"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." John
iii. 3.
As we have in the last three sermons dwelt particularly on a salvation
by _faith_, we will take the liberty to introduce the subject of the
new birth next in order, as it will be, more readily, retained by the
reader, in this connexion than otherwise. Indeed, it hears a strong
resemblance to them so far as the subject of faith is concerned in our
present exposition. But whoever is a careful reader of the New
Testament, will discover that the subject of faith, and the genuine
repentance which that faith produces, is not of trivial moment.
There is no subject of divine revelation, on which more has been said,
preached and written than the one, which we are now about to consider.
It has been brought forward by men of talents and erudition as an
insuperable barrier against Universal Salvation, and their several
adherents have taken it for granted, that it can never be explained in
harmony with the sentiment, that all men shall eventually obtain
eternal life through the Redeemer of men. But these impressions have
arisen from the fact, that they have taken their own views and
explanations to be scripturally correct, and from these premises, they
have drawn conclusions utterly opposed to the final holiness and
happiness of God's intelligent creation. They have supposed the new
birth to be some mysterious change produced by some mysterious
operation of the divine spirit on the mind, and that it is in
substance a miracle.
One denomination has contended that if a man once obtained this
change, he was safe, could never "finally fall from grace," but would
eventually land in the kingdom of immortal glory. Several other
denominations admit the new birth to be the same change already
noticed, but contend that the subject may fall from grace, and be
finally lost. Here then the man, who was, according to their views,
_born again_, might still never see the kingdom of God beyond the
grave. On this principle the new birth would be no security, that any
one would obtain heaven. According to this sentiment, a man might be
born again, fall away, and be born again "until seven times," and in
the end not see the kingdom of God. Those, who advocate this
sentiment, believe that _faith and repentance_ prerequisites to the
new birth, and also believe in the salvation of infants.
This being so, it will come to pass that half of the world will be
saved, inasmuch as about that number die in what may be, justly termed
an infant state. But of those, who come to years of accountability,
they believe but few will be saved. So the greater proportion of
those, who will finally surround the throne of God, will be those, who
have never been born again according to their views. It will not, I
presume, be contended, that infants who, they believe, are totally
depraved, ever exercise _faith_, or experience the _new birth_ in this
life.
From the above views, I shall take the liberty to dissent, and may
probably differ some from the expositions given by others. It is
evident that Jesus Christ in his instructions frequently brought
forward some natural facts plainly understood by those whom he
addressed, in order more clearly to illustrate his subject, and then
made his illustrations so nearly resemble that natural fact, that no
man could possible misunderstand him, unless he had been led into
tradition by blind guides. In the context, he makes allusion to
natural birth, of which every man knows the meaning, and says to
Nicodemus, "that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which
is born of the spirit is spirit."
Natural birth pre-supposes the perfect formation of the human body by
that secret energy of nature, God only can comprehend. But that
formation, itself, is not birth. Birth is that operation, that
introduced us into this world. We are now flesh and blood, which
cannot inherit the kingdom. What is born of the flesh is flesh. We
must now be born again from mortal to immortality, otherwise we could
not see the kingdom of God.
Must not man be born of a woman in order to see this world? Can he
look upon the beautiful objects of creation, or contemplate these
countless wonders of the Almighty before he is born into being? He
cannot. All without exception will admit, that it is impossible for
any man to enter this natural world, in which we live, without birth.
So it is equally impossible to enter the kingdom of God without being
born _again_ in the strictest sense of the word. A man cannot "be born
again" ten, or twenty years, nor even _one day_ before he sees the
kingdom of God, any more than he could be born twenty days before he
came forth out of the womb. As natural birth cannot take place any
given time before we enter this world, but is the _circumstance_ that
introduces us, so a _second birth_ cannot take place any given time
before we enter the kingdom of God in the next world but is the _very
thing_, that shall introduce us into it; and the moment we are born
again, we shall see it,--we shall be spirit, and beyond the dominion
of death and sin. He that is born of the flesh, _is flesh_, so long as
he lives; and he that is born of the spirit _is spirit_. As we now
"bear the image of the earthly" through a _natural_ birth, "so we
shall also bear the image of the heavenly" through a _spiritual_
birth. And as no man in this world is a spirit, so no man has in
reality passed the new birth. When we were born into this world, we
were brought from insensibility to an existence entirely new. So in
order to enter the kingdom of God, which is not of this world, we must
be born again from the insensibility of death into a new and happy
existence beyond the grave.
The question now arises, when does this new birth take place? We reply
when this mortal puts on immortality through a resurrection. When we
shall be aroused from the sleep of death to a precipient existence in
heaven--when we shall awake satisfied with the likeness of God. Paul,
in the xv. Chap. 1 Cor. Plainly states that the spiritual body is
prepared and put on after death. Birth then must _follow_, not
_precede_ that spiritual body. It is impossible that birth should take
place, till the body is first prepared. Man's natural body is
organized in the womb, and then born into this world. He drops to a
state of insensibility in death, a reorganization of the spiritual
body takes place to the natural eye imperceptible, and its nature
indestructible. It is gradually brought forward through a resurrection
similar to the grain of wheat to which Paul compares it, is awakened
to a conscious existence, and bears the image of the heavenly as it
once bore the image of the earthy. The resurrection is therefore every
moment progressing, and every man is raised in his own order of time.
