What Does “Born of Water” Mean?

–See John 3:1-12

I. A WRONG THEORY: Some teach it is being immersed in water baptism. WHY THIS ISN’T TRUE?:
(1.) Because baptism isn’t under consideration in this scripture. Nothing indicates that baptism was being discussed.
(2.) If baptism was implied, then Jesus contradicted himself by putting salvation upon the basis of faith, John 3:16,18,36.
(3.) To assume that baptism is being set forth as the way into salvation, is to deny that salvation is “by grace through faith…not of works” Ephesians 2:8-9
(4.) To say baptism is here presented to be essential to salvation, is to make the New Testament teach two ways of salvation. For certainly the thief on the cross was not immersed. Cornelius was saved before he was baptized. These cases bear out that salvation precedes baptism. Those who teach baptismal regeneration are saying that Christ and His work must be added to with water and works. But salvation is not by “waterworks”.

II. ANOTHER THEORY: The idea here is that water is a symbol of the Word of God. This would make the passage read, “except one be born of the Spirit and the Word”. But we do not believe this to be what the passage is saying. Why?:
(1.) Because we believe if Jesus had meant the “Word” (or baptism), He would have said so plainly.
(2.) Because they were not talking about the Word.
(3.) Because such a conclusion requires that one go outside this scripture for the key to its meaning, whereas we believe the key to the passage is right in the passage itself.

III. WHAT WE BELIEVE TO BE THE CORRECT MEANING: We believe that a person must be born of the flesh (naturally) and of the Spirit (supernaturally) in order to enter the Kingdom of God; that the spiritual birth is just as real in producing spiritual life, as the physical birth is in producing physical life.
(1.) It is a stated fact that one must be born twice to enter God’s Kingdom.
(2.) In the very next breath, Jesus makes plain that He is speaking of two births (whereas baptism pictures death, burial, and resurrection, NOT birth), the two births being of the flesh and of the spirit. For He says, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” He clearly gives His own explanation as to what He meant.
(3.) Because the point of confusion in Nicodemus’ mind was the matter of contrasting births, John 3:4. Jesus had to say to him in substance, that the new birth was distinctly in addition to the physical birth, a spiritual birth into spiritual life, that which the physical birth did not provide.
(4.) Any physician can confirm the natural birth to truly be a “water birth”.
(5.) We believe that the obvious and simple meaning is in this case, as generally, the true meaning.

–Edited and copied from Grace and Life

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Forget Not The Exhortation

“My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him.” Hebrews 12:5b

To be rebuked for sin, or chastened for it, or both, is the matter of God loving His children, Hebrews 12:6. This is understood in the physical parent-child relationship, Hebrews 12:9.

As children grow up, they are endeared to parents for training and discipline that developed right thinking and conduct. As God’s children mature spiritually, they, too, appreciate this process God uses for their spiritual success, Hebrews 12:10-11.

God uses His local New Testament Church ministry to reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine, through the uncompromising preaching of all scripture as the means for reproving and correcting, 2 Timothy 3:16-4:2.

Carnal thinking repudiates the use of sound doctrine for either the message or the method of the ministry, since it disagrees with the preferences of man’s carnal nature, 2 Timothy 4:3-4.

When and where the objective is to fight the good fight of faith, rather than be overcome by sin and Satan, then God’s Word must be sounded out that sin might appear sin…that sin by the commandment of God might become exceeding sinful, Romans 7:13.

Sin never reveals itself to be sin, but requires the exposing power of God’s Word to unmask it, Hebrews 3:13, lest we be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. To not expose sin, results in man’s willful darkening of his understanding regarding sin. Should sin not be exposed as being offensive to, and at enmity with God, man will then become accustomed to viewing sin as being an acceptable way of life.

The awful result of sin not being reproved unto appearing sinful, is that it obscures God from being recognized by the sinner. It took the message from Nathan the prophet (2 Samuel 12) to jar King David’s awareness of his sin against God. This conviction led him unto repentance and reconciliation with God.

Beware of the acceptance of sin: “…and sin when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren.” James 1:15b-16

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What Is A New Testament Church About?

1. It is about having a God given position, 1 Corinthians 12:18.
2. It is about doing what we do for God, rather than for ourselves, Ephesians 3:21.
3. It is about loving others for the reasons Christ loves us, John 13:34.
4. It is not about position, but rather about service, Psalm 84:10 “…I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God…”.
5. It is about doing things for God’s work without telling others about it, Matthew 6:3-4.
6. It is about being slow to take offense, but always seeking reconciliation.
7. It is about trust and staying “on board”; knowing that with God, all things are possible.
8. It is about looking beyond faults, to minister to the need.
9. It is about taking responsibility, rather than letting the burden fall on someone else.
10. It is about not quitting, but keeping on–knowing your labor is never in vain.
11. It is about confessing our faults one to another, rather than being given to criticizing the faults of others.
12. It is about empathizing–putting yourself in the other person’s shoes; where they are at, not where you judge they should be.
13. It is about keeping a good conscience with both God and man, knowing that God will uphold you for your faithfulness.
14. It is about starting again when others are quitting; it is about singing when others are grumbling; it is about find a way, when others are making excuses.
15. It is about getting up after you have fallen; it is about always coming back after you have strayed away.
16. It is about wanting to be an encouragement to others, by the things we do and say.
17. It is about wanting to be found faithful when Jesus comes again.

