1 W. 65th St. church of Christ - 10/9/2005Don McClain

2 W. 65th St. church of Christ - 10/9/2005Don McClain 4“Are you a born again Christian?” ? ? ? 4Every Christian has been “born again!” 4Equivalent expressions: *Regenerated –Titus 3:5 *Renewed – Titus 3:5 *Converted - Matthew 18:3 *Converted - Matthew 18:3; Mark 4:12; Luke 22:32; Acts 3:19

3 W. 65th St. church of Christ - 10/9/2005Don McClain 4The Necessity Of The New Birth (1-3) 4The Nature Of The New Birth (4-13) 4The Basis For The New Birth (14-18) 4The Rejection Of The New Birth (19-21)

4 W. 65th St. church of Christ - 10/9/2005Don McClain Necessary To See The Kingdom Of God... Necessary To Be Saved... 4A Promised Kingdom – Dan. 2:44; Mark 9:1 4A Spiritual Kingdom - John 18:36; Luke 17: An Established Kingdom (i.e. the church) – Mt 28:18; Ac 2:36,47; Co 1:13; Re 1:4-9 4An Eternal Kingdom - Mt 13:41- 43; 1 Co 15: "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."... You must be born again... John 3:3,5,7 (NKJV)

5 W. 65th St. church of Christ - 10/9/2005Don McClain Necessary To See The Kingdom Of God... Necessary To Be Saved... 4Delivered and transferred INTO the kingdom where there is redemption & forgiveness – Col. 1:13,14; 2: Salvation requires a “NEW BIRTH,” “REGENERATION,” (Titus 3:5), or “CONVERSION” (Mat. 18:3; Acts 3:19) cf. Mk 16:16; Acts 2:38; 1 Pet 3:21... "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."... You must be born again... John 3:3,5,7 (NKJV)

6 W. 65th St. church of Christ - 10/9/2005Don McClain Not a physical birth, but a spiritual birth... A spiritual change effected by the word of God 4Nicodemus thought favor with God was bestowed upon those born of the seed of Abraham – (Jn 8:31-46; Rom. 4:1) 4One MUST hear, receive, understand and submit to the word of God – the effect is the “fruit of the spirit” - (Mat. 13:23; Gal. 5:22-25; Rom. 8:1-14; Heb. 4:12; Jam 1:18 ff; 1 Pet 1:21-25) That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. John 3:6 (KJV)

7 W. 65th St. church of Christ - 10/9/2005Don McClain Involves Both Water And The Spirit... unless one is born of water & the Spirit 4One Birth – Two Elements – “unless one is born of water & the Spirit” – 4An obvious reference to washing of regeneration, i.e. baptism, and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, i.e. the divine act of forgiving one of his/her sins – (Titus 3:5)

8 W. 65th St. church of Christ - 10/9/2005Don McClain Involves Both Water And The Spirit... Henry Alford: Henry Alford: "There can be no doubt, on any honest interpretation of the words, that gennethenai ek hudatos (born of water) refers to the token or outward sign of baptism, gennethenai ek pneumatos (born of Spirit) to the thing signified, or inward grace of the Holy Spirit. All attempts to get rid of these two plain facts have sprung from doctrinal prejudices, by which the views of expositors have been warped. Such we have in Calvin." (Alford's Greek Testament, Vol. 1, p. 714).

9 W. 65th St. church of Christ - 10/9/2005Don McClain Involves Both Water And The Spirit... Marvin R. Vincent: Marvin R. Vincent: “... Jesus here lays down the preliminary conditions of entrance into His kingdom,... including two distinct factors, water and the Spirit..... We are not to understand with Calvin, the Holy Spirit as the purifying water in the spiritual sense: 'water which is the Spirit.'... water points definitely to the rite of baptism, and with a twofold reference to the past and to the future." (Word Studies In The New Testament, Vol. 2, p. 91).

