“Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, 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. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-57 KJV.
The Resurrection of the Just at the Second Coming of Christ has many similarities with baptism and becoming born again. In this article, we will explore what being born again has to do with the Resurrection.
In our article: "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, you will be raised in the Resurrection", we showed from the Bible that if you have the Holy Spirit in you when you die, you will be raised in the resurrection and gain eternal life. The conclusions we came to in that article may appear to be incredible to some, but the Bible is very clear on that.
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, you will be raised in the resurrection:
“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:11 NASB.
“It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him; If we endure, we shall also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” 2 Timothy 2:11-13 NASB.
"Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.’” John 3:3-6 NASB.
Paul declared: You must die with Jesus, you must be raised with Him, you must live with Him, and you must endure with Him - if you will reign with Him. – Reigning with Him is eternal life! If you deny Him, He will deny you.
“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 KJV. “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NASB.
When you are born again the Holy Spirit dwells in you.
Since Jesus declared that all who wish to be saved must be born again to be saved, shouldn’t you know how to be born again? And shouldn’t you be born again? Does the Bible say what it means to be born again and the kind of fruit you should bear? You bet it does. Jesus declared you shall know them by their fruits: A good tree does not bear bad fruit, a good tree produces good fruit. Matthew 7:16-20.
Those who consistently bear bad fruit are not born again. Those who are born again have the fruits of the Spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Galatians 5:22-24. You are born again if you have the Fruits of the Spirit, and do not practice the Deeds of the Flesh. Those who are born again love the Lord their God with all their mind, all their heart, and all their strength and love their neighbor as themselves. Matthew 22:36-39. Those who are not born again are not able to truly have the fruits of the Spirit. Those who are not born again cannot be good. Those who are not born again cannot and will not obey God. (Though they might claim that they do.) Those who are not born again do not have Spiritual life. Those who are not born again set their mind on the flesh. “** the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” Romans 8:7-8 NASB.
You become free through Jesus alone, but only if you continue in His word. John 8:31-32. If you have been made free and are born again you will not be living in the flesh or practicing the deeds of the flesh (or without apology). “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.” Galatians 5:16-17 NASB. If you live in the flesh you will die. Romans 8:13. But if you walk in the Spirit you will have life and peace. Romans 8:6.
“But you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Any one who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him.” Romans 8:9 RSV. ‘*** Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.’ Romans 8:9 KJV.
Someone who does not have the Spirit of Christ is not born again and does not belong to Jesus.
- Even though you may have sore, vexing trials and tribulations. - Even though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you will fear no evil – for Jesus will be with you – His rod and staff they comfort you. Psalms 23:4. If you are born again, no one will have to tell you, because your life will be so sweet with the love of God.
If you are truly born again, no one will be able to hold you back or keep you from serving the Lord, or helping others in whatever way God has enabled you to do.
If you are born again, you will be begging God for a way to serve Him and praying for this every day, until He gives you your heart’s desire - to be able to serve Him! When you are truly born again, like the prophet Isaiah you will say, ‘Here am I, Lord send me.’ Isaiah 6:8. “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.” John 3:34 NASB. If you wish to receive God’s Spirit without measure and are willing, God will send you to speak ‘the words of God’ – this is His promise to you.
"Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." Galatians 5:9-21 NASB.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." Galatians 5:22-24.
“Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Matthew 7:16-20 KJV.
Who loves Him more than anything and everything, who loves their neighbor as themselves, and has the fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control), who is born again and filled with the Holy Spirit and overcomes the world?
It is the privilege of every Christian to have this – it is ‘the promise of the Father.’ Acts 1:4.
Being born again helps you to be faithful, loving and kind; it helps you live a holy life for God, rendering obedience to Him and being Spirit filled.
There have been many lukewarm sermons dwelling only on we are saved by grace, with no mention of the need for true conversion. So many lukewarm sermons have been preached, puffing up peoples pride that if they believe the truth - they will be saved (the need to be giving our heart to God completely is kept out of sight). And legalistic sermons. Don’t get me started on this. But when you examine many of them you will see hypocrisy. Real faith, real love and real righteousness appear to be a rare thing. There is great ignorance of what the gospel really means in its fullness. It is clear that many are not fully born again if at all.
