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Friday, January 22nd, 2010Catholic Justification
Friday, January 15th, 2010This is perhaps the biggest dilemma that in my opinion faces Catholicism. It presents itself as a conjoining of Jesus with a merit system in order to credit heaven while avoiding lengthy periods spent in a purgatorial realm. In other words according to this view eternal salvation is not achieved determinately by Christ but it requires our further assistance to complete the transaction successively in securing the wealth of an eternal bliss.
Concerning the motif of “works” I am aware that there are responsibilities and a cooperation of maintaining a relationship with God as a believer regarding the outworking of our faith. Yet according to biblical teaching this cooperation or response towards God is not an add on as if there is something insufficient or lacking in the perfect and complete atonement of Christ. It’s not as if He starts the work and now we have to finish it for Him. Rather works is a manifestation to the fruitful outcome of our relationship with Christ.
Anyway when viewing our relationship with God it is similar to other types of covenantal relationships such as a holy union between a husband and wife.
According to the analogy of marriage we can illustrate this natural relationship as compared to our devotion and commitment to God.
First it is God who initiates the process by drawing us into a loving relationship with him, John 6:44. This relationship is consummated and justified by joining oneself in covenant to Jesus through the sacrificial offering of Christ, Mark 14:24; Romans 5:9, which consequently results in us being spiritually regenerated and sanctified by the Holy Spirit Titus 3: 4-7 and 1 Corinthians 6:11 as we enter into this mystical union as the bride of Christ, Ephesians 5:22-33. This relationship will ultimately culminate in us receiving or being the heirs of eternal life having placed the seal of the Holy Spirit in us as a guarantee to this covenantal relationship, Ephesians 1:13 -14, 2 Corinthians 1:22, and Romans 8:9.
This living dynamic of a significant sign serves as a marked witness to the reality of being properly related to Him, Romans 8:16.
My question to you is are you properly related to Christ through the inner witness of the Holy Spirit or are you trying to secure your relationship through a dowry of impoverished works?
I discuss more about this in the blog that I posted on “Born Again” and “Catholic Tradition” at
jesusandjews.com/wordpress/2009/12/20/born-again/
jesusandjews.com/wordpress/2009/12/26/catholic-tradition/
When relating to the concept of the “works” of God, Jesus states that it is the nature of the tree that determines its fruitfulness or fruitlessness. In other words a good tree (nature) bears good fruit (works). The only way that we can authentically produce the works of righteousness is after we have received the fruit bearing nature of the Spirit through new birth. Galatians 5:22-23 and Romans 8:4.
One example of what I am saying is like relating this idea to that of a Christmas tree.
We may think that by adding ornaments (works) to a dead tree (unregenerate person) that it will bear the resemblance of beauty yet that does not make the tree alive unto God. This is an artificial beauty that at the end of the season causes us to put up the ornaments and discard the tree. So in reality there was no real value to the tree except for its temporal ceremonial purpose.
This idea also relates to the outward adornment of the righteous acts performed by the religious Jews in Jesus day who were spiritually dead unto God, Matthew 23.
Independent of Holy Spirit regeneration, “works” is an inadequate attempt to achieve righteousness, Romans 3:20.
The problem with combining faith with self works is that this is also the same expression of belief that is practiced among many religions and cults in which they share this mentality of earning and achieving as a means of gaining heaven while avoiding the pitfalls of hell.
To read more on these themes it would be good to study and meditate on the books of Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews to get a better understanding of these interrelated concepts.
To give a quick glance to the concept of a “works” related program and its shortcomings it would be best to take a preview of the transitory system of the Old Covenant law.
Biblical history indicates that the covenant community of the Israelites had the revelatory word of God as based in the Torah, Prophets, and the Writings for over a millennium before the advent of Christianity. This Old Testament law proved to be an imperfect system of which never achieved for them righteous because it was intended to be merely a foreshadow to the ultimate reality of Christ as the sacrifice given once and for all and therefore could not make oneself perfect in drawing them near to God Colossians 2:17; Hebrews 10:1-18.