10 W. 65th St. church of Christ - 10/9/2005Don McClain Involves Both Water And The Spirit... William Wall William Wall - "There is not any one Christian writer of any antiquity in any language but what understands it of baptism....I believe Calvin was the first that ever denied this place to mean baptism. He gives it another interpretation, which he confesses to be new." - (History of Infant Baptism)

11 W. 65th St. church of Christ - 10/9/2005Don McClain Involves Both Water And The Spirit... H. A. W. Meyer: H. A. W. Meyer: "water, inasmuch as the man is baptized therewith (1 John v. 7, 8; Eph. v. 26) for the forgiveness of sins (Acts ii. 38, xxii.16; 2 Cor. vi. 11), and spirit, inasmuch as the Holy Ghost is given to the person baptized in order to his spiritual renewal and sanctification" (Critical And Exegetical Hand-Book To The Gospel Of John, p. 123).

12 W. 65th St. church of Christ - 10/9/2005Don McClain Involves Both Water And The Spirit... Barnabas Lindars Barnabas Lindars – “It refers to an act, and that act can only be water baptism and the giving of the Spirit which that conveys” (New Century Bible Commentary: The Gospel of John pg. 152)

13 W. 65th St. church of Christ - 10/9/2005Don McClain Involves Both Water And The Spirit... R.C.H. Lenski, R.C.H. Lenski, - Thus water baptism in this passage is joined with the work of the Holy Spirit, “The former being the divinely chosen medium, (necessary on that account), the latter being the regenerating agent who uses that medium.” (The Interpretation of St. John pg. 237)

14 W. 65th St. church of Christ - 10/9/2005Don McClain Involves Both Water And The Spirit... Involves The Word Of God... John 6:63 (NKJV) It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. John 6:68 (NKJV) But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

15 W. 65th St. church of Christ - 10/9/2005Don McClain Involves Both Water And The Spirit... Involves The Word Of God... 1 Peter 1:22-23 (NKJV) Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, [23] having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,

16 W. 65th St. church of Christ - 10/9/2005Don McClain washing of water by the word, washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit born of water and the Spirit Purified your souls by obeying the truth Born again... Of the word of God, Ephes. 5:26 Titus 3:5 John 3:5 1 Pet. 1:21,22 Comparing Scripture with scripture

17 W. 65th St. church of Christ - 10/9/2005Don McClain 2 Cor. 5:17 Col. 2:12,13 Rom 10:17; Mk 16:16 Born from above, of water & Spirit – John 3:5 (Mat 21:25) Raised to walk in Newness of life – Rom. 6:3-6 Children of God by faith – Gal 3:26,27... He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, – Col. 2:11-13 All things have become new – 2 Cor. 5:17 Born from above, of water & Spirit – John 3:5 (Mat 21:25) Raised to walk in Newness of life – Rom. 6:3-6 Children of God by faith – Gal 3:26,27... He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, – Col. 2:11-13 All things have become new – 2 Cor. 5:17 D. I. S. B.I.C. R. W. N.

18 W. 65th St. church of Christ - 10/9/2005Don McClain The basis of the new birth is NOT of human origin Man chooses whether or not to accept God’s provision 4The Sacrifice of Christ... The provision for spiritual healing - (14; Num 21:4-9; Rom 5:6,7) 4The Love of God … the motive behind the provision for saving man (16; Rom 5:8, Tit 3:4,5; 1 Jn 4:9,10) 4The Reception of Man … “By Faith!” - (15,16,18; John 8:24; Acts 8:36-39; Rom. 4:12; James 2:14-24)

19 W. 65th St. church of Christ - 10/9/2005Don McClain Many Love Darkness More Than Light... Many Do Not Want To Be Exposed By The Light... *Because of their evil deeds - (19) *Finding pleasure in sin – (2 Tim. 3:1-5) *Many seek worldly gain rather than spiritual prosperity – (Luke 16:14) *Many seek honor from other men rather than God – (John 5:44; 12:43) *Many simply do not love truth – (John 8:44,45; 2 Thes 2:10) *Therefore - they do NOT WILL to do His will - (John 3:20,21; 17:17; Eph 5:13)... men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. John 3:19 (NKJV)

20 W. 65th St. church of Christ - 10/9/2005Don McClain *The Necessity Of The New Birth (1-3) *The Nature Of The New Birth (4-13) *The Basis For The New Birth (14-18) *The Rejection Of The New Birth (19-21)

21 W. 65th St. church of Christ - 10/9/2005Don McClain *Have you been born of the water and the Spirit?? *If not – you CANNOT see the kingdom of God!! *Why not respond to God’s love today??!!

22 W. 65th St. church of Christ - 10/9/2005Don McClain