Some may think that we are preaching salvation by works here, but ‘tis not true! We want to find perfect harmony in the Bible. We do not accept using the Bible against itself. The entire Bible is the word of God, written by men moved by the power of the Holy Spirit, and is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness, as Peter and Paul declared. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NASB; 2 Peter 1:21. We are trying to show teachings from the Bible that many people may not have considered, because they have been taken down one train of thought by their teachers. There is a wonderful beauty, wholesomeness and power in the Bible if it is taken all together and believed! It makes more sense! Cherry picking parts of the Bible, while omitting the other precious important portions causes a mass of confusion, contradictions and error.
Self-righteousness is trying to save yourself by your own power, never by the power of God. The self-righteous person has no power from God to live a righteous life, because their religion is a man-made religion. What we want is the true religion of the Bible. It is impossible to save one’s self by the power of the Holy Spirit – impossible! - As we have shown in previous articles. The self-righteous person is not born again and does not have the infilling of the Holy Spirit – because they are self–righteous. They have only their righteousness – which is filthy rags. Isaiah 64:6. It is better to be God–righteous – filled with the Holy Spirit. Because if someone has the Holy Spirit, they are not saving themselves by themselves, they are being saved by God! It is useless to try to separate being saved from the gift of the Holy Spirit. You have to cooperate with God if you wish to have and keep the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit is given to those who obey God. Acts 5:32. Many teachers, who preach salvation is the gift of God (which is true), fail to mention that you must be born again to be saved (being filled with the Holy Spirit). Many fail to mention that you need the change of heart that the Bible declares you must have, and that salvation is only of grace. But if the teaching that we are saved by grace is not paired up with ‘you must be born again’ (John 3:3, 5) it is made to contradict the truth (by omission) in the minds of many.
No one can be filled with the Holy Spirit by themselves. When someone is born again, this is only through the power of God. What you need is ‘the power of God unto salvation.’ Romans 1:16. When you are born again, you will have this ‘power of God unto salvation’, if you die daily and keep your connection to God alive. Jesus declared that you are to be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect and that He can free you from the bondage of sin. So there must be a way to do that… A lot of people take part of the Bible but not all of it, and filter out anything they think contradicts the “truth” they hold with other parts of the Bible. But let’s try to understand the Bible - don’t discard any of it! Keep reading this article for what we are trying to present until you see the full truth – and it should be more-clear that we are not presenting self-righteousness as the means of salvation.
So where does that leave most people? What hope do many have of being saved?
So this leads to the question:
How can someone be saved after they die, if their life clearly showed that they were not born again?
Can someone be saved if they have only had a partially born again experience with God, with some backsliding?
When you fully study the Bible definition of what being born again is, and what the new birth experience really is - it may be discouraging to you, because the bar for being born again is very high... It is very high indeed! No human being has ever reached it by themselves. And no one ever will apart from God. Many people haven’t thought of it this way – the way the Bible actually teaches it. Many think that the Bible doesn’t mean exactly what it says – it must mean something else; that these statements by Jesus and others that we are presenting to you must not be taken literally or they haven’t thought about this very much. (Maybe this teaching we are presenting here of what it really means to be born again never entered their mind?) Many people preach sermons without the life and power of God in it - they either teach a harsh and grim picture about God, or they preach sermons making people think that they are good, since they know and believe the truth, or they preach a watered down gospel with little power and life, or something along these lines. Very few are preaching the full wonderful truth of the Bible of 'the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.' Romans 1:16 KJV.
No one who abides in Jesus sins (1 John 3:6) - but many people think that this is not true. But what did Jesus say? "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Matthew 5:48 KJV. But there is no one who is good but God alone. So if you want to be good, you must get this from God alone. "And he [Jesus] said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." Matthew 19:17 KJV.