But says the reader, if the resurrection be the new birth, then
Christ, himself must have been born again, in order to enter the
kingdom of God! Certainly. But inquires the reader, where do the
scriptures teach that Christ was ever born again? In Colossians chap.
i:15. are these words--"Who [Christ] is the image of the invisible
God, the _first born_ of every creature." This cannot mean that he was
the first born into this state of existence; but he was the first one
whom human eyes ever saw alive beyond the destruction of death to die
no more, and the only one that mortal eye will ever see, for he arose
in his natural body, (being the only true witness, appointed of God,)
to bring life and immortality to light through the gospel.
But that passage, says the reader, does not satisfy me, that Christ
was born again. Then listen once more--verse 18--"who is the
beginning, the _first born_ from the dead that in all things he might
have the pre-eminence." Rev. chap. i. 5. "Jesus Christ the faithful
witness, and the _first begotten_ from the dead." Here it is plainly
stated that he is the "first born from the dead" "the _first begotten_
from the dead" These scriptures in connexion with several others, that
might be quoted, prove that Christ was born again, and that the
resurrection is called birth.
It is evident that man falls to a state of insensibility in death, and
remains in sleep while the spiritual body is forming out of those
subtle materials, that at death pass into _hades_; and when the
reorganization is completed, the new being is born into the kingdom of
immortal glory. A drowning man, we know, falls to a state of
unconsciousness. Fainting--yes, even a night's sleep proves that the
mind is susceptible of falling into insensibility, or suspending its
mental operations, and disproves the notion of its entering a future
state, only through a resurrection of the dead. This fact is not only
substantiated by reason, but it is the doctrine of Revelation. The
wise man says, "the dead know not any thing." Paul, in the xv. Chap. 1
Cor. Predicates the truth of our resurrection on the fact that Christ
rose from the dead; and on this ground he reasons, that if there be no
resurrection, then preaching is vain, faith is also vain, the
christians were yet in their sins, and they that were fallen asleep in
Christ were perished, and concludes by saying, "let us eat, drink, for
tomorrow we die." Suppose a christian should this moment die, and,
according to common opinion, enter immediately on an immortal
existence. Could we now say--if there be no resurrection, he is fallen
asleep in Christ and perished? No, because, instead of being perished,
i.e. _Annihilated_, he would remain in infinite happiness and glory,
even if there should, never, be any resurrection. So you perceive that
Paul did not believe any one could enter eternity only through a
resurrection. He believed, they would fall asleep in Christ, and in
that sleep remain till in Christ they were made alive. He embraces the
whole in the following words--"Since by man came death, by man came
also the resurrection of the dead."
When the sentence of death was pronounced upon Adam, which was to pass
upon all men, the promise of a Saviour then made, was, it appears, not
understood. Their posterity looked forward for a temporal king, and
had no idea of an immortal existence beyond the "narrow house." Death
the king of terrors, was not yet disarmed of his sting by the
resurrection of our triumphant Redeemer. This truth was not yet
revealed to men. Here the human family were without hope, and
trembling at the darkness--the seven fold darkness of the tomb. No ray
of light and joy beamed from that cheerless mansion to ease the aching
heart, or dispel that melancholy gloom, which pervaded the parental
bosom when gazing for the last time upon the struggles of a dying
child.
Here was a world born into existence under the certain sentence of
death, and groaning in the bondage of corruption, without any hope of
being delivered from it, by an immortal birth, "into the glorious
liberty of the children of God." In this period of anxiety and
distress, the glad tidings were proclaimed to the shepherds on the
plains of Judea, announcing the birth of the Saviour of the world. A
new birth, which is not mentioned in the old Testament, was at length
proclaimed by a Saviour in the _new_. He died on the cross, and was
"the first born from the dead."
He is the head of every man, by the grace of God tasted death for
every man, and rose again for their justification. The scriptures
declare that "we shall be saved by his life" that he is "the bread of
God that cometh down from heaven and giveth life to the world." He is
our way, our truth and life, and "because he lives we shall live
also." "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made
alive," or born from the dead. And he that is made alive in Christ is
a new creature, old things are passed away--all things are become new.
But says the reader, though the resurrection of Jesus is set forth by
a birth from death, yet the resurrection of the human family is never
so represented. You mistake. Out of the many passage that might be
adduced, we have room, in this discourse, for only one. It shall,
however, be satisfactory. In Romans, 8th chapter, Paul says, "Because
the creature itself also, shall be delivered from the bondage of
corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God; for we
know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together
until now." [We would remark, that the word _creature, is ktisis_ in
the Greek, and is the same that is rendered _creation_ in the next
verse.] In this quotation, you perceive, that Paul represents the
whole creation as groaning in travail pains, and declares that the
whole creation shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into
the glorious liberty of the sons of God. He compares them to a woman
in pain ready for delivery; and that they are delivered from
corruption to incorruption at the resurrection is certain. [See 1 Cor.
xv:42.]
You now understand what I mean by the new birth. It is to pass from
death to life and immortality, in Christ, beyond the grave, where
flesh and blood can never enter. For that which is born of the flesh
is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit.
We have now pointed out the new birth, and shown that it bears some
resemblance to the natural birth, with which Jesus compared it. And
how truly sublime and cheering the thought, that the great family of
man, who are all born into existence under the certain sentence of
death, are to receive a second birth into an existence entirely new,
and the whole of his dying family are to be made the children of Jesus
Christ by adoption.
In our next, we shall notice the change we experience in this life,
called in scripture the new birth, and explain the term, "kingdom of
God."