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WHAT DOES
IT MEAN TO BE “BORN-AGAIN”? -
Part II
Philip P. Eapen |
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The highest of all Jewish “washings” was
the immersion associated with conversion to Judaism. A
convert was baptised in the presence of at least three
witness in “living waters” (water from flowing natural
sources). “The baptismal water (Mikveh) in rabbinic
literature was referred to as the womb of the world, and
as a convert came out of the water it was considered a
new birth separating him from the pagan world. As the
convert came out of these waters his status was changed
and he was referred to as “a little child just born” or
“a child of one day” (Yeb. 22a; 48b; 97b).
In the light of all this, the “new birth” introduced by
Christ can be understood as the regeneration brought
about by the unseen work of the Holy Spirit when a
repentant sinner accepts water baptism to identify
himself by faith with the death, burial and resurrection
of Jesus Christ. It should be noted that both the
visible water baptism and the invisible regenerative
work of the Spirit are equally important and that they
are “inseparably blended” together (Vincent, Vincent’s
Word Studies, 1886). The operation of the Spirit in the
life of an obedient, repentant sinner elevates the
outward rite of baptism from the level of a “mere
symbol.” Baptism becomes a “veritable vehicle of grace
to the recipient, and acquires a substantial part in the
inauguration of the new life” (Vincent). Without the
work of the Spirit, the outward rite is empty, without
any regeneration in the inner being.
Jesus’ words to Nicodemus had a reference to the baptism
offered by John the Baptist and a futuristic reference
to the Christian baptism which he would institute after
his death and resurrection. In chapter 1 of John we read
of John’s baptism. The Pharisees and the scribes had
rejected John’s baptism and thereby God’s purpose for
them (Lk 7:30). “John's rite had a real and legitimate
relation to the kingdom of God which Nicodemus must
accept” (Vincent). At the same time, Jesus, the Man of
the Spirit, brings in the renewing work of the Spirit
into the rite of baptism, thus, defining the full extent
of Christian baptism as seen in Titus 3:5 (discussed
below).
In the light of this study, I am forced to adopt a
better and more correct understanding of what it means
to be “born again.” A person is born again by the will
of God and by the renewing work of the Spirit of God,
when he/she responds to the gospel of Jesus Christ in
faith, repentance and obedience in the waters of
baptism.
In all our proclamations of the gospel we should not
expect a response that is short of the biblical new
birth. No altar call should stop short of the call to
repent and to receive baptism. Peter’s first altar call
on Pentecost should be a eye-opener for all evangelists:
“Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of
Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you
will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38;
Cf. Matt 28:18-20).
Q. Can a sinner be considered as a regenerate “born
again” Christian after he has repented of sins and
placed his trust in Jesus’ atoning work even though
he/she has not been baptised?
Not according to Jesus’ definition of what it means to
be “born again!” The Holy Spirit has certainly started
His work in a repentant sinner. Such a person, who
trusts in the atoning work of Jesus Christ may be
assured of forgiveness. Yet this person has neither been
cleansed of his/her sins nor been “born again” as per
John 3:3-5. A few passages from Scripture should make
this clear.
Paul met the Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus. He
could have considered that encounter as the defining
moment in his life. When Ananias met Paul, he encouraged
him to take baptism at once without wasting a moment,
“Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash
away your sins, calling on His name” (Acts 22:16).
Jesus’ teaching on regeneration should help us
understand Ananias’ words. A “mere ritual” cannot wash
one’s sins away. In answer to the candidate’s earnest
prayers (“calling on His name”), God forgives his sins
and regenerates him in the waters of baptism through the
renewing work of the Spirit. This verse tells us how
penitent and prayerful a sinner should be as he/she
accepts baptism.
Paul says in Titus 3:4-5: “But when the kindness of God
our Saviour and His love for mankind appeared, He saved
us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in
righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the
washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit
…”
When Paul refers to the reception of God’s salvation, he
says, God “saved us … by the washing of regeneration and
renewing by the Holy Spirit.” The washing of
regeneration is translated as the “washing of rebirth”
by NIV and NRSV. This is an explicit reference to water
baptism even though the word baptism is not used. (In
fact, English language does not have its own word for
baptism; the word ‘baptism’ is a sort of transliteration
of the Greek word). Baptism is not just any washing. It
is washing that brings about “new birth” or regeneration
when combined with the renewing activity of the Holy
Spirit. Note how the washing and renewing go together.
The works of the baptismal waters and the Spirit are
purposely hitched together. Paul’s words here allude to
Jesus’ words in John 3:5—“born of water and of Spirit.”
There is an allusion to baptism in the Apostle Paul’s
exhortation to husbands in Ephesians 5:26 and in Hebrews
10: 22.
Q. “I experienced joy, peace, love, victory over sin and
the presence of God years before I took water baptism.
How can you say that I was not “born again”?
It is not I who say that you are not born-again. After
having placed your trust in Jesus for your salvation,
you should have proceeded to “wash away your sins” (Acts
22:16) in the waters of baptism, thus fulfilling Jesus’
condition for being “born again.”
In comparison to your former state, you must be
experiencing joy, love, etc., after you found faith in
Jesus. Our understanding of what is meant by “born
again” should not depend upon these experiences but on
the Word of God. God can choose to work in exceptional
ways as with Cornelius and his family who received the
Holy Spirit before they were baptized. This exception
however does not change the rule. We do not study the
Scriptures on the basis of exceptions but on the basis
of the regular principles.
