THE more important a truth is in its place, the more serious will be found the consequences of having it out of its place — of a misuse of it. Few things could more sadly illustrate this than the many misapplications of our Lord’s words here.
The misapplication of the words to water-baptism rises up in our minds naturally first. But I do not dwell upon this now. I would only remind my readers that the apostle Peter sets aside all possibility of such an application, where he tells us plainly how new birth does come: “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God which liveth and abideth forever.... And this,” he adds, “is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” (1 P. 1. 23-25). Clearly then, if new birth come by the gospel, it does not come by baptism, except there his two new births.
But the real meaning of that expression, “born of water,” is far otherwise, and refers to a well-known prophecy, which Nicodemus ought to have understood, and which announces Israel’s conversion to God, yet to be fulfilled. “Then will I sprinkle clean WATER upon you, and ye shall be clean, from all your filthiness, and from all your idols will I cleanse you; a new heart also will I give you... and I will put my SPIRIT within you.” (Ezek. 36:25-2725Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. (Ezekiel 36:25‑27)). Should not a master in Israel have understood this reference; the cleansing power of water being often thus used as a figure of what the Word of God effects in like manner for the soul, or as Ephesians 5:2626That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, (Ephesians 5:26) puts the two together, “the washing of water by the word?”
This, then, is the real spiritual necessity everywhere: a thing not to be wrought by “the will of man,” as water-baptism may be, but by the Word of God, when joined with the power of that Spirit, whose picture is the “wind, blowing where it listeth,” (John 3:88The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. (John 3:8).) Even thus, reader, if you are to enter the kingdom of God, MUST you be born again.
A terribly solemn sentence upon man it is. All that comes of him without this is worse than naught; that which is born of the flesh, flesh, and only flesh. No difference; no exception. No abatement of the sentence in any case whatever. Moral and immoral, — just and unjust, — hard and benevolent, — the sweetest and fairest child of nature equally with the vilest and the worst, — all, all are pronounced on here. All alike unfit for God. All alike helpless and hopeless in themselves. “Ye must be born again.” “Born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God,” (John 1:1313Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:13)).
This is a solemn, momentous truth. It cannot be, as truth, too strongly maintained or too earnestly insisted on. Still it may be used out of place, and become when so used, potent for harm rather than good. And it does become so when it is used to cast souls off their resting-place in Christ, and turn them in upon themselves for evidences of new birth instead. “Ye must be born again” is simple, solemn truth for every child of man, no doubt. It is NOT “gospel.” There is no “good news “in the very saddest thing that can be said about man. To set it before souls as if it were the way of salvation, and so keep them with their eyes upon themselves, striving and praying and looking for a “change of heart,” is unscriptural and wrong. Our Lord’s use of it with Nicodemus was very far from this. With him, — a “man of the Pharisees”— this solemn utterance was no opening the door of salvation to a convicted sinner; nor do we hear of it as ever announced to such at all. No, but it was rather the door shut in the face of self-righteousness, the ax at the root of the stately Pharisaic pride. If “that which is born of the flesh is flesh,” then what for Nicodemus was all his painstaking religiousness? What for you, reader, if you are not born again, all your doings, resolutions, strivings, prayers? Alas, do they satisfy yourself even? Do they give rest and peace? With many perhaps, you talk of making your peace with God: is it made? or, when will it be?
I surely believe that all such questions have their place, and are most needed. Just as we need to plough up the land to prepare it for the harvest. Still, if that were all, little harvest there would be. Even so, plough up the heart, all well. But mark you, the gospel is the seed prepared of God to cast into the furrows, and upon that alone all fruit will grow.