The Israelite community could not live up to the standards of the law and even David who was a man after God’s own heart states that there is no one who does good and this is also reiterated by Solomon who was the wisest of all men who stated that there is not a righteous man on the earth that never sins, Psalms 14:1-3, Ecclesiastes 7:20, and Romans 3:10-12; 23. Even the prophet Isaiah states that our righteous acts are like filthy rags Isaiah 64:6.
The New Testament clearly portrays that the old covenant was imperfect due to the problem of fallen humanity, Romans 8:1-17. The law could not be upheld due to the weakness of human nature but by faith in Christ this would be overcome through the Spirit filled life. That’s why it’s good news and not the same old news because Jesus did for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves and that is to absolve sin and it consequences Romans 5:6; Galatians 4:4,5.
You know Paul had great credentials and under the old covenant law he was a very religious man who zealously claimed his legalistic righteousness as being faultless and yet he considered it rubbish compared to the riches of knowing Christ, Philippians 3:1-9; Galatians 1:14.
You might ask yourself at this point the same question that the disciples asked Jesus when he was explaining to them the stringent requirements of the law in which they remarked “Who then can be saved” and Jesus replied,”with man it is impossible but with God all things are possible” and therein lays the revelation to this picture of redemption. He is able to accomplish what we can not, Matthew 19:16-26.
The mystery of salvation would be fully realized through the saving blood of Christ under the new covenant as outlined in Jeremiah 31:31-34, Luke 22:20 which would restore our relationship with God resulting in the new birth with the advent of the Spirit age John 3:3-8, 1 Peter 1:3;23, and Ezekiel 36:25-29.
God was doing away with the obsolete system of a works related relationship and just 40 years proceeding Jesus death the destruction of the temple occurred in 70AD as a way to emphatically say that this program is kaput and no more and even to this day it has never been rebuilt.
If we could obtain righteousness apart from Christ then why was the first covenant abolished and made obsolete, Hebrews 8:13? If Israel could have made itself righteous through observing the law then why did the nation end up in exile and the Diaspora?
The bottom line is that without Jesus and the Holy Spirit living in you there is no salvation and it is an impossibility no matter how diligent or observant a person is regarding the keeping of sacramental legislation.
In Romans 3:20 it states that no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law.
In 1 Corinthians 1:30 and Romans 3:21-22 it is Christ that is our righteousness.
Righteousness is a work of God and “work” related results are merely his handiwork on display in our lives Ephesians 2:10, John 15:5.
Works doesn’t earn salvation but rather it is the proof of it. Works is an expression or manifestation of our faith, not the substance of it.
Galatians 2:15-21 shows that a man is not justified by observing the law and if we could gain it then Christ died needlessly.
Paul wrote allot about this overachiever mentality of works because that was the order of the system that they had just transitioned from and it was still hardwired within the main frame of their being.
The Jews, particularly those to whom Paul referred to as Judaizers, where struggling with this whole concept of grace and justification by faith and Paul spent much of his time refuting this system of belief which resulted in the first council meeting at Jerusalem in Acts 15.
Lastly to ensure that there is no misunderstanding the scripture spells it out plainly in Ephesians 2:8-9 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
Finally the Pharisees were notorious for upholding the law in a meticulous fashion in that they would strain at a gnat over the details. They were so careful to keep the law that they built a hedge about the law by adding requirements that went beyond the scope of biblical orthodoxy. They were zealous for God as spoken of in Romans 10:1-4 and they weighed down people with the burdens of their laws in Matthew 23:4, Acts 15:10-11, and Mark 7:1-13.
In conclusion, you may sense that you have been weighed down with the burdens of religious activity and rituals which has left you with a sense of insecurity in your standing with God. So in closing I would like to encourage you to heed the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Purgatory
Sunday, January 3rd, 2010Purgatory is held as an ancient tradition but it is not substantiated according to the biblical record.
Actually the bible does not describe an intermediary state of judgment where people are further purified from their sins but instead it shows a permanent state of being after death within the context of an eternal abode or residence for both the righteous and the unrighteous.