“We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.” 1 John 5:18 KJV.
This is a problem indeed. But this will be resolvable once you consider other portions of the Bible.
We are hoping that you are not comfortable now, unless you have made your peace with God. If you are right with God, praise the Lord! We don't want to tell you everything is fine, while you continue on your downward slide, if that is the case. Spiritual blindness is a common problem - the enemy blinds the eyes of as many of God's people as possible - into thinking that they are secure in their Heavenly salvation. The evil one is trying to snuff out my spiritual life too.
Paul clearly states that “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 NASB. So being born again is within your reach, if you will let Jesus strengthen you. Let's think about what the Bible says and not try to believe something that contradicts it. If something isn't clear think about it and pray about it - don't just write it off. Don't allow some preacher to tell you what it says and what it means contrary to sound reasoning. We are trying to present you vital truths here, but it's a question you're going to have to answer for yourself: Whether you are saved by grace or whether you must be born again or both to be saved? And that the bar for being born again is infinitely higher than any human being can ever reach apart from God. But God requires all to be born again before they can enter the kingdom of heaven, as Jesus declared in John 3:3, 5. Being born again is not business as usual - the way things are normally done. It is a complete supernatural change. And if you wish to have this change you will need to give yourself to God all-the-way. We're going to present you the love and mercy of God - to try to help you understand this more fully. We are still trying to work out the full mystery of this ourselves. But we know that both of these lines of thought are true and neither one exclude the other. We don't think that there is any error in believing either of these because they're both taught in the Bible. We don't want to use one truth of the Bible to cross out or put down or filter out any other Bible truths.
Jesus declared that you must be born again to be able to see or enter the kingdom of Heaven. John 3:3, 5. Many people claim they are born again. But ye shall know them by their fruits – if they have “thistles” or bear bad fruit from God they may not be born again, if at all. While many claim that they are born again, Jesus declares: “Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'” Matthew 7:21-23 NASB. Lest anyone think that this doesn’t apply to them – it is not or never the will of the Father that anyone ever sin! And Jesus plainly declared that only those who do the will of the Father will enter Heaven! It is not your claim of being born again that will save you – it is allowing God to help you be born again that will save you. The proof is in the pudding. The proof as to whether you are born again - is if you do the will of the Father as Jesus plainly declared. Those who consistently do not do the will of the Father are not born again and will not enter Heaven. Only those who are born again from above have the power to obey God and do His will. All else need not apply. The bar to being saved is high indeed!
When you first gave your heart to the Lord, the Holy Spirit was bringing about a change in your heart. Did you backslide or put off doing anything God asked you to do? Have you lost your first love for Jesus or become lukewarm?
The Apostle Paul wrote, “That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:12-14 KJV. “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30 NASB. It’s your choice how much you love God and how much you want to do for Him. It’s your choice how much time you spend with Him. Some people fall in love with God, and delight in spending much time with Him, and reap enormous benefits, while others are content with a meager experience with Him.
Jesus declared, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6 KJV.
Dear reader, do you hunger and thirst after righteousness? Do you hunger and thirst after God? “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for Thee, O God.” Psalm 42:1 NASB. If you do He will satisfy your thirst. If you do this you will be filled! “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” John 7:37-39 KJV.
If you did not keep that born again experience that you once had when you first gave your heart to God, or let it grow dim, you can get it back again. There may be an ebb and flow to your walk with God. Some lose part of what they had with God or lose all of it. Some become lukewarm, sometimes in touch with God - sometimes not. These people need to give their heart back to God again. Life happens and then you die - at some point. Where are you when you die? Salvation is based on God alone. How closely you follow God does not save you, it is the power of God and grace that saves you. Genuine good works flow naturally from a heart that loves God – this is the power that the Holy Spirit of God brings. But many do not achieve that apostolic level of “born again-ness” that the apostles in the New Testament had like Peter, John and Paul, etc.
