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I have been conversing with the Apostles, John, Peter and James. We are sitting around a table on the patio, surrounded by flowers. I decided to turn our conversation to the subject of being born again, so I began by quoting Jesus from John 3:3.
“Jesus said, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ He further defined what it means to be born again by saying that a person must be ‘born of the Spirit’ (John 3:6). When you hear the term, ‘Born again,” what does that mean to you?”
Peter’s eyes were shining with joy as he is the first to respond. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith to salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (I Peter 1:3-5)
I smile. “Begotten again, born again into hope. When we believe that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead, He gives us His Holy Spirit and we are birthed into God’s kingdom. That’s so wonderful.
“I know that it’s a common thing to hear Christians say that they are born again, but I wonder sometimes if they really understand what it means.”
John looked at me earnestly as he says, “Whoever is born of God does not commit sin; for His seed remains in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whoever does not righteousness is not of God, neither he that does not love his brother. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. (I John 3:9-11)
“We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he that is begotten of God keeps himself, and that wicked one does not touch him.” (I John 5:18)
“I know that when you originally wrote ‘whoever is born of God does not commit sin’ in the Greek, the word you used for commit means basically to ‘continually practice.’ In other words, a born again Christian does not willfully and intentionally practice sin, but we can sin on occasion due to the weakness of our flesh, but it’s not a lifestyle.”
John replies, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (I John 1:8)
I answer him, returning his smile, “I know what you mean. We have to be honest with ourselves; about the reality of our spiritual conditions.”
John nods as if he is pleased that I had gotten the gist of what he was saying.
“If we confess our sins,” he continues, “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
“If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” (I John 9,10)
“I know you are reiterating the fact that God’s word says that ‘there is none that does good’ (Psalm 14:1), and the prophet Isaiah also so recognized that “all our righteousness are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). Thank God for the atonement that makes us righteous in His eyes and qualifies us for heaven. But as you said, if we are born again, the evidence of our regeneration by the Holy Spirit results in love for each other.”
John replies, “If you know that He is righteous, you know that every one that does righteousness is born of Him (I John 2:29).
“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He that does not love his brother abides in death.
“Whoever hates his brother is a murderer: and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (I John3:14,15).
I respond, “Jesus said in essence that we can’t even harbor sin in our hearts” (Matthew 5:21,22, 5:28).
“Hereby we perceive the love of God, because He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” John continues. “But whoever has this world's good, and sees his brother has needs, and shuts up his heart of compassion from him, how does the love of God dwell in him?
“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but indeed and in truth” (I John 3:16-18).
James is quick to interject, “But you be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. (James 1:22)
“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (James 1:27)
“Even so faith, if it has not works, is dead, being alone.” (James 2:17)
I reply, “I know that some think that you are contradicting the Apostle Paul when he said Abraham was justified by his faith apart from any works (Romans 4:2,3,5), and you have said that Abraham was justified by his works (James 2:21). But if our faith is genuine and we have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit, “born again,” then the living Spirit in us will work; that is good works are the natural result of faith. So Abraham was justified by his works because they were the evidence that he had been justified by his faith, and that his faith was genuine.”
“You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only,” James replied with a grin (James 2:24).
“This all coordinates with what John was talking about earlier,” I reply; “that ‘he that does righteousness is righteous, even as Christ is righteous.’ Our righteousness, or works or fruit validates our faith as genuine.”
John responds, “If a man says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar: for he that does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from him, that he who loves God love his brother also” (I John 4:20,21).
John pauses momentarily and looks pensively out at the flowers in the garden that are surrounding our table on the patio. Then he says, “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Messiah is born of God: and every one that loves Him that begat loves Him also that is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments” (I John 5:1,2).
I answer, “God gave us His commandments for our welfare. When we keep them we won’t be doing things that would cause harm to another. We show our love for God when we love others. I guess that’s why Jesus said, ‘All the law means love God and love people (Matthew 22:37-40).”
The sun is pouring down upon our smiles as Peter sums up our conversation. “Seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit to unfeigned love of the brethren, see that you love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides forever (I Peter 1:22,23). Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby if so be you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”(I Peter 2:1-3)
James adds, “Of His own will He begat us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures” (James 1:18).
“Any other final thoughts on being born again, before we move onto another topic?” I ask.
John is quick to respond, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory even our faith (I John 5:4).
“Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God; and everyone that loves is born of God, and knows God. (I John 4:7)
The only word I can think of to say in response is, “Amen.”
Copyright 2024 by H.D. Shively
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