Anyway concerning life beyond the grave the Old Testament provides a limited view of the afterlife and the concept of heaven and hell is more fully developed as a progressive revelation which is further defined according to the witness of the New Testament.
The concept of a purgatorial existence has its origins in the Apocryphal literature of the Maccabees which was not accepted as a sacred text by either the Jewish community which convened the council of Jamnia in 90 A.D. or the early church with the council of Carthage in 397A.D.
These councils were ordered to establish the divine inspiration of the scripture in contrast to the heretical teachings of pseudo religious literature.
This extra-Biblical book of the Maccabees was originally included in the Greek Septuagint and was later added to both the Orthodox and Catholic bibles but it was never considered canonical by those to whom these documents originated.
According to Paul in Romans 3:2 the Jews are the stewards of God’s words and they carried the responsibility to establish biblical authority under God’s directive in order to preserve God’s holy text and as a result this book along with the other Apocryphal literature of the intertestamental period was not included and was left at best as somewhat of a historical document.
The problem of extra biblical teaching is that it is primarily based on the traditional authority of a movement which can be misleading and with something as critical as life after death this teaching now becomes crucially important because of the eternality of ones soul.
In addition to this there has been the inclusion of rules that govern the effectiveness and degree of this supposed temporal state which again has no scriptural backing.
Also Catholicism teaches an intercessory role based on the various actions of the living and the meritorious deeds of the dead. This again has no biblical basis and it is presumptuous to say that the reciting of the mass and rosary, penance, and indulgences are a supplemental atonement to the work of Christ, Hebrews 7:25.
One example of the failure to this erroneous system was the abuse of indulgences in which people were paying their way to get a ticket to heaven by means of their monetary resources crediting to their spiritual account a monopolized attitude of getting out of jail which only served in reality towards the exploitation of others to benefit the coffers of religion.
The danger in this whole matter is the false assurance given to a system that can not be established scripturally which in turn has erroneously served as an enticing concept that falsely relieves an individual of their own moral responsibility before God in passing off their sins to others of which Christ alone has atoned for.
So in conclusion should we place our confidence in the authority of the word of God or the hierarchy of a religious body? I write more about Catholic tradition in another blog that I have recently posted at jesusandjews.com/wordpress/2009/12/26/catholic-tradition/
Lastly I would like to give a couple of cases from the bible which give an alternative view to Catholic tradition.
One example of someone who did not have to suffer for his venial or mortal sins is the criminal who was crucified alongside of Christ and was exonerated by Jesus at a decisive moment preceding his death in Luke 23:32-43.
Jesus told this thief that today you would be with me in Paradise and not only does this place him in proximity to Christ but it also indicates a desirous place rather than a torturous realm.
Purgatory was not mentioned here and the divine pardon was granted without further purgatorial treatment.
This example would be a clear indication of someone who according to Acts 2:21 simply called on the name of the Lord to be saved without the rigors of including the sacramental antidotes.
Also in 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 it states that as believers who experience death they will be immediately ushered into the presence of the Lord and there is no indication of another itinerant habitation.
Finally there is a judgment seat for believers as indicated in the scriptures but it is of a different nature than what is prescribed by the traditions of the Catholic clergy and it can best be understand by reading the scriptural tradition versus the tradition of men.
In conclusion I hope that you would seriously consider the inscripturated text in lieu of Catholic doctrine. I pray that you will seek the counsel of the scripture and the guidance of the Holy Spirit which will lead you into all truth.
Again I desire this post to serve the purpose of challenging your heart and I pray I have not offended you in anyway and even though I have spoken of things in a critical way yet hopefully it was without a critical attitude.
In many ways I respect the devotion and sincerity of my Catholic friends but you can be sincere and still be sincerely wrong and the purpose for these blogs is to establish truth which alone can set you free.
Copyright permission from christian apologetics and research ministry “CARM”
Virgin Mary and the Saints
Tuesday, December 29th, 2009
We often think of the progenitor to be greater or equal to that of the offspring. Yet when examining the role of Mary in relationship to Jesus this is clearly not the case.