Q. Does John 3:3-5 teach that Christian water baptism is
essential for salvation?
John 3:3-5 indeed teaches that Christian water baptism
is essential for anyone to see or enter the kingdom of
God. Before you dismiss this as heresy, please proceed
to read the following explanation.
I wish to submit that the above statement does not
contradict the doctrine of salvation by faith in
Christ’s atoning sacrifice and resurrection! We all are
commanded to preach the gospel. How should a repentant
sinner who listens to our preaching accept Christ’s
death, burial and resurrection as his/her own? How does
the Bible expect a sinner to tell God and the world that
he “believes” in Christ?
We have devised ingenious ways to make people express
their “faith” in Christ’s atoning work. We ask people to
raise their hands, to get up and walk down an aisle and
to repeat the sinner’s prayer after us. We then assure
them that they are now “saved.” Does the Bible endorse
our current practices? Does it teach us that this is the
way we should lead a repentant sinner to express his/her
faith?
The Bible clearly teaches us that there is one
God-approved way of “believing” and “accepting” Jesus as
our personal Saviour and Lord. God expects every
repentant sinner who responds to the gospel to come
forward in faith, confess Jesus Christ as the risen Lord
and take water baptism. This is God’s prescribed manner
for sinners to accept God’s free salvation. Is there a
better way of making Christ’s death, burial and
resurrection one’s own than through water baptism?
When the Bible clearly states time and again that God’s
style of doing an “altar call” is to call repentant and
believing sinners to the waters of baptism, why do we
abbreviate and alter it? Next time you “lead” a sinner
to Christ, lead him or her to the water’s of baptism.
Baptism is the biblical way of accepting Jesus Christ as
one’s personal Saviour. This is why Jesus referred to
believer’s baptism as a spiritual new birth. “Truly,
truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the
Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (These
are not two births. This second reference to the new
birth in Jn 3:5 is an amplified way of stating the truth
stated earlier in Jn 3:3. In fact, Jesus was answering
Nicodemus' question in v. 4, telling him how he can be
born again.) In the water’s of baptism, a repentant and
believing sinner becomes “born again” of water and the
Spirit.
The apostle Peter made it abundantly clear as if he were
answering the above question. He wrote,
“Corresponding to that [Noah’s ark], baptism now saves
you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an
appeal to God for a good conscience—through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ” 1 Peter 3:21.
Baptism now saves you … through the resurrection of
Jesus Christ. Who will identify himself with the death
and burial of Jesus Christ? God will identify him with
the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Cf. Romans 6:4-5) so
that he should live forever. Should anyone now dismiss
water baptism as a secondary, optional expression of
one’s faith?
Q. Does one become “born again” before exercising saving
faith?
In order to highlight and preserve the truth that God is
the one who regenerates a sinner, giving him/her a new
spiritual life, Wayne Grudem says we do not have any
role to play in this regeneration—not even in getting
ourselves to the point where God can give us this new
birth. (Wayne Grudem, “Regeneration: What does it mean
to be born again?”
Http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/regeneration_grudem.html
“In some of the elements of the application of
redemption that we discuss in subsequent chapters, we
play an active part (this is true, for example, of
conversion, sanctification and perseverance). But in the
work of regeneration, we play no active role at all.
It is instead totally a work of God.”
As a corollary to this understanding, he goes on to say
that “it is natural to understand that regeneration
comes before saving faith. It is in fact this work of
God that gives us the spiritual ability to respond to
God in faith.”
Now, this is why I beg to differ from Grudem. Jesus said
to Nicodemus, “You must be born again” (John 3:7b). It
is clear from this statement that Nicodemus had to do
something about being born again. The onus for getting
this new birth was on Nicodemus. Nicodemus understood
that he had to do something in this business of getting
“born again” even though he did not understand what this
new birth was all about. That is why he asked Jesus,
“How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a
second time into his mother’s womb, and be born, can
he?” (Notice the words denoting action)
To under gird the total passivity of a sinner before and
during regeneration, Grudem stretches the analogy used
by Jesus. He says that a child that is born has no role
to play in the whole process of birth.
“We did not choose to be made physically alive and we
did not choose to be born -- it is something that
happened to us; similarly, these analogies in Scripture
suggest that we are entirely passive in regeneration.”
Yes, indeed we are entirely passive in regeneration. But
we need to respond actively to the gospel in order to
reach the point of regeneration.
If Nicodemus had understood this “born again” stuff the
way Grudem understood it – that is, if Nicodemus
understood that he would be totally passive in and
before the process of being born again, he would have
asked Jesus, “How can a man be born when he is old? His
mother cannot get him into her womb a second time, and
give birth to him, can she?”
If Nicodemus did not have any active role in letting God
give him a new birth, then why doesn’t God just give him
the new birth without telling him, “You must be born
again?” Indeed, the work of regeneration – of giving us
new spiritual life – is an act of God. But to say that
we have no active role in getting ourselves to this
point of God’s act is contrary to the Scriptures. And
worse, to say that regeneration occurs before the
exercise of saving faith is like putting the cart before
the horse! (www.PhilipEapen.com)
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This page
is updated on May 06, 2010 |
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PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
10 YEARS CELEBRATION
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