Of all the false proclamations relative to the current status of Christians, and there are many, the claim that one has been “saved” and “born again” is among the most anti-Scriptural.  Another problem within professing Christendom relative to the “born” situation revolves around the fact that “born of God” and “born again” are not the same occurrence.  In the previous posting I pointed out that to be “born of God” meant that one had been truly converted, had reversed course, had received God’s Holy Spirit and was being led by His Spirit from within.  As the Apostle Paul noted, only those who have received the Spirit of God and are being led by the Spirit are sons of God (Rom. 8:14).  One will note in verses 12 and 13 that the apostle was writing to his “brethren,” telling them (and us) that “we” (himself included) must live in obedience to the Holy Spirit in order to receive eternal life.  The HOLY Spirit leads its host to walk in HOLINESS in conformity with the Lord’s command to “Be ye holy for I am holy” (Lev. 11:44,45/ 1 Pet. 1:13-17).  In 8:17 Paul tells the Rome church that only those who walk in holiness are the future heirs of all that God has promised His #1 Son–Jesus Christ.  Those who are led by His Spirit as Jesus was are His true sons.  True sons (children) of God are joint-heirs with Christ Who will, upon His return to earth, inherit the universe, which He will share with His fellow inheritors.  An inheritor is one who has received his inheritance.  An heir is one who has not yet received his inheritance.  Christ and His true saints have not yet received their joint inheritance–they are heirs.  Read God’s Very Elect–Future Caretakers of the Universe.  Key word–Caretakers.

Before one can be a joint heir with Christ one must be born again as was He.  Contrary to popular opinion, rebirth has nothing to do with the forgiveness of sin.  Jesus, Who never sinned, was born again.  He had to be reborn in order to enter His Father’s presence in heaven.  I have found that few Bible Truths infuriate church people more than being told that Jesus experienced rebirth.  Rebirth involves a change in bodily composition that must take place before one can enter God’s presence, His present heavenly kingdom or His future earthly kingdom.  Read The Kingdom of God.  Key word–Kingdom.  But what about those in the Old Testament whom God met and spoke to “face-to-face” one might ask.  The Bible tells us that He personally conversed with such people as Adam and Eve, Cain, Abel, Abraham, etc.  The explanation is that the One who became Jesus of Nazareth (the Word–Jn. 1:1-4,14) was the God of the Old Testament (the Word/Adonai) who dealt with the world’s people during Old Testament times.  Read Jesus of Nazareth: God, Man, or God-man?  Key word–God-man.

Everyone is familiar with the passage recorded in John’s gospel concerning Christ’s dealing with a Pharisee named Nicodemus.  Recall that Jesus told him that one must be “born again” in order to enter God’s kingdom (3:3).  For an explanation of what is meant by being born again one needs to carefully study several passages of Scripture, beginning with Christ’s conversation with Nicodemus found in John 3:6-8.  Here Jesus carefully distinguishes between one whose body consists of flesh and blood and one whose body is composed only of spirit.  He noted that naturally born man’s body consists of flesh and blood and remains in that condition until his death.  However, when one is born again he is rebirthed as a spirit entity, no longer flesh and blood.  Recall that, following His resurrection and rebirth, Jesus was spirit.  He could could pass through walls, change from spirit to flesh and visa versa, etc.  As a man prior to His rebirth He could not do those things.  Upon their rebirth, saints will do all that Jesus did following His rebirth.

In verse 8 Jesus compares a born again man to the wind which cannot be seen, but its effect can seen, heard, felt, etc.  As Jesus said: “… and so (in the same way will be) every one that is born of the Spirit.”  To those who cannot accept the Scriptural Truths surrounding rebirth, I would ask if he/she can see the wind? Nor will man be able to see a born again saint unless the saint wants to be seen. If one can be seen, can feel being touched by an object, etc., then one has not been born again.