Mary was a chosen vessel who was given the privilege of supernatural birth and though honored and blessed to bring forth the Son of God she was not even considered the greatest human to ever live even though she served the unique role in birthing/mothering the Son of Man.
As representing those who were still under the old covenant law it was actually the forerunner of Jesus who was given this honorary title, namely John the Baptist and though Mary’s identity is not to be diminished John’s redemptive work would be even greater by preparing the hearts of the people to receive their Lord and Savior, Luke 7:27-28.
Also according to the biblical text some lady who desired to honor Mary called out in Luke 11: 27-28 saying
“Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” and in verse 28 Jesus
28 replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
On another occasion Jesus downplayed the role of His natural mother in contrast to those to whom He would relate to as His spiritual mothers in the faith, Mt. 12:46-50.
46 While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”a
48 He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Mary has also been mistakenly identified as a perpetual virgin when on many occasions the scriptures make reference to her having both sons and daughters in Mt 12:46-47, John 2:12, John 7:3-10, and Mt. 13:55-56.
55 “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56 Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”
The Catholic’s position on Mary states that she is without sin which is unbiblical and can not be substantiated by the scriptures, 1 John 1:8-10 and Romans 3:23.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
In addition to this, Catholics have taken the position in recognizing papal infallibility which interestingly enough Catholicism for the first 1500 years had not done until the 1800’s under Vatican 1.
Yet biblically speaking Jesus is the only one to whom the scriptures point to as being morally perfected without sin, Hebrews 4:15.
As a result of Catholic tradition, which attributes sinlessness to Mary, it was believed that she was directly translated to heaven without tasting death and there were only a couple of instances in the bible where this had taken place which included the persons of Enoch and Elijah and therefore there is no mention of Mary’s ascension to heaven in the scripture.
Another issue as related to Mary’s role within Catholicism has extended beyond the boundaries of biblical authority by stating her position as a mediator between man and God which includes the forgiveness of sins and yet in 1 Timothy 2:5 it states
5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
In Hebrews 7:25 Jesus serves as our intercessor and these functions have not been extended to others under the New Covenant which includes the likes of Mary or the Saints. The scriptures protest to this position.
In summary the biblical text gives a high view of Mary yet with limits and to give her this kind of status puts her on a spiritual plane that is directly in line with Godhood. This is a position that neither the scripture nor the early church adopted during the first 400 years of its history.
So if Mary was a foundational component or such an important figure then why is she only mentioned only once outside of the gospel accounts?
Also something else that Catholicism has put allot of stock in is its heroes of the faith. I believe that these people are symbolic in that their stories are inspirational as leading exemplary lives that were submitted to the will of God sacrificially but when they are embellished and exalted with mythical components then they begin to diminish the “One” to whom alone is to be given glory.
God is a jealous God and he will not share his glory with another, Isaiah 42:8.
This concept is one of the first restrictions God gave in his commandments in prohibiting the making of idols or images to be worshipped, Exodus 20: 1-5.
God knows how easily mankind can be deceived and drawn away to seek a mere physical representation over the reality of the unseen God. Even the children of Israel out of a need for religious expression made a golden calf as recorded in Exodus 32, Romans 1:21-23.
After all God had done for them in delivering them from Egypt and then making a covenant with them as a great nation under God they still rebelled anyway in exchanging the glory of God for an inferior image of the creation over the creator.
Is this the same dilemma that is being repeated today within Catholicism after God has bought us out of the slavery of sin by giving us a new covenant in making us His children and heirs of His promises that now we should neglect so great of salvation by substituting the glory of God for the image of religion based upon the parading of statues, embracing of relics, wearing and adornment of iconic medallions like charms, and the exaltation of mere mortals as demigods.
If this is the case then Catholicism is no different then the devotees that you see in other religions or cults who have this same type of behavior .
