p. 194 | YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN by James White

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 20, 1856

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 7, No. 25.

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"YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN."

By James White

JOHN III, 7.

(Concluded.)

We pass to show

WHEN THIS BIRTH TAKES PLACE.

II. When does this change take place? I answer, At the second advent of Christ. For as He was born at his resurrection who is the HEAD, so also will his disciples at their resurrection, who are the MEMBERS of that same body of which he is the head. 1 Cor. xv, 23. "Christ the first-fruits; afterwards they that are Christ's." When? "At his coming." Again, [verses 50-53,] "Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye." When? "At the LAST TRUMP: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." Isa. lxvi, 14. After speaking of the birth or resurrection of Zion's children, and their being comforted in Jerusalem, he adds, "When ye see it, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb; and the hand of the Lord shall be known toward his servants and his indignation toward his enemies. For, behold, the Lord will come with fire and his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire." Read also chapters xxv, 8, 9; xxvi, 19-21, and compare with 1 Thess. iv, 15-17; 2 Thess. i, 7-10. From which scripture we learn it is at the last trump. When the Lord himself descends from heaven in flaming fire to take vengeance on the wicked, and with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God. Then shall we be born of the Spirit, and come forth into a new and eternal life. When God shall be glorified in all his saints! How glorified in them! By their birth when they receive immortal and glorified bodies like unto Jesus' glorious body. Every one reflecting the image and glory of Christ. Thus we see the birth of the Spirit, which is the resurrection, is at the coming of our God from heaven, instead of at conversion and a point in the past. And this is the only birth that will ensure us an entrance into the kingdom. As Paul teaches, [1 Cor. xv, 14.] "And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain." Verses 17, 18. "And if Christ be not raised your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are PERISHED." Again, [verse 32.] "If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink: for to morrow we die."

We see from this that conversion cannot be the second birth, neither can it insure us an entrance into the kingdom. For, although we may have faith, not suffer for Christ here, and die in its triumphs and sleep in Jesus; yet all is vain without a resurrection. With what power then comes thundering home the declaration, "Ye must be born again;" even by the Spirit of the eternal God that raised Jesus from the dead, or ye can in no wise see or enter the kingdom of God. And it gives new force to such passages as Phil. iii, 11, "If by any means I might attain unto a for anastasis resurrection out from among the dead." And also, Rom. ii, 6, 7, "God will render to every man according to his deeds: to them who by patient continuance in well doing, seek for glory and honor and immortality: eternal life." "For [Rev. xx, 6.] blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." And how this truth harmonizes, and lights up with new rays of glory the word of God. See 1 John, iii, 9. "Whosoever is born of God, doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him and he CANNOT sin, because he is born of God."

Now, although we may allow that men may live here, and sometimes do by the assistance of God's grace without sin for a season, yet are any prepared to take the ground that the best men that ever lived attained a state here that rendered it impossible for them to sin? I presume not. Then are they not born of God. But if any doubt lingers in your mind, this same writer writes it. Chap. ii, 1. "Little children, these things I write unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father." Here John supposes we may sin after conversion. And provision he assures us is made for such. But in the other place he assures us that if born again we CANNOT sin. I am aware many efforts have been made to pervert this passage by modifying its meaning to suit our theories. But there it stands a positive declaration, and eternal refutation of all such theories. They cannot sin because they are born of God. Then conversion we see clearly is not the new birth.

