John 3:3-8 “Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (4) Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" (5) Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter 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) Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' (8) The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
We have seen thus far that when each of us were first born into the earth that our spirits were born of God. We have also seen that sin in our flesh and sin in the world, influenced each of us to commit sin. And we have seen that because we were all born under law, that when we did sin our spirits died. And so we can now clearly understand why it is that our Lord Jesus taught us that we must be born-again. In the teaching quoted above Jesus states quite plainly that in order to be able to enter the kingdom of God, one must be born-again, and we know that Jesus is referring to our spirits being born-again. And so in order for our spirits to be born “again”, they must have at some stage been born for the first time. Every child that has ever been conceived has been born in the spirit and that spirit is born alive to God. This is the first time that each one of us are born in spirit.
1 Peter 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
In the above quoted passage of scripture the Holy Spirit through the apostle Peter confirms the truth to us that we were all once born of God and that through His abundant mercy we have once again been born of Him. For the scripture plainly states that God has begotten us again. Each of us are begotten again by God when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. And so, in order for God to have begotten us again, He must have begotten us once before.
Luke 15:3-7 “So He spoke this parable to them, saying: (4) "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? (5) And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. (6) And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' (7) I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”
This is why Jesus taught us in the above quoted parable that He came to save those who were lost. You cannot lose something that you never had in the first place. At one stage we were His, and then we went astray when we sinned and we died spiritually. And so, Jesus came and found us who were lost and we were born-again. The parable of the prodigal son clearly teaches us the same truth, for the young son was not always dead. There was a time that he was a part of his father’s household, and he then went astray and finally returned to his father (Luke 15:24).
Michael E.B. Maher
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