About our discouragements, our negative thoughts: let them be a testimony of how much we need God’s vision in doing God’s work.

About the changes we see in people: let it remind us of how much we need to “turn our eyes upon Jesus”, who changes not.

About the continuance in the church fellowship: it is about the TRIUMPH of the tie that binds us together–the love of God, which is shed abroad in our hearts by His Holy Spirit, which is given us in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The blessing is when we are about what the church is about.

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Your Body

“Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” 1 Corinthians 6:15a,19,20

If taking care of one’s body is good for everybody, it is doubly good for a Christian. Not only for health reasons, but also for spiritual profit rather than loss.

Good bodies are indispensable. Even courtesy reflects this, with exchanges such as, “How are you?”, “Take it easy”, “Don’t work too hard”, etc. Legally, it is a criminal act to endanger or inflict injury or loss to another’s body.

God makes two points for us to consider when commanding us to do right by our bodies:
1. They are to be cared for as God’s temple should be. We are to present them to God as best kept as we can for Him to live in and work through.
2. They are to be maintained as a possession that God has purchased to bring glory and honor unto Him. We are to treat them as we would respect anything that belongs to God.

Everywhere, we can see how that by sin, people abuse their bodies. Sin is against one’s own body. It ravages the body. A ravaged body is a depression and bitterness unto one’s mental and spiritual state. The Bible teaches total abstinence from alcoholic beverages, plus warns about the guilt of trafficking in the trade of making it possible for others to get it and use it.

It is a known fact that tobacco use is very detrimental to one’s health. Some argue that God created tobacco plants, marijuana plants, etc., and use this as justification for smoking the stuff. But God also created other plants that are poisonous and gave man the good sense to know he shouldn’t eat something that will kill him.

Drug abuse is a major, out of control, malignant habit that is ruining masses today. The business of drug trafficking is one of the most violent and corrupt existing today. It draws the hard core criminals. It caters to lust and greed. It enslaves through its chemical dependency.

Bodies become chemically dependent by subjecting them to chemical controls. A Christian may abhor drug usage and pushers, and yet at the same time, give themselves to unnecessary use of drugs to make them sleep, pep themselves up, and keep themselves going, so they live beyond the normal limits of what their bodies will allow. To force our bodies by chemicals to go beyond their limits, is to be chemically abusing our bodies.

Remember, Godliness is the best care for your body’s well being.

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Human Reactions

“Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off thou shalt see it.” Psalm 37:34

Perhaps the most difficult task facing Christians, is to wait upon the Lord. Technically, it should be the easiest part of Christianity, i.e., “let the Lord handle it”. But in reality, man is driven by his own feelings and frustrations, to the point where the hardest thing we face many times, is to keep ourselves from taking matters into our own hands.

Why did man invent religious conventions, associations, and other organizations not found in the scriptures? Because man just cannot wait upon God. He thinks he has to do it in a bigger and better way than God’s will and way allows. People get so pumped up in themselves and that which is of man that they equate it to be by spiritual revelation and power, even though it is unscriptural.

Many a servant of God has sidestepped his or her calling simply because they could not wait upon God! They just had to do something about their situation themselves. I have taken things into my own hands before, because I was so stirred up by the situation at hand, that I felt I had to do something or bust!

Serving the Lord is not an easy thing. It involves continuing on when everything says quit. It demands enthusiasm in spite of only discouraging results. It requires doing it again even though the last time we did it, all seemed to no avail. It requires the continued investment of our time and talent into that which appears only to be unsuccessful.

Sometimes our human energies and driving forces work so hard within us that we despair of waiting upon the Lord and start reacting on our own. I believe this to be the tap root of much of the “religious zeal” we see expressing itself today.

A person can become so repressed in spirit by the difficulty of waiting upon God, that they have a reaction unto becoming a self-proclaimed zealot. They denounce the Lord’s church as it is, and blame it for the condition of society. They vigorously proclaim their brand of spiritualism as being the idealistic “fire power” of Christianity. They use a strong, dominant personality to draw followers, who find approval by being a donor and supporter of the cause of their superiors. They intimidate those who do not rally behind them and support their recommendations.

Rather than have reactions to the frustrations involved in doing God’s work God’s way, we need to seek greater humility and self-denial to keep on keeping on, God’s way. Rather than fault the Lord’s work, we need to wait on God in doing His work, His way.

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