There will be a day, when God’s people will be sealed perfectly by the Holy Spirit, coming soon! We don’t want to prove this to you here, but merely introduce the idea. Jesus declared in Revelation: “And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.” Revelation 22:10-15 KJV. Since Paul declares that through the Holy Spirit you are sealed for the day of redemption, this is how you would be sealed so that you would never sin any more, when Jesus makes that pronouncement, ‘he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.’ Therefore it remains for some to be fully born again - sealed for the day of redemption - coming very soon! Are you ready for it? You can start to be sealed for the day of redemption now, if you would give yourself to God all-the-way. What do you have to lose? Why wait? Why not yield to Him right now and receive all the benefits of being born again? – to receive new life from Him and get the power to be a better person?
They believed in the merits of our precious Savior Jesus, and His death for their sins, which is the requirement for eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 KJV. Faith in Jesus as your savior is the requirement for eternal life. You must believe that God loves you and wants to save you. The promise here is that if you believe in Jesus and His Father you will have eternal life. Your salvation is solely the gift of grace. God will decide the destiny of all who have claimed to believe in Jesus, whether they will have eternal life or not. But all will have the relationship with God that they want; some want more than others.
Yes it can be that way. But in the days of the book of Acts it was almost instantly or within a day (although God may have been working on their heart for many years).
We don’t know the answer to this question. How long does it take for you to completely give your heart to God, no turning back? How long does it take for you to want to obey God? How long does it take for you to ask God to help you obey Him? How long does it take for you to stop resisting God and stop putting off everything He’s asked you to do? For many this takes their lifetime. But it doesn’t have to take your whole lifetime! If you would just yield to Him now all-the-way, and give yourself to Him now all-the-way, you can have this now!
Jesus declared, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48 KJV. How are you to be perfect? As God your heavenly Father is perfect. How perfect is God? Completely perfect. He is righteous and loving at all times. He is always just. “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Psalm 85:10 KJV. But how can I be perfect? Only through the seal of the Holy Spirit of promise, for the day of redemption, as Paul declared in Ephesians 1:13; 4:30. ‘The day of Redemption' hasn’t happened yet, because this is when Jesus comes back in the clouds with great glory to take His people home – to redeem them from this earth - to dwell with Him forever! The probation for this earth hasn’t closed yet, there is still time left to repent and become born again. But ‘the day of Redemption’ is coming soon to a theatre near you – the theatre of the last days of this earth. The end is at hand, even at the door!
Soon the probation of this world will close, but there will be a group of God’s people who will be sealed perfectly for the day of redemption as shown above.
Jesus answers this: “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26 KJV. And Paul adds to this, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13 KJV. Since Jesus declared we must be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect, there must be a way to be perfect as God is perfect. Matthew 5:48. How? Ye must be born again. John 3:3, 5.
Some people believe this is error. But the problem is that the bar to being fully born again is very high! "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." John 3:6 KJV. You can only become born again by the Holy Spirit. And only if you cooperate fully with God, no holding back. And you can only keep your born again experience if you continue to obey God. Acts 5:32. And if you are Jesus’ disciple and continue in His word. John 8:31. And if you continue to do whatsoever Jesus commands you. John 15:14. But have you always done that?
There was resistance against this concept of being able to be born again at the Resurrection from some, when we were teaching a Bible class and at other times. But the ones resisting may have figured they were born again, and that this had to be an error on our part. But if we go by the perfect Bible standard – they didn’t appear to fully manifest the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) - bearing only good fruit (Mathew 7:17-20) or “bearing much fruit” for the Father. John 15:8. But God will judge them. We have shown you above that ye must be born again to be saved. In the beginning of this article and in our previous article, we have shown how high the bar is to being born again from the scriptures! Yes, many preach that we are saved by grace, but Jesus declared that only those who are born again will see or enter the kingdom of Heaven.
John 3:3, 5 and Galatians 5:22-23 describe what being born again is and the fruits of the Spirit that every Christian should possess. Those who practice the deeds of the flesh or live in the flesh must die. Galatians 5:21; Romans 8:13.