We will here notice an objection that may arise in the minds of some, in 1 John v, 1. "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is born (begotten) of God: and every one that loveth him that begat, loveth him also that is begotten of him." We are to remember that this translation was made in view of the position that conversion is the new birth. Now in this sense the words born, begat, and begotten, are all from one and the same verb in the original—Gennao—the first definition of which is, to beget, generate, and the word here rendered born should be rendered begotten. This is evident, 1st, from the whole tenor of the apostle; 2d, from what follows in the same verse, "he that loveth him that begat, loveth him also that is begotten of him;" 3d, but still more so from his own explanation in the 18th verse of this same chapter, where he distinguishes between being born and begotten. "We KNOW that whosoever is born of God sinneth not." How do you know? In chap. iii, 9, he tells you, "his seed remaineth in him, he cannot sin because he is born of God." "But he that is BEGOTTEN of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not." Says Paul in 1 Cor. ix, 27; "but I keep my body under," &c., "lest I myself become a cast-away." By which teaching I understand that when we are born of God we are in a state rendering it impossible for us to sin. But when begotten of God we keep ourselves by the use of those means God has appointed for our salvation. Or in other words, by conversion; we are begotten of God by the truth when we receive the spirit of adoption, which is the first-fruits of the Spirit and pledge of our adoption. But we are not born until the resurrection; which is the order of nature and accords with the teachings of the sure word of prophecy, as we will endeavor now to show. James i, 18. "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth." The word here rendered begat is Apokueo. 1 Cor. iv, 15. "For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet there are not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have BEGOTTEN you through the Gospel." See also Phil. 10. "I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds." Rom. viii, 17-23. "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear: but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba, Father." Here mark, we have not received the adoption, but the spirit of adoption; and in the 23d verse he tells us when we receive the adoption, for "ourselves also which have the FIRST FRUITS of the SPIRIT, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for (for what?) the adoption; (what is the adoption, Paul?) to wit, the redemption of our body." From these passages and many others we might quote, we perceive that through the truth we are begotten sons of God but not yet born. But having the spirit of Christ, which is the earnest, the first-fruits and pledge of our adoption, we wait, groaning for the adoption; to wit, the redemption of our body in the resurrection morn, when we shall be born (born free) of the free woman; [Gal. iv;] born into the kingdom unto eternal life. Glory to God! Whom the Son maketh free is free indeed. "For as soon as Zion travailed she brought forth her children." Unto which we are sealed (made sure) by the spirit of adoption. For, says God in the next verse, [Isa. lxvi, 9.] (and I will quote the verse with the marginal readings, and I wish you to notice its power and glory and assurance of hope unto the end,) "Shall I bring to the birth, and not be able to bring forth! saith the Lord: shall I beget to bring forth and shut the womb? saith thy God." No! is the implied answer. Having of my own will begotten you through the truth, [Jas. i, 18, &c.,] I will not shut the womb. No. "I will open your graves and ye shall come forth out of your graves and I will put my spirit in you and ye shall live." Eze. xxxvii, 14. "Awake and sing ye that dwell in dust, for your dew is as the dew of herbs, for the earth shall cast out her dead." Isa. xxvi, 19. "For her children shall break forth on the right hand and left." Isa. liv, 3. So here, [Isa. lxvi,] after representing them as already begotten for the express purpose of bringing forth and assuring us that he will not shut the womb. He represents the children as nursing, [verses 10, 11.] "Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her; that ye may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out and be delighted with the brightness of her glory." And the reason follows, for [because, verse 12] "Thus saith the Lord, behold I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the

Gentiles like a flowing stream; then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in JERUSALEM." For, says Paul, [Rom. viii, 11.] "If the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you." This accords with the teachings of Christ in John i, 12-14. "The word was made flesh and dwelt among us. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power (margin, right, or privilege) to BECOME the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born not of blood." No, that life which we received from our first parent must be yielded, "the blood is the life of the flesh;" [Gen. ix, 4.] "nor of the will of the flesh;" no, that must be yielded, for the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and these are contrary the one to the other. See Rom. vii, 23; Gal. v, 16. No blood in that birth. There is flesh, but no will of the flesh, "nor will of man but of God." Not born of the first Adam, who was made a living soul, but of the second Adam who was made a quickening spirit unto eternal life. "For (says Jesus) I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish." From this passage we learn that as many as received Jesus, believing on his name, to them he gave the privilege to become the sons of God. How? By giving them the spirit which is the pledge of adoption, by which spirit they are sealed unto the day of redemption. See 2 Cor. i, 22; Eph. i, 13, 14; iv, 30. As Peter also testifies, [1 Pet. i, 23.] "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God which (who, says Macknight) liveth and abideth forever." This word is Christ, by whose voice the dead in Christ will be awakened and be born again. John v, 25. "The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; marvel not at this, for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth." The Father gives not the spirit unto him by measure but with him is the residue. And all who believe in him receive the spirit of adoption; and, says Jesus, [John vi, 40.] "This is the will of him that sent me, that every one that seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

I will notice one more objection and leave the subject with you. You will find some passages relating to the birth in the past or present tense. Such passages are to be harmonized on the principle that it is no uncommon thing for Old and New Testament writers, in speaking of events in the future, to use the past or present tense. Isa. ix, 6. "Unto us a child is born," &c. This was 700 years before Christ's day. Again, [chap. liii, 4.] "He hath borne our griefs," &c., past tense. So Paul, [Heb. xii, 22.] "But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem," &c. This is not yet fulfilled.

I might notice other objections, but on a careful examination of the subject they will all disappear before the light of the Word. I ask you, my brethren, to examine this subject candidly and prayerfully, and you will find it full of glory. It will harmonize the Word and pour in a flood of glory into your soul that no other view of the subject will. And the Scriptures will open before you in the investigation, and such rays of glory be shed upon them as shall feast your soul and make you glad through the Word. And this view gives such an importance and glory to the new birth, that we shall not, like Nicodemus, any longer marvel that Jesus attached so much importance to the truth, "Ye must be born again." Have we the spirit of adoption? Let us then rejoice in the hope of soon realizing the adoption unto glory, honor and immortality. For blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. Amen.

J. H. W. Seneca Falls, Sept. 20th, 1845.