- Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God - The only people who are true Christians, or true citizens of kingdom of God are those who have become “born again”, or spiritually regenerated (Tit 3:5), by the power of God. In John 3 we are confronted with the late night conversation between Jesus and a Pharisee named Nicodemus on the subject of the New Birth. The Greek word translated as “again” is anothen (G509), which literally means “from above” – that is, “from heaven” or “from God”. We need to keep in mind that the gift of salvation, which comes “down” from God Himself, is entirely undeserved and is only by God’s grace. Nothing short of birth “from above” will suffice for someone to “see” (that is, with eyes of faith) the Kingdom of God. All blessings, whether physical or spiritual in nature, originate from God. Moreover His objective is to bless His Word and the furtherance of His Kingdom. The water in John 3 typifies the Word of God which is why "Faith [salvation] comes by hearing the Word of God"[Rom 10:17]. Water Baptism typifies the Spiritual Baptism. Man must be “baptized” (i.e., have his sins washed away) by the Holy Spirit in order to receive God’s gift of eternal life and enter into kingdom of God.
Mark 1:14-15 “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
John 3:3-8 "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8The 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."
Acts 2:38 “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Acts 11:16 “Then remembered I [Peter] the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.” [cf., Acts 1:5; Mat 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; Tit 3:4-5]
1 Pet 1:23 “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”
Jam 1:18 “Of his own will begat [made us born again] he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”
Eze 36:25-27 "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. 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."
Eph 5:25-27 "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."
Titus 3:5 "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing [washing of water by the word] of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;"
Rom 10:17 "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
- Christ came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance - It’s interesting to note that the Greek word rendered as “repenteth” and “repentance” is metanoeo (G3340), signifying a “change of mind or understanding”. Notice how in Luke 15, verse 7 makes the point that there are those who identify with the “… ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance”. Everyone in this category is merely “self-righteous” and have not been saved. They do not understand their own sinfulness. Sadly, this is the essence of mankind’s fallen nature. It is the deluded, prideful expression of the Pharisee in Luke 18. Take note that salvation is a matter of the heart, or soul, or mind (all three are used interchangeably in the Bible), and this is what repentance is. It involves a change of mind inside out, or a renewed mind.
Luke 5:32 “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Pro 30:12 “There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.”
Luke 18:11 "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.”
Luke 15:7, 10“I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance… Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”
Eph 4:23-24 “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind [or soul]; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."
- Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation - Don’t Confuse Remorse with Repentance. Consider the parable of the rich man in Hell in Luke 16. The Bible also furnishes accounts of some who apparently had repented, but their repentance was not genuine. It was merely remorse, or the “sorrow of the world”. This is seen in the example of Judas in Mat 27. We see in the historical context the literal fulfillment of “… the sorrow of the world worketh death” because Judas committed suicide. However, this verse is not speaking about physical death but eternal death – to be destroyed in Hell forever. This is what the Lord Jesus was underscoring in Mat 26 when referring to Judas. The Bible also furnishes us with another illustration of remorse or regret – not genuine repentance – in Heb 12, regarding Esau. “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation…” In other words, godly sorrow produces, or causes, genuine repentance because it is the work of God the Holy spirit in the hearts of His chosen people.
2 Cor 7:10 "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”
Luke 16:30-31 “And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one [Christ] rose from the dead.”
Matt 27:3-5 "Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.”
Mat 26:24 "The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe [destroyed in Hell] unto that man [Judas] by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.”
Heb 12:16-17 “Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.”
- God commands all men every where to repent - Man is utterly incapable of obeying this command. Nonetheless, God gives commands concerning repentance throughout the Bible. If they are taken merely at face value (and without looking at all the other verses in the Scriptures), they can foster the false idea that man can repent of his own volition. As we have seen above, repentance is not just turning away of outward sins but a total change of heart, inside out. Only God can accomplish this in an individual. Then why did God give these statutes in the Bible? These commandments should reveal our need for the savior and drive us to Lord Jesus Christ. This agrees with everything else the Bible teaches regarding man’s spiritual deadness, and God’s sovereign grace to redeem His elect through the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
Acts 17:30 "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent ”
Rom 3:19-20 “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”
Galatians 3:24 "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith."
