John 3:14-21 THE "HOW" OF THE NEW BIRTH Strangely many religious "Christian" denominations fall back on the ideas of men to explain what the new birth is and how we can get it. Some of the explanations are almost pagan as they seek to avoid what the Lord Jesus Christ plainly taught Nicodemus and what John the apostle carefully wrote about in 1st John as well as John chapter 1. He began by a simple well-known illustration. People in Israel had been dying by snake bite because of their sin. A brass serpent was placed on a pole by Moses who did exactly as God had told him. The people who looked at the brass serpent lived. How simple!! That brass object provided a point to which people could look in faith if they believed God's word, and if they looked, they lived. When we look to the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross by faith as the One who paid sin's price on our behalf with His life, we are spiritually healed from eternal death caused by sin.
The Son of Man was lifted up on behalf of all. "Whosoever" does not exclude anyone from the offer to believe on Him. God has provided payment for sin by Christ's death because death settles all accounts. "The wages of sin is death," eternal separation from God, "but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord." God's gracious plan of salvation is to provide life for us through the death of the Lamb of God. That is how one is born again. God gives His kind of life to us.
But not only has He done that, the motivation behind that act of redeeming grace is God's love. We can have life through His death because in that act of supreme love on God's part, and on the part of the Lord
Jesus to give Himself, the perfections of Christ as our substitute fulfill every righteous, legal claim against us. We experience His love through His gift. Believing is not an act of merit that we do so God is obligated to give us everlasting life. Believing is putting confidence in Christ alone as the Savior from our sins and its consequences. God does not eliminate anyone from this grace or the offer of His salvation. His love, His benevolent attitude toward us is because He desires our happiness and our fellowship that comes when we have His kind of life. On the basis of His legal justice being satisfied by the death of Jesus for our sins, He forgives us, and accepts us in Christ. There is no higher love possible than the love God has for us. That love on His part is why we are born again when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
This whole new birth teaching is not that we do anything to add to what the Lord Jesus did, but to accept Him, and by accepting Him, the Holy Spirit regenerates new life in us placing us into God's family. Christ did not come to only expose our sin by His righteousness, but that we might receive this new life through Him. The result of that free pardon is the light of life shines into our soul and our spirit comes alive to God. To not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, is to reject Him and the full provision He has already made. Those who reject Him have already sealed their own condemnation. To refuse the new birth provided for at the expense of His life given for us, is to sign our own condemnation by loving darkness instead of light. A life of unforgiven sin continued in, results in everlasting darkness.
When a person believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, they begin a relationship with God that involves a life of knowing Him, understanding things that previously were hidden to us, and being committed to Him. It is being born into a new kind of life of which unbelievers have no knowledge. The nature of this new life opens to us a whole new area of spiritual reality in which we live. We see the big picture of things beyond just the limited vision of daily life on earth. Our fellowship with the Father and the Son enables us to "walk in the light as He is in the light" and have fellowship with one another with those who are in the kingdom of God. It is a new road we travel with new goals in life, and the light we live in through faith, draws us to the Savior with gratitude and the power over sin the new life in Christ gives us.
Many people try to excuse themselves from believing on the Lord Jesus Christ because of the perceived failures they see in others who profess faith in Christ. But really, these excuses are only an attempt to justify their desire to live for the pleasures of the world, the passions of the flesh, and the deceptions of the devil. They just do not want to have Christ in their lives and would rather continue in the moral darkness they live in and love.
Contrast that murky, dark way of life with walking in the light with God and His people through faith because we have been loved by God and received His gift of eternal life. We can enjoy the benefits of that eternal life now. Our life lived through Christ's death is a great motivator for righteous living, faithful service, concern for the spiritual well-being of others and sure hope in view of the future.
John 3:16, FOR BELIEVERS:
Persons to Preach: God [Theo – Greek; Elohim – Hebrew]. In the Hebrew there is a precision that is not in the Greek. This word is applied to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Principles to Propagate: The doctrine of the Trinity: personality of God; the nature of God. The doctrine of eternal Sonship: One ever with Him; “only begotten.” The doctrine of the Incarnation: v.15. Son of Man; v.16. Son of God. The doctrine of the Atonement: the cross; the death; the suffering.
- Behind His death was the activity of Satan – opposition.
- Behind His death was the charge against man – murder.
- Behind His death was the judgment of God – substitution.
- Behind His death was the giving of Himself – propitiation. The doctrine of depravity: the world is ruined. The doctrine of salvation by faith alone: believeth in Him. The doctrine of eternal security: have. The doctrine of resurrection: have everlasting life. The doctrine of eternal punishment: perish. The doctrine of eternal life:
Pattern to Present:
Mission to reach the lost:
- Motive of the mission: the unity of God is seen in love.
- Unity of the mission: God.
- Scope of the mission: world.
- Sacrifice of the mission: He gave.
- Seriousness of the mission: should not perish.