LESSON IV.—SABBATH, JANUARY 21, 1893.
By Editor
POWER OF GOD'S WORD—CONTINUED.
[For any modification in these lessons, and for the notes, the editor is responsible. For other notes and suggestions the student is referred to the lesson pamphlet, and to the S. S. Worker.] Lesson Scriptures and Suggestive Questions.
I. John 3:3-8: "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter a second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born anew. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh, and whither it goeth; so is every one that is born of the Spirit." - On what condition can one see the kingdom of God? Note 1.
- Is this a natural or a spiritual birth?
- What is the generative agency?
- What contrast is drawn between the natural and the spiritual birth?
- Are the results of the moving of the Spirit visible? Note 1.
- What comparison is drawn between this and the work of the Spirit?
II. 1 Peter 1:23: "Having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which liveth and abideth." - What change is here mentioned? Note 2.
- How is the contrast drawn between the natural and the spiritual birth?
- What is the generative agency?
- What characteristic of God's word is spoken of?
III. James 1:18: "Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures." - To what change is reference here made?
- What is the generative agency?
- What do those become who are thus begotten?
1. Born anew.—The margin of both versions has, "born from above," and that is what it literally is, and what the birth literally is. Jesus said to the carnal Jews, "Ye are from beneath; I am from above." John 8:23. As Christ, so are those who are his. That which (and those who) is born of his Spirit is spiritual. In him is life (John 1:4); he came "that man might have life," and to all who believe in him he gives life (John 3:16, et al.). All these statements imply man's dying condition. All are sinners (Rom. 3:23), and the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). By faith in the gospel of Christ, the word of God, our sins are forgiven (Rom. 1:16, 17; 4:4-8; 1 John 1:9), and his Spirit is given unto us (Rom. 8:9); and this Spirit is life to us (verse 10); that is, it imparts a new life; it makes us a new creature in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17). The term "born" is not to be pressed to extravagant lengths and parallelisms. It simply indicates the radical change in the nature of him whose heart, affections, motives have been changed, regenerated, by the power of God. It shows change of character, and change of character here assures the physical, immortal change at the second coming of Christ. Phil. 3:21. In ourselves, therefore, we have no life, no immortality. It is all dependent on Christ and his word. By his word we are brought forth, upon it we feed (1 Peter 2:1), by it we are nourished, kept alive, built up (Acts 20:32). Those who are Christ's are sons here, whom the world knows not; but when Christ shall appear, we will, in the epiphany,159or shining forth, of his glory, be like him. 1 John 3:1, 2. The wind bloweth.—Better, it seems to us, is the margin, "The Spirit breatheth." This is the only place in the New Testament where the word pneuma is rendered anything else than spirit, or that which means spirit, and we see no reason for departing from its obvious meaning here. Note the statement: "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. . . . The Spirit breatheth where it listeth [not controlled by earthly power], and thou hearest the voice thereof [John 16:8-10; Gal. 5:22, 23], but knowest not whence it cometh, and whither it goeth [1 Cor. 2:11-14]; so is every one that is born of the Spirit" (1 Cor. 2:9, 10, 12, 15). Wind is visible, and its source is known. Its coming can be predicted with tolerable certainty; it can be caused, weighed, measured, as accurately as any worldly force; but the carnal man knows naught of the Spirit of God. 2. Having been begotten again.—Here God is represented as being our Father, begetting us through or by means of his word. Rotherham renders "regenerated." It is the living word of God which brings life to the soul who is dead in trespasses and sins. Eph. 2:4, 5. Begotten of God's word, born of his Spirit, we become the sons of God (John 1:13; Gal. 4:5, 6; 1 John 3:1, 2); we come to know God (1 John 4:7), whom to know is life eternal (John 17:3). But all this, with many attendant blessings, comes through God's word, which is spirit and life (John 6:63), a seed incorruptible. This word also becomes to the receiver a sword (Eph. 6:17), by which we defend ourselves and defeat the enemy (see Matt. 4:1-11). 3. Brought us forth.—Equivalent to born again. Of his own will.—But he is "not willing that any should perish" (2 Peter 3:9); he takes "no pleasure in the death of the wicked;" but "let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon" (Isa. 55:7); he will beget again "unto a lively hope" (1 Peter 1:3); he will bring forth unto a new life all who trust in him. With the word of truth.—It is not our own feeling upon which we have to depend, but God's word of truth. Every precept is sure; no promise of his can fail. A kind of first fruits.—The force of the figure seems to be that just as the first fruit of the land and the first born of beast and man among the Israelites belonged to God, were holy unto him, so Christians are brought forth that they might be dedicated, consecrated, devoted to his service. - What bearing does the teaching of this lesson have upon the question of conditional immortality?
- How does this lesson enforce the importance of constant study of the Bible?
- What things only can be brought to our remembrance?
- What great evil has resulted from the abuse of that invention which has made cheap Bibles possible?
- Why has an effort been made to fill the mind with the words of men?