Today we see this same phenomena even beyond the boundaries of religion such as when it comes to the personalities and events in conjunction with the cultural venues of society as related to music, art, cinema, sports, academia, etc,etc. We have a tendency without even knowing it sometimes to elevate people and things beyond their inherent worth or value.
We even see some New Testament examples of this when Paul and Barnabas after healing a man in Lystra was given the status of being gods and were worshipped Acts 14:8-18 and even the Apostle John was tempted to worship an angel in the book of Revelation, Rev. 19:10.
The church is to be in the world and not of it and this very ideal was even communicated to the Israelite community not to be like the other nations around them in the making of unsanctioned images or idols of which they did anyway by fabricating altars, Asherah poles, sacred stones, images, and even golden ephods Exodus 34:10-17. This behavior was repeated throughout the entire course of the Old Testament and eventually it led Israel into exile and the Diaspora.
Though God commanded the building of the temple and all of it fixtures he never intended for the temple to be the object of their affection nor was it to be a place for idolatry and yet this was the very sin which they committed in Ezekiel 8.
Sometimes religion forgets that it isn’t the institution but it is the God of the institution that is to be worshipped and honored.
In conclusion when I visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem I saw something that greatly disturbed me. On the positive side I saw people who perhaps were touching and visualizing out of devotion the only tangible and visible evidence that connected them with the person of their faith. Yet on the other aspect of what I saw were people prostrating themselves on these objects in an obscene kind of passion that appeared sacrilegious. Honestly, only God knows these peoples hearts and my challenge to you is where is your heart? Is it based firmly in the person and work of Christ or does it have cultish trappings of devotion to a society of religious rules and practices.
Lastly, I would not purposely write these things just for the sake of being confrontational or to hurt my dear Catholic friends. I realize there are people in the Catholic religion that are really born again and this post that I wrote here does not directly apply to them.
Also I can say all this stuff because at one time I too had a form of godliness and denied the power and the reality of God in my own life, 2 timothy 3:5.
I was simply going through the motions without any change of heart and therefore I would encourage you to read my blog on “born again” to see whether or not this is your true spiritual state of being.
jesusandjews.com/wordpress/2009/12/20/born-again/
Again I pray that I have not just offended you by my words and I hope you see it as a positive challenge to affirm the matter of “Truth” which as Christians we are committed and encouraged to pursue.
THE FACTS ON THE ROMAN CATHOLICISM
Copyright © 1993/2009 by The John Ankerberg Theological Research Institute
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
Used by Permission
Catholic Tradition
Saturday, December 26th, 2009When discussing the concepts of church tradition and scriptural authority there should be a sense of harmony with one another without contradiction. Church tradition should reflect the bible without conflict and scriptural authority should be the foundational cornerstone of the church body which regulates the traditional aspects of church government as it applies to the rules of conduct as outlined in its laws, commands, and ordinances.
Also God’s word is given a high view as based on the biblical text and it is considered inspired by God who is the supreme authority and therefore it can not be revoked or compromised regarding it’s standards for belief and practice.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
In addition to that the scripture was not to be altered by either adding or subtracting from its contents. Deuteronomy 4:2 2 Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.
Restructuring God’s word can be easily done by applying man made religious rules to the content of the bible in a synchronistic fashion. This concept of a tradition based religion was already being formulated during the time of Jesus and would later be fully developed into the religion of Rabbinic Judaism. It was this diluting and distortion by a counterfeit religious system which Jesus challenged and abhorred.
This same danger still exists to this day as there are various cults and religious institutions which hold to variant views as related to biblical doctrine and teaching.
In Isaiah 29:13 the prophet speaks of people giving lip service to God but was not serving Him with their hearts and instead they were substituting a form of worship through their rules and the traditions of men. This is reiterated by Jesus and applied to the religious leaders of his day in Mark 7:6-7.
The religious leaders had gone so far that they had nullified and changed the scriptural authority for the sake of their tradition Mark 7:8-13.
My concern regarding this blog is that the majority of Roman Catholic priests look primarily to their organization as a means of authority in defining its boundaries for belief and practice instead of the bible. This can be dangerous especially if there is a divergence between these two sources.