Salvation and rebirth will occur at the time of Christ’s Second Advent.  This is the time when God’s “firstfruits,” His “remnant,” His “Very Elect,” His “little flock” rise to meet Him in the air, then descend with Him to the Mount of Olives.  These are they whom Christ will “bring with Him when He appears” (1 Thes. 4:14).  From there they will go into Jerusalem where He will establish the Kingdom of God.  Man’s resurrection and rebirth are described in Paul’s first letter to the church at Thessalonica, chapter 4, verses 13-18.  Let us carefully examine this revealing passage.  In verse 13 the apostle comforts people in God’s church who were concerned that those who had died would have no hope of another life.  In verse 14 he refers to those who were (and still are) “asleep (have died) in Christ.”

I am led by the Lord to deviate from the main theme for a moment.  He would have you understand that the words “in Christ” are of utmost importance.  To be “in Christ” means that one lives in a state of oneness with the Messiah–“in Him.” Recall that “in Him (the Father) there is NO DARKNESS AT ALL” (1 Jn. 1:5).  Jesus is “in” the Father and “in” the true saint: “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27) means that Christ is “in” the true saint.  God is “in” Christ (Jn. 10:38).  One being “in” another is the “mystery” that is created when one abides “in” another (Col. 1:25).   We are told in the Scriptures that the true saint is “in” Christ (Col. 1:27), Who is “in” the saint, and “in” God (Col. 3:3).  Recall that there is in the Father “no sin at all.”  If all this is true, then there is no room in the saint for sin, Sinners Saved By Grace notwithstanding.

When a saint sins he “crucifies Christ afresh (again)” (Heb. 6:6).  Sinners Saved By Grace claim to sin repeatedly.  This serial sin-repent system they are so proud of is addressed by the Apostle Peter.  He compares it to a dog that, having vomited out that which had sickened him, then laps up the vomit, and a sow that, having been washed, then returns to the mire that made her filthy (2 Pet. 2:22).  Does this sound like one who “walks as Jesus walked” or who is “pure as He is pure?” or who overcomes Satan as “I (Jesus) overcame” him?  GOD COMMANDS OBEDIENCE TO HIS WORD.  Having obeyed Him by writing the above, I will now return to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 concerning the born again experience.

In verse 14 Paul states that, just as Jesus died and rose from the dead, so will those who die “in Him.”  It is these whom He will “bring with Him” to the Mount of Olives after they have met Him in the air following their resurrection.  In verses 15,16 Paul notes that the “dead in Christ shall rise (to meet Him) first.  Those who are alive at His return will follow them up into the clouds where He will be awaiting their arrival.  It is appointed unto man once to die.  Therefore, those saints who are living at Christ’s return will die physically and be instantly “born again” as spirit beings.  Those “in Christ” will meet Him in the air (vs 17) and then descend to the Mount of Olives (Zech. 14:4).  They will then enter Jerusalem and the Millennium will begin.  Read The Millennium.  Key word–Millennium.  Beginning then, Christ’s saints will forever “be with the Lord where He is” (vs 17)–on earth.  No human except Jesus has ever lived, lives or will ever live in heaven.

In 1 Corinthians 15:46-54 we find an explicit description of the born again experience.  Here we are told that man is flesh before he becomes spirit (46-50), and that man in the flesh cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.  Verse 51 tells us that all must die in order to be changed (from flesh to spirit–be born again).  Verse 52 describes man’s rebirth: “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye … the dead will arise and be changed from corruptible (flesh–capable of decay) to incorruptible (spirit–incapable of decay).  Romans 6:5 tells us that IF we will die to the world and to self as did Christ, then we will be raised in the likeness of His resurrection (and be changed from flesh to spirit).  I will close with this statement from the Apostle John concerning the born again experience.  Along with others, he had seen the resurrected Christ.  Therefore he knew what his Messiah looked like in his spirit body.  In 1 John 3:2 he explains what the resurrected saints will look like: “Beloved, though we are the sons of God, we do not know EXACTLY what we will INDIVIDUALLY look like upon Christ’s return (in his spirit body).  But we do know that, when He appears, WE WILL BE LIKE HIM, FOR WE WILL SEE HIM AS HE IS.”  Resurrected and born again saints will look as Jesus looks now, meaning that they will have the same bodily consistency.  Saints know that they will be able to recognize each other in that they “will know (others) as they are known (by others)–1 Cor. 13:12. L.J.

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