Bible Studies
BORN AGAIN AS CHILDREN OF GOD
Bible Study 15 April 12, 2005
Introduction:
“In reply Jesus declared, ‘ I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’ John 3:3 (NIV). In this verse Jesus tells us what must be done to see the kingdom of God. It goes on to say in the Bible about how Nicodemus responded to this statement. Nicodemus asked Jesus, how this can be done, how is it physically possible to be born again. This question might have entered your mind as well. I had questions on this matter before I was saved. Some of these questions that you may have asked or are still asking:
1. What is truly being offered by being born again?
2. What do I get for being born again? What are my benefits?
3. What do I have to pay or what are my responsibilities from being born again?
4. What do I get for doing the responsibilities? What are my rewards?
5. What do I have to do to be born-again?
I’m sure there are other questions, but these are the ones that I want to address in this lesson.
The Offer:
What is Jesus offering when He says you must be born again? Most people can answer this by using John 3:16 (NKJ) “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” God is offering us eternal life through Jesus Christ.
The passage 2 Corinthians 5:17 explains better what is offered by being born again. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone and the new has come.” (NIV). To me this passage explains what is being offered by a new birth in Christ. Jesus offers you a chance to start again. Being born again means shedding your old self and the death that comes with that which is born of the flesh. When you take the steps to be born again, you sincerely repent of your sins. All sins from birth to rebirth and after are forgiven and forgotten by God. When you are born again, Jesus’ blood washes away all your burdens and frees you from your bondage.
Jesus explains in John 3:6-8 (NIV) “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” The body we are born with is born of the flesh. All things of the flesh are under Adam’s original sin. Therefore, under the condemnation of that sin, which is death. If you have not been born again then you are still under flesh (under sin) and condemned to death. Those born again are born of the Spirit and they are released from the burden of their fleshly birth. They are free from that original sin and condemnation.
So what is Jesus offering when He says you must be born again? The answer is a new beginning, life everlasting, and freedom from sin, salvation, and much more.
Before I tell you how to accept this offer and the step you must take to receive this gift of God. I want to give you all the information. Because with such a great offer there comes benefits, responsibilities, and rewards, I want to show you these.
The Benefits:
This part will help satisfy one of our basic instincts, what’s in it for me. So far, you have seen that being born again offers you freedom from the burdens of sin and eternal life. But, Scripture tells us that we receive so much more when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
John 1:11-13(NIV) states “He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God-children born not of natural decent nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” Children of God! Can you imagine? Not only do we get to be freed from our past sins, but also we get to be sons and daughters of God. It doesn’t matter if you were born in America, Philippines, China, Africa…or anywhere else. It doesn’t matter if you were born in poverty or in wealth. It doesn’t matter if you were born from loving parents or abusive parents. What matters is that all those were negated when you are born of the Spirit. The Spirit washes away that past and makes you new in Christ. The Spiritual birth makes you born of God, born from heaven, born from love. You may have a great relationship with your flesh father. I do. My dad is a wonderful man who did everything to provide for my needs. He loves me, he supports me, and he takes care of me. I love him dearly. He is a good man. How much better for me that I have God as my father? If my human father can give me so much, how much more will God give his son?
Paul writes in the book of Romans 6:19-23 (NIV) “I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to the holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ, our Lord.” When we were in the flesh (in sin), the things we did could reap only death. When we are born again of God, we reap eternal life in Jesus Christ. No matter how good our deeds were, or how nice of a person we were; we were still working in the flesh, working in this sin. The only benefit from our works is that death.
Like the infamous infomercial hosts says, “Wait there’s more…” Paul had a lot to say about the benefits of being born again. He states in Romans 8:2-4(NIV) “because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to sinful nature but according to the Spirit.” Paul is talking about the law of the old covenant. The laws identified sin, but were powerless to free us from sin. What God did by sending his Son to be tempted in the flesh, he cast out the law of sin and death. Through Jesus Christ he freed us from that sinful nature. 1 John 3:9 (NIV) amplifies this freedom nicely. ”No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.” When you become a child of God, you receive the Holy Spirit to dwell in you. The Holy Spirit convicts you in your decisions. The Spirit helps you identify right from wrong, He convicts you in your heart and will weigh heavy on your heart when you sin.