So what gives? So are you saved by grace? Or are you only saved if you are born again? Or Both? Are they both right? (Jesus can’t be wrong.)
A person can only be born again if they yield fully to God. But what if they haven’t yielded fully to God and are still in the process of doing that before they die? Is there no hope for them? We can see the result of being born again, according to the Bible. While we don't know everything, we can tell something by the fruits. And John declared that ‘We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not.’ 1 John 5:18. But is there no hope for the saints? If you have had a problem staying born again or with backsliding what chance do you have of being saved?
Rest assured many who call themselves born again are not – not by the Bible - not by their affirmation or opinion –not by a long shot. Or not fully born again. Again Jesus declared, “Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21 NASB. This is a huge problem, because it appears that there's a very large number of Christians for maybe the last 2,000 plus years, after the last Apostle died (ca. after 100 AD) who had received the Holy Spirit in full at Pentecost, who haven't fully exhibited the criteria for being born again. So if they can't get to Heaven unless they have clearly exhibited the fruits of being born again, that would completely eliminate them from being saved! Mercy! May God have mercy on their souls! May God have mercy on your and my soul too. Rest assured, God does have mercy on your soul! Amen!
Salvation from beginning to end is the gift of God. But so is the gift of the Holy Spirit! – It’s from God – the promise of the Father. Acts 1:4. “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2 KJV. Who is the author and finisher of your faith? Jesus. The ability of being born again is the gift of God, which is to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus said that you must be born again to enter Heaven - was He referring to just Christians? Or does this include the people in the Old Testament too, or others who aren't Christians when they died as well? Jesus plainly declared that everyone must be born again to see or enter the kingdom of Heaven. This also includes all the people who lived in the Old Testament days - they have to be born again too. If this be true, there must be a way someone can be born again in the resurrection - before they enter the kingdom of heaven. But this is totally God's act of grace alone.
Some people say that in the Old Testament the Israelites or Jews were saved by keeping the law and after the New Testament days we are saved by grace or by faith. What rubbish! This is incorrect. The righteous have always been saved by faith, even in the days of the Old Testament! It is written in Habakkuk in the Old Testament: "Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him; but the righteous will live by his faith.” Habakkuk 2:4 NASB. And to Abraham it was declared, “Then he [Abraham] believed in the LORD; and He [God] reckoned it to him as righteousness.” Genesis 15:6 NASB. So did people in the Old Testament days have to be born again to be saved? Does what Jesus declared apply to the Israelites too? (Ye must be born again.) Who was Jesus talking to in John 3:3, 5? Nicodemus. Now Nicodemus was a Jew. There were no Christians at this time when Jesus spoke to Nicodemus. They were first called Christians at Antioch. ‘And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.’ Acts 11:26 KJV. All of the early Christians were ONLY Jews! The Gospel of Jesus was first preached to the Jewish Nation exclusively. All of the writers in the Bible, except Dr. Luke were Jewish or an Israelite. Read Hebrews 11: – All those who lived in the days of the Old Testament were also saved by faith, same as you and I.
But what does righteousness by faith have to do with being born again? Without going into all of the proof here, faith in God leads to becoming born again! We just shared Acts 5:32, which declares that the Holy Spirit is given to those who obey God. And when you believe that Jesus is the author and finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:2 KJV) and you believe that He can save you (John 3:16), then you will become born again. “But as many as received Him [Jesus], to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name:” John 1:12 KJV. You will become born again - If you cooperate with God, and seek after Him with your whole heart! “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD:***” Jeremiah 29:13-14 KJV. In Deuteronomy, God promised that He would circumcise the hearts of His people: “And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.” Deuteronomy 30:6 KJV. This is the same thing as ‘the promise of the Father’ in Acts 1:4 that Jesus promised to all of His disciples!