I believe that there have already been some provable fallacies which have already been witnessed through the institution of Catholicism with such majors as the horrors of the Inquisition and the Crusades which promoted violence in opposition to the clear teachings of Christ or minors such as the opposition to the Copernican revolution of which Catholic doctrine was clearly mistaken. It is quite obvious that Catholicism and its leaders are not always infallible and as a result individuals are responsible for discernment when it comes to spiritual matters as related to biblical truth.
In 2 Timothy 2:15 Paul encourages Timothy to do his best to present himself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
Even the council of Vatican 2 encouraged people to read their bibles but the problem can still be that Catholicism retains the right to interpret its proper meaning which can bring you back to square one. In spite of this the Holy Spirit can guide you into all essential truth even without the help of a teacher 1 John 2:27.
Now concerning the belief of proper doctrine the bible warns us against false teachers.
So how are these false teachers to be identified or recognized? Would it be through the standard of institutionalized tradition or the word of God as recorded in the biblical text?
2 Peter 1:20- 2:2 relates that the prophecy of scripture has its origin in the Holy Spirit which is contrasted to the destructive heresies that were propagated by the false teachers in 2 Peter 2:1 who were bringing the truth into disrepute in verse 2.
These false teachers were labeled as such because they misrepresented scriptural authority which was to be the litmus test for biblical orthodoxy versus a made up tradition.
Also the only way that a counterfeit could be accurately detected was that it has to be referenced against a standard or a point of reference which is the function of the biblical text.
Therefore the bible carries the final ruling on spiritual matters and anything that is contradictory or contrary to these biblical claims was deemed false and to be avoided.
So finally christian worship is based on the scripture rather than the sole authority of the church.
Again the bible is not a transitory or a supplemental book nor is it lacking content as if there is a need to change or add to its revelation because its inscription transcends time for all generations.
Jesus refers to the revelation as given under the Old Testament economy in Matthew 5:17-18 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
Also Jesus as the personified Word and the hallmark of New Testament truth states in Matthew 24:35 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
So in conclusion how can we diminish the importance and the authority of the scripture which even the author and finisher of the christian faith wouldn’t even do.
Lastly in Luke 6:46-49 it says 46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”
THE FACTS ON THE ROMAN CATHOLICISM
Copyright © 1993/2009 by The John Ankerberg Theological Research Institute
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
Used by Permission
Born Again
Sunday, December 20th, 2009You must be born again. These are the very words that were uttered by Jesus to Nicodemus in John 3 and it was a requirement for entrance into the kingdom of God. John 3:3 3 In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.a”
My concern in this blog is in the confirmation of this spiritual transaction which is observable based on the empirical evidence of experiential knowledge.
The word “Born Again” is also translated “Born from Above” and in John 3:8 this concept is further defined as one who is born of the Spirit. This Spirit birth would be visibly portrayed through the characteristics of God’s power which can be identified through the means of renewal and regeneration. This reality is the very “Touchstone” of the faith or the proof to an individuals spiritual identify which is represented by a new nature.
So from a practical viewpoint what might this represent or look like? How is it identifiable? We see glimpses of this from under the prophetic lens of the Old Testament prophets who foresaw these things. For God does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets, Amos 3:7.
The OT concept of this process can be seen through such passages as Ezekiel 11:19-21, 36: 25-27 which describes God putting the “Spirit” in men which in turn manifests itself as an undivided heart by displacing the heart of stone with a heart of flesh which consequently results through the inhabitation of the “Spirit” enabling the individual to uphold God’s law.
In Deuteronomy 30:6 God is the “Mohel” or the one who circumcises the heart not through the outward covenantal sign of marking the flesh which is done by human hands but rather He cuts deeper affecting the very immaterial part of a persons being.
The former covenant of circumcision served as a foreshadow to the reality of a circumcised heart. One is a precursor while the other is the main event which would find its fulfillment under the New Covenant promise.