You hear the Scriptures and me mention freedom quite a bit in this lesson. Galatians 5:1(NIV) may explain it better. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened by the yoke of slavery (or sin).” The Bible states that when you are born again you are set free from the burdens of sin. This Scripture drives the point home. You have been freed; Stay free! Lay aside who you used to be and live up to the standard set forth by Jesus. Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and remain sin free.
We are, according to the Bible, children of God when we are born of the Spirit. An important thing to remember about being a child of God is stated in Romans 8:16-18 (NIV) “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Heirs to the kingdom of God! The kingdom of heaven has not been revealed to me, but through Scripture, but can you imagine being an heir to such a kingdom. We are co-heirs with Christ. That means we share in the inheritance of Christ. We share what He gets from the Father. Wow! I just have to take a moment and thank God for such a great love.
We will still face trials and tribulations. Our bodies reside in this world, but our spirit dwells in the spirit world. Our bodies will still experience hardship, problems, and disasters. During these times of hardship remember that no matter how bad things seem for us in this world, they are insignificant when you consider the glory that we will see. A good analogy for this is childbirth. The pains of labor are quickly forgotten when the child comes into the world and you see that precious child.
Children of God, set free by the love of God. Children of God set free from the condemnation of the law and sin. Children of God, that we may be heirs (heirs of God and coheirs with Jesus Christ).
The Responsibilities:
With such blessing and such freedom comes responsibility. As it was with the kingdoms on earth and so it is with the kingdom of heaven, all heirs have responsibilities to the kingdom. Paraphrased from Luke 12:48 (NIV) “…from everyone who was given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted much, much more will be asked.” Our salvation is free through Jesus, but we must continue to work for our Father.
Before I list the responsibilities of those born again. I want to quote one more Scripture to put your heart at ease. Jesus said in Matthew 11:29-31(NIV)”Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” In all things you do for Jesus, do with love. He will be with you through it all.
There are many Scriptures that tell us what we need to do in the name of Jesus. I am going to separate these because some are called commandments and others are form the letters of the apostles. I want to start in the letters first, and then move into the commandments. I do not mention the commission to go and preach the gospel to every nation. I will cover that in another lesson. I want to focus on the commandments in this lesson and the letters of the apostles are based on these commandments.
The first one I want to start with is Ephesians 5:1,2(NIV) “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Paul so eloquently says to imitate God and love. Follow God’s example to the best of your ability. 1 John 5:1-3 (NIV) reiterates this statement of Paul’s. “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.” Obedience is a requirement for the heirs of God.
Ok, so Paul and John agree. Those who are born again must love God. Just to continue on this path, look at 1 Peter 22-23(NIV) and we shall see if Peter agrees with Paul and John. “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. “ I think Peter agrees. Those born again, must love God and one another. These are the letters of the apostles to you and to me. I have one more I will cover later. I want to move into the commandments that we must follow.
God is the Father; Jesus is the Son, who speaks for the Father. So the orders for us to carry out come from Jesus. Let’s look at what our orders are. In Matthew 22:37-39(NIV) Jesus lays down a very clear cut order “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” And Mark 12:28-31 states the same “One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, ‘Of all the commandments, which is the most important?’ ‘The most important one,’ answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord Your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Two Scriptures that show exactly what Jesus says is our first and second (greatest) commandments. Love God, obey God, and love your neighbor as you love yourself. We come from flesh and know all about selfish desires. We would not steal from ourselves, covet what we have, murder ourselves. When you love another as yourself, then you will not do these things to your neighbor.
I know, I know, your probably thinking what about those stone tablets that God gave to Moses back in the Old Testament days. That is covered in Romans 13:9(NIV)”The commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery’,’ Do not murder’, ‘Do not steal’, ‘Do not covet’ and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” The laws are still valid, they are still commandments, but if you follow this passage and love your neighbor as yourself, then you will fulfill the requirements of the laws.
