sacrificial  animal used by Israel in its worship of the Lord God Jehovah. This concept was continued into the earthly ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ by John the Baptist when he heralded the Lord’s arrival when he said: “Behold the Lamb of God Who taketh away the sins of the world”.  (John 1: 29-36) Now, in the Book of Revelation we find that it is our Lord Jesus Who possesses the Book of Life that determines who will spend eternity with Him and our Father. (Revelation 5: 1-10; 20: 11-15; 21: 22-27)

Now to get a perspective regarding our own personal salvation, we must back up from our future with our Lord Jesus, to our present. We are in the position of having our names as Christians included in the Book of Life because we have been made members of the Body of Christ. (1 Corinthians Chapter 12)  That happened when we believed the Gospel of Grace by which we were saved (1 Corinthians 15: 1-4; Romans 10: 9-13)   Our Lord Jesus accomplished the act of redeeming us some 2,000 years ago, from the death sentence that was awaiting us as sons of Adam. We were saved when we believed that He suffered, shed His blood and died for us…and then overcame death through His Resurrection.  Nothing else, but that we believed.

Further, we have been blessed even beyond our position in the Book of Life. Due to the timing of our birth, God brought us into this world during the past 100 years so that we could fully experience and understand these closing days of this world age. Even as we’ve watched the prophesied decline of society during our lifetimes, we’ve seen and are seeing the fulfillment of scripture. Israel having returned to their Promised Land; explosions in knowledge / science including the societal impact of social media and artificial intelligence (AI); increasing murders and other domestic violence and border wars; pestilences / diseases; political infighting;  growing racial / ethnic / gender and other disputes; destructive “natural phenomena”; and “climate change” are some markers of world-wide decline leading to the end of this age. (Ezekiel Chapter 37, Daniel 12: 4; Matthew 24: 3-8; and Revelation 13: 16)

To get still another perspective of who else would be in the Lamb’s Book of Life, consider those who lived many centuries before us, whose names are noted in what many call the Bible’s “Hall of Faith”. (Hebrews, Chapter 11)  What we share with them is that our salvation was based on our faith in believing what God has said, not based on what we might have done in this life. (Romans 3: 19-28; Ephesians 2: 1-13)  Both we, and they, and others who believed (or will believe) what God has said to us through the Scripture, already have or will have our names in that precious Lamb’s Book of Life.

Dr. W. A. Robinson