We have heard many state something like the thief on the cross was born again after he asked Jesus ‘to remember him when he came into His kingdom.’ Was the thief on the cross any better or any different than anyone else who confessed their sins and gave their heart to the Lord? People assume that because Jesus said that the thief on the cross would be with him in Paradise that he was somehow different than everyone else. But the reality is the thief on the cross represents sinners in general. We are all on the same footing as the thief on the cross. We are all a criminal against God’s law of love as the thief on the cross was. We are all in as much need of being saved as the thief on the cross was. We are all in as much need of God’s mercy as the thief on the cross was. We are all saved on the same basis. The fact that Jesus spoke to the thief on the cross and that the thief was there by Jesus when Jesus died doesn’t make the thief on the cross any better or more special than you or I. Many times people think that when they read various stories in the Bible, that since it is the Bible, the Holy Word of God, that some of the people in that book are on a more elevated status or more special than we are – that they are a “Saint”. But the truth of the matter is that the people in the Bible are the same flesh as you and I, and thus all have the same standing in the eyes of God. All we are but flesh and in need of God’s mercy and watchcare. God is no respecter of persons. Acts 10:24 KJV.
Are there different degrees of being born again? We think so. Unfortunately for many it takes awhile to become fully born again, if at all. Many have experienced at least part of being born again when they were baptized and gave their heart to the Lord, sometimes many years ago - but then something happened later, and then they back slid. They may have gotten on fire again, then back slid again and again, ad infinitum. Both Jesus and Paul make it clear that a person needs to exhibit the fruits of the Spirit and not have the bad deeds of the flesh or bear bad fruit. Anyone who is living in the flesh must die, as Paul declared. “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” Romans 8:13 KJV. Someone who is born again is not living in the flesh, but walking by the Spirit and has life and peace and has the fruits of the Spirit.
Now the thief on the cross knew that he deserved to die. "One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, 'Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!' But the other answered, and rebuking him said, 'Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.' And he was saying, 'Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!' And He said to him, 'Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.'" Luke 23:39-43 NASB. So the thief on the cross was being put to death for crimes he had committed. Matthew's account says that he was a "robber" in the NASB and a "thief" in the KJV. Now from the Bible record his life (before he was crucified beside Jesus) did not appear to bear good fruit for God, until near the last moment of his life - when he spoke up to defend Jesus and asked Jesus to remember him when He came into His kingdom. Now this hardly constitutes proof of being fully born again. We also have it from two of the gospels that he too railed against Jesus like the other rabble around the cross. "The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth." Matthew 27:44 KJV. “In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, "He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.'" The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.” Matthew 27:41-44 NASB. "'Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!' Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him." Mark 15:32 NASB. So there is a real question as to whether the thief on the cross, who asked Jesus to remember him, was fully born again, since he too had been hurling abuses at Jesus before he asked Jesus to remember him.
If the thief on the cross hadn't died, would God have asked him to make more changes – to continue down the road of repentance? It’s easy to say you have given yourself to God, until He asks you to make changes or make something right that you don’t want to do! You might put it off or not do it! If you don't spend enough time with God you might backslide. The thief on the cross didn’t live much longer after Jesus died. After his death he had no more chances to cooperate with God or disobey Him. So his salvation depended only on Jesus' assurance that he would be with Him in paradise, like it always does. So his walk with God could not have been fully mature. There has to be a way that he could be fully born again, put on immortality and become incorruptible before he enters Heaven, since Jesus promised him that he would be in paradise with Him. How would this happen? We don't speculate here as to the how, but only that it will happen - to be fully born again in the Resurrection. Had the thief been living in the flesh before he was crucified beside Jesus? By his own testimony he clearly was living in the flesh and practicing the deeds of the flesh – because he was a thief and a robber! He affirmed that he deserved to die!
We have shown in this article and in previous articles from the Bible what it means to be fully born again. Now there is no hard evidence in the Bible that the thief on the cross exhibited all the fruits of the Spirit and the other proofs that he was fully born again. How do we know he wouldn't have back slid like a lot of other people do? Well he died shortly after this and we will never know... Our salvation does not depend on our performance, it depends on Jesus - it depends on faith in Jesus. But Jesus promised him that he would be in paradise with Him! That is enough. But a lifetime of sin, that led him to be condemned and crucified as a criminal, left its mark on him. Only the grace of God can free a criminal! But we have all been a criminal against God, haven't we?