Let me sum up the responsibilities of the born again Christian with this Scripture. Philippians 2:14-16(NIV) “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life-in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.” If we obey these commandments and love from the heart then there will be no shame in us when Jesus returns.
The Reward:
Let me paraphrase several Scriptures to talk about the rewards of the born again who completes his duties. Matthew 25:21, 25,23 and Luke 19:17(NIV) “Well done, good and faithful servant…” I long to hear those words coming from the Father when I complete my journey in this world. I want that confirmation that I was faithful to Jesus and that I did as I was commanded (though it is not the works that saved me).
I want to cover some Scriptures that give a glimpse of the rewards to come for us when we are born again and we do as we are commanded. 1 John 5:18-20(NIV)”We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.” We are free from sin, but we are also protected from this world and the wicked one (the devil). He has also given us the ability to understand the truth in a world of lies. 1 John 4:3-5 ties into this Scripture “and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater that he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them.” Yes, our bodies are in this world and the antichrist is in this world, but we are of God and therefore, because He is greater than the antichrist or any in this world, we are protected.
This world is full of lies and death, but we have something more as 1John 2:27-28 shows “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him. And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.” When the Spirit abides in us and we in the Spirit, then we are taught the truth. We do not need the world to teach us anything, for our teacher is the Spirit. The Spirit leads us to do what is right and if we do what is right then we can stand unashamed when Jesus appears.
Not only are we protected from the deception and lies of this world. We have more in the Spiritual world. Hebrews 2:9-15 says “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. He says, “I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises.” And again, ‘I will put my trust in him.’ And again he says, ‘Here am I, and the children God has given me.’ Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death-that is, the devil-and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” I think this Scripture says a lot. Jesus was made a little lower than angels, but now He is above all thing because He tasted death and conquered the devil. Jesus calls us brothers and sings praises before the congregation. He died so we may live. We no longer fear death.
I have shown you Scriptures that demonstrate what you have or can have when you are born again in Jesus. So I will use one more Scripture in closing. Hebrews 13:5(NIV)”Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.” He is with you and will always be with you. Take strength and courage from this passage and know that no matter what comes against you in this world, He is with you!
Summary:
1 John 3:1-3(NIV)”Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been reveled what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” We can survive in this world because He has sent the Comforter to be with us, as we exist in this world. When all is said and done, we look forward to when Jesus returns because we will see Him in His full glory and we shall be purified as Him.
You have seen Scriptures that show you what is offered through Jesus Christ and that you must be born again through Him. You have seen the benefits and responsibilities for those born again, as well as the larger reward when Jesus returns. If this moves you to accept the offer or if you feel you need to accept the offer again. I will show how to attain your salvation. I am going to quote from a section of Spiritual Answers to Hard Questions. This is from the back of The Spirit Fill Bible and was written by Pat Robertson.
What do I have to do to be saved? (John 3:3)
To be saved you must turn away from sin, believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus, and receive Him as Lord and Savior of your life.
Here is the step-by-step process. First, you must consider your life and then turn away from everything in it that is contrary to what God wants. This turning away from selfishness and toward God is called repentance (Matt. 3:7-10; Acts 3:19)
Second, you must acknowledge that Jesus Christ died on the Cross to forgive you of sin. You take Him as your Savior to cleanse you from sin-as the substitute who paid the price due for your sin (Rom. 5:9, 10; Titus 2:14)
Third, you must ask Him to be Lord of your life, acknowledging openly and verbally that Jesus is not only your Savior but also your Lord (1 John 2:23).
The Bible says that as many as received Him were given the power to become the sons of God (John 1:12). So when you open your heart and receive Him, He comes into your heart –your inner person—through His Holy Spirit, and begins to live His life in you. From that point it is your privilege and call to confess what God has done (Rom. 10:9).
Close in Prayer:
© Christian Coutts
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