This is explained by the prophet Jeremiah in 31:31-33 where God, as the initiator, will put His laws in their minds and write them on their hearts which is in contrast to that of the outward ritual of lawful observance.
The New Testament is a continuum to this redemptive theme finding its ultimate reality in those who would be classified as authentic believers.
So what is the evidence that the “Spirit” is a living reality in a person’s life and that this “Spirit” birth has taken place?
This spiritual birth is much like a natural birth in that it is a traumatic event in which a person breaks through into a new dimension of gaining entry into eternal life apart from the natural life in which we were given through paternal birth.
The natural birth is a necessary occurrence but it is inferior to the surpassing greatness and superiority of this supernatural birth of being “Born from Above.”
Being “Born of God” as stated in the epistle of John depicts this new birth which designates and ordains us as children of the light which is a paradigm shift from that which is described or attributed to those who are classified as the children of darkness.
When new birth has taken place it is an understood event that is clearly noticeable and unavoidable.
We don’t need to depend upon others and their institutions or doctrinal formulas and traditions to establish this reality which is self evident and can not be argued against.
When a new birth takes place the burden of the proof is clearly identifiable because the child of God bears the image or likeness of his progenitor, 2 Corinthians 3:18.
The scripture testifies in Romans 8:16 that 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
In other words we don’t have to rely upon the testimony of a religious body to confirm us regarding our status with God because the inner witness of the Holy Spirit is final and conclusive.
New birth isn’t a matter of guessing whether or not we have been impacted by it because it is such a noticeable occurrence that it beckons for the attention of all.
It is often compared to the luminary essence of revelatory light which cannot be hidden against the backdrop of darkness in an evil society, Matthew 5:14-16.
Also this new nature is indifferent and hostile to the nature that we were innately born with as a part of original sin.
The bibles describes those born of the “Spirit” as being a “New Creation” which stands opposed to that of the “Old Creation” as in 2 corinthians 5:17 and Galatians 6:15.
Romans 8:1-17 contrasts the Spirit controlled life to that of the sinful mind and nature. Each nature is combative towards the other because the sinful nature has a mindset that is loyal to itself which wages war against the will of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:16-26 shows a comparison between these two natures depicting their fruitfulness or fruitlessness. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 we see the outcome of regeneration and sanctification that has taken place through the Spirit of God in bringing forth this new birth.
On a personal note I became “Born Again” over 20 years ago and as a result I no longer thought, acted, or behaved exactly the same again. My heart was turned towards pleasing God rather than catering to the service of selfishness or self absorption. The course of my life was abruptly changed literally overnight and from that moment on I progressively walked with God.
Before I became born again I couldn’t resist sinful tendencies nor was their any desire to do so but now my attention is more toward an attitude of loving God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength.
I had been addicted to many things from nicotine to pornography and when the Spirit entered my life through this new birth he immediately begin to wash me on the inside and for the first time I felt clean. I received such refreshment from the Lord that I have never been the same sense.
This is my ongoing testimony and nobody can deny me the reality of this impact that was so vividly and graphically dynamic.
By stating all of this I am not taking this opportunity to boast over anything I have merited or accomplished through some type of works oriented program but rather I boast in the Lord who by the strength of His own divine initiative and intervention mercifully came to save my life Ephesians 2:1-10 .
Finally I would just like to leave you with one last thought regarding the words of Jesus who understood that a persons character or produce indicates the nature of the tree. Based on His analogy there are only two kinds of trees which are described as either good or bad.
In retrospect to this concept what fruit is characteristic of your life? Remember don’t compare your apples to someone else’s but rather allow the bible to be your fruit inspector, Matthew 12:33, Hebrews 4:12,13.
My challenge to you is that you take the opportunity based on the leading of the scripture to examine your life and test yourself to see whether or not you are in the faith, 2 Corinthians 13:5.
Lastly I am giving you a link to a short and concise post on “How to have a relationship with God” which is simplistically foundational in scope regarding salvation and new birth.
Also the image that is portrayed on this link is a visual aid to what I have tried to describe to you verbally concerning being “Born Again”.