Once again, then, how are men “born again?” “By the Word of God.” And what word? That “which by the gospel is preached unto you.” Is what I must be, the burden of the gospel? No, most surely: “the gospel of God” — His “good news” — is “concerning His Son, Jesus Christ” (Rom. 1:33Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; (Romans 1:3)). Here then the voice of God breaks in and bids me part company with myself; my ears are turned away from listening to the beating of my own poor heart. Blessed be God, if I have but sorrow and need and sin, He has a word for me, — a word for sinners as such, which, dropped in the stirred-up depths of the heart, brings with it life and peace and salvation. As I listen, my soul is rapt out of itself. The glories, the virtues, the sufferings of Another occupy me. All having reference to me, to my need, to my sorrow, to my guilt, — supposing nothing else whatever in me, but lifting me out of all by the knowledge of grace and, love come down to me the sinner, through the self-sacrifice of Him who died for sinners, I have to find no evidences of new birth in me to fins all this apply to me. Just as one of a world of sinners, no different in any way, to me it all applies: — in no wise to any good in me. That death, — that awful death which the gospel preaches to me, — that lonely cross, with the pall of darkness over it, out of which, startling the night, breaks that one cry of utter desolation — that being “made sin,” of Him who knew no sin, — for whom was this, and to whom does this apply? Why to sinners, plainly. So it is everywhere said. And what sort of people are “sinners,” beloved reader? People with good lives or bad? with soft hearts or hard? Well, then, I have not to find in myself the evidences of saint ship, but of sinner ship, and not good but bad works, not godliness but ungodliness, to know that He who “when we were yet without strength; died for the ungodly” — died for me. All that goes to make me out fully a sinner, goes to establish my title to a death which was died for sinners. And if I am “without strength” either to be otherwise, He has strength to save me. “He is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him.” And I am bidden to “take freely” this “water of life,” which flows from the riven Rock for me — for all. I know I am bad enough, helpless enough to need Him. I know He bids all welcome. Just as I am, I take His word, and trust His grace. What assurance want I more than that the Word says, “Blessed are ALL they that put their trust in Him?”
But, you say perhaps, are we not to know then that we are born again? Surely, yes. The thing is to know it in a surer way than by trusting the experiences, evidences, and feelings of the heart about it. That is the high road to doubt, and not to peace. “The heart is deceitful above all things ... who can know it?” But, you think, that applies to the natural heart merely, and if you are born again that will not be true. Well, but is not that the very thing you want to ascertain? and you would go to a deceitful heart to ask if it be changed! Beloved reader, the caution of the inspired Word is a solemn one: “He that trusteth his own heart is a fool.” On the other hand, that Word itself furnishes me with the only solid ground for faith as to my acceptance, without the need of finding in myself any One thing that separates me from the world of sinners round, it assures me that “Jesus Christ the righteous,” is “the propitiation for the whole world,” (1 John 2:22And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2)). Upon that ground, I am welcome to come and rest in Him. That is enough. I do rest. Do you say, He may deny my claim? Not so: for “whoso cometh unto Him, He will in no wise cast out.”
Thus am I born again for we “are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:2626For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26).) Only let us once again remember that faith’s look is an outward one. Faith is in Him, never in self, good or bad. Now, it is sure, that when I am simple in this faith in, Him, it does bear fruit in me. Love shown towards me produces love in me. Joy and peace accompany the confidence of faith as surely as light comes with the sun. All the fruits of the Spirit come in the train of these. Yes, and we can say with the apostle. “We know have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren.” (1 John 3:1414We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. (1 John 3:14).) But then, that is the language of one who has got the consciousness first of all, of having brethren to love. It would be as poor thing to suppose that no feelings, no experiences, no Divine affections follow faith. They do surely: and it would be folly to, say we are not conscious of them, or that they do not confirm and fortify the faith itself. But so much the more, that we may have the feelings, is it of importance to hold fast the foundation upon which we build not only for salvation, but for, peace Christ, is our peace. (Eph. 2:1414For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; (Ephesians 2:14).) Our “joy and peace” are “in believing,” and not in experiences or in feeling; and it is only as we keep to this that the feelings and experiences become right.
“Herein is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
“Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”
“We love Him because He first loved us.” (1 Jim 4:10, 11, 19.)