Joel 2:12-13 "Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.”
Jer 31:18 “I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned ; for thou art the LORD my God.”
Jer 4:4 “Circumcise yourselves to Jehovah, and take away the foreskin of your heart, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, that My fury not go forth like fire and burn, so that no one can put it out; because of the evil of your doings.”
Deu 30:6 “And Jehovah your God will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your seed, to love Jehovah your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, that you may live.”
- Repentance is a Gift from God - Repentance is the result of Salvation. Only God can give a person eternal life. God must draw the elect to Himself and grant them repentance, spiritual understanding, faith to trust Him, and a capacity to love and obey Him. This is dramatically seen in the people of Ninevah. They first believed – everything else followed that. And we know that to believe is to have faith, and the faith related to salvation is a gift from God and comes by hearing the Word of God. We also learn in Rom 2:4 that God’s “goodness” leads His elect to repentance which is synonymous with salvation and is closely associated with God’s mercy. God is merciful to His elect and saves them because of His goodness; and He works all things “together for good” in their lives. The “reproving” that the Scriptures provide is actually a demonstration of the Lord’s great, eternal love toward His redeemed people. Notice how the word “meekness” in 2 Tim 2:25 can result from God’s granting repentance (or a change of mind) as a result of salvation. The child of God is to exhibit the attitude described in Eph 4:2, “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;”
Jon 3:5 "So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.”
Acts 11:16-18 "Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.”
Eph 2:8-10 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
Luke 24:45-48 “Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things.”
Rom 2:4 “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”
John 6:44 “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Rev 3:19 “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.”
Rom 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
Joel 2:12-13 “Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.”
2 Pet 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
Mat 9:13 “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Acts 5:31 “Him [Jesus] hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel [Israel of God, Gal 6:16], and forgiveness of sins.”
2 Tim 2:24-25 “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;”
- Who can tell if God will turn and repent? - God Himself does not repent, or change His mind. Now on the surface, this can be a bit confusing. Didn’t God “repent” when He did not bring judgment against Nineveh? And what about the citations in Gen 6 and 1 Sam 15? The Hebrew word that is utilized in both of these passages for “repenteth” is (nacham:H5162), which is also rendered as “comfort”, “comforter”, and “ease”. Let’s look at some other Scriptures that teach just the opposite in Num 23 and 1 Sam 15. How then are we to understand Jon 3:10. The first point we have to come to grips with is that even before the foundation of the world, God had planned to save the Ninevites. This was very difficult for Jonah to comprehend. Why would God show this degree of kindness and mercy to such rebellious, wicked individuals and sworn enemies of Israel? What Jonah struggled with, Peter would one day realize that God intended to save the Gentiles, as well as the Jews, as we read in Acts 11. Note what he says in Jon 4:1, “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry”. However, God was also teaching Jonah an “object lesson”, even as He did with Peter many hundreds of years later about His plan to save a people for Himself which included both Jews and Gentiles. In Jonah’s case, it involved a gourd which God had graciously provided to shield Jonah from the burning sun which was beating down on him in Jonah 4. God’s answer to Jonah in Jon 4:9-11 helps us see God’s love as the motivating force behind this wonderful salvation account, even though God had warned of impending judgment previously. The reason for the statement “… whose praise is not of men, but of God” in Rom 2, is because God has to do all the work of salvation, including the granting of repentance; and He gets all the praise and glory for it.
Gen 6:6-7 "And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.”
1 Sam 15:11 “It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.”
Num 23:19 “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”
1 Sam 15:29 “And also the Strength of Israel [God] will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.”
Jon 3:10 “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not”?
Jon 4:9-11 “And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death. Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?”
Acts 11:16-18 "Then remembered I [Peter] the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.”
Rom 2:28-29 “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”
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