You Must be Born Again

John Piper recently began a sermon series on this topic. A few months ago I got a book he wrote entitled What Jesus Demands from the World. I read the first couple chapters - one of which was "You must be born again". I used that chapter as a lesson for the Bible study we lead at the time, and I never realized how much I didn't understand what the New Birth is.

The image of new birth because more vivid a year ago when my son way born. He never asked for it. He was simply passively born. Birthing is done to us, not something that I choose to do. The Holy Spirit takes my spiritually dead life and gives it life, placing me into God's family when He saves me. This new birth must precede faith because without a newborn heart a sinful man will NEVER choose to be saved. At that moment of regeneration a person is saved.

I must do much more study on this topic. It is controversial. I spoke with a fundamentalist friend the other day who claimed that to believe this way about being born again implies double regeneration...I disagree. Then many semi-pelagians will argue that regeneration follows a choice of faith. I believe the Scripture clearly teaches that a man does not choose to be birthed - just as with physical birth (John 15:16).

This Christmas season we celebrate THE birth. This birth makes possible the new birth for the second Adam fulfilled the law and purchased pardon for entrance into the royal, heavenly family for His elect. Praise Him for His great work!