So if the thief on the cross, that wanted Jesus to remember him when He came into His kingdom, was not fully born again, how could he enter the kingdom of Heaven?
The thief on the cross is no different than everyone else - no one gets into Heaven unless they are born again.
So how could the thief on the cross be saved, unless he were born again in the Resurrection? By being born again we stipulate that you must be fully born again, and reject sin and the flesh and set your mind on the Spirit and get life and peace. Romans 8:5-11. God will not allow someone who is still sinful in their thoughts, words or actions to enter Heaven. All must be born again who enter there. “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth [nothing shall enter the New Jerusalem in Heaven that defileth], neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.” Revelation 21:27 KJV. In your sinful state God cannot allow you into Heaven! You MUST be born again of the water and of the Spirit. You must have the power of a changed life, and be loyal to God and love Him supremely and love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus declared, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48 KJV. This is a command - it’s not optional. How can you be perfect? Only through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit – only through the new birth!
We reiterate Jesus declaration here that you must be born again to be able to enter the kingdom of Heaven - born of the water and born of the Spirit. John 3:3, 5. If you live in the flesh or set your mind on the flesh you must die. But if you set your mind on the Spirit and walk with the Spirit you will have life and peace. Romans 8:6, 13. Those who practice the deeds of the flesh shall NOT inherit the kingdom of God! No Never! Galatians 5:21.
So what does God do with someone who has not fully become born again before they die? The requirement is always the same, "Ye MUST be born again, to be able to enter or see the Kingdom of Heaven." It is relentless and there is no way around it. It matters not whether someone lived in the Old Testament days or after Jesus' death on the cross - the demand is always the same - 'Ye must be born again' --- 'to be able to enter the kingdom of Heaven.'
So at the Resurrection of the just, the thief on the cross will become fully born again, the same as all of those who have died that God chose to raise from the dead at the Second Coming of Christ - the Resurrection of the Righteous, as Jesus declared in John 5:29 –This also applies to those who are translated without seeing death at the second coming. So Jesus will keep His promise to the thief on the cross - that he would be in paradise with Him – because he will become fully born again before he enters or sees the kingdom of Heaven! (As Jesus plainly declared.)
What? Why are we bringing up King Manasseh? I thought that the Gospel was just for Christians, not for the Jews in the Old Testament? Not true. Abraham, the father of faith, provides us an example: “And he [Abraham] believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” Genesis 15:6 KJV. “And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:29 KJV. The conditions for salvation have always been faith in God and complete dependence on Him.
Even in the Old Testament days, it was still necessary to get life from God; they still had to believe that He loved them to be saved. But they did not have the benefit of the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit that we have today, because Jesus had not died on the cross in their day. The full outpouring of the Holy Spirit was dependent on Jesus dying on the cross for the sins of the world. (We will not go into the proof of this here, since we have already covered this in some of our books and articles.) God provided the Holy Spirit or the Comforter for us to take Jesus' place since He went back to Heaven. For Jesus said, ‘I will not leave you as orphans... I will come to you.’ John 14:18 NASB. This was a reference to the promise of the Father to provide the Holy Spirit to Jesus' disciples and modern day disciples.
Now King Manasseh was the son of King Hezekiah. 2 Kings 20:21. King Hezekiah was a good king who sought after God. But his son Manasseh who succeeded him, was one of the most-wicked Kings of the kingdom of Judah who ever lived (the king of the southern kingdom of Israel). He was so bad… God said regarding him and the Israelite southern kingdom: “I will make them an object of horror among all the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.” Jeremiah 15:4 NASB. What did he do that was so bad? Read on.
When God is coming after a kingdom because of their sins, you can be sure their sins have piled up as high as heaven. So was King Manasseh an evil king?
“Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominable practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel. For he rebuilt the high places which his father Hezekiah had broken down, and erected altars to the Baals, and made Asherahs, and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served them. And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, "In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever." And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. And he burned his sons [made his sons pass through the fire] as an offering in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and practiced soothsaying and augury and sorcery, and dealt with mediums and with wizards [spiritists]. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger. And the image of the idol which he had made he set in the house of God, *** Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that they did more evil than the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the people of Israel.” 2 Chronicles 33:1-9 RSV. Bracketed words supplied from the NASB.
Now from the parallel passage: “But they [the children of the southern kingdom of Israel] did not listen, and Manasseh seduced them to do evil more than the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the sons of Israel. Now the LORD spoke through His servants the prophets, saying, "Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations, having done wickedly more than all the Amorites did who were before him, and has also made Judah sin with his idols; therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Behold, I am bringing such calamity on Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle. I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. 'I will abandon the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies, and they will become as plunder and spoil to all their enemies; because they have done evil in My sight, and have been provoking Me to anger since the day their fathers came from Egypt, even to this day.'" Moreover, Manasseh shed very much innocent blood until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; besides his sin with which he made Judah sin, in doing evil in the sight of the LORD.” 2 Kings 21:1-16 NASB.
“Jewish Tradition says that King Manasee had Isaiah sawn in half: (See Hebrews 11:37) Isaiah, whose name means “the Lord is salvation,” is the masterful author of the book of Isaiah. His 55-to-60-year prophetic ministry presented the hope of salvation to the people of Judah in the reigns of the kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Ancient Jewish-Christian tradition suggests that Isaiah was martyred by King Manasseh, son of Hezekiah. According to the tradition, Isaiah was tied inside a sack, placed within the hollow of a tree trunk, and then sawed in two. This story traces back to a first-century, noncanonical book called the Ascension of Isaiah, which claims to tell the story of Isaiah’s death.” www . gotquestions.org how-did-Isaiah-die . html. See also Wikepedia .org and search for Isaiah.
This evil king had the good prophet killed. Let’s be honest: King Manasseh was a devil worshipper – he was evil! You can’t get any more evil than this! When the children of Israel sacrificed to their idols - they were sacrificing to devils, not God. God through Moses in a prophecy about the Israelites declared, “They [the children of Israel] provoked Him [God] to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger. They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee. And when the LORD saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters.” Deuteronomy 32:16-19 KJV. The NASB has this as demons instead of devils. “The provoking of his sons, and of his daughters” refers to the practice of causing their children to pass ‘through the fire,’ or ‘burning them.’ Some of them died. "They [the Israelites] did not destroy the peoples, as the LORD commanded them, but they mingled with the nations and learned their practices, and served their idols, which became a snare to them. They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons, and shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with the blood. Thus they became unclean in their practices, and played the harlot in their deeds. Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against His people and He abhorred His inheritance." Psalms 106:34-40 NASB.
Is a devil worshipper living in the flesh or practicing the deeds of the flesh born again? May it never be! God forbid! Certainly not! Jesus declared that unless someone is born again, they cannot enter the kingdom of heaven! John 3:3, 5. He also declared that no good tree bears bad fruit. Matthew 7:16-19; Luke 6:43-44. Is killing or torturing your children bearing good fruit for God? -His beautiful sheep He gave you? Is killing your baby through abortion good? ‘Where is the flock that was given you, Your beautiful sheep?’ Jeremiah 13:20 NASB. We think that sacrificing your children to a demon god (killing them) is bearing bad fruit! So can the people who do this be saved? Is killing children part of devil worship still?
King Manasseh’s repentance:
"So Manasseh made [seduced] Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse [more evil] than the heathen, whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel. And the Lord spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken. Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God." 2 Chronicles 33:9-13 KJV. Bracketed words from the NASB version.
"Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh even his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the LORD God of Israel, behold, they are among the records of the kings of Israel. His prayer also and how God was entreated by him, and all his sin, his unfaithfulness, and the sites on which he built high places and erected the Asherim and the carved images, before he humbled himself, behold, they are written in the records of the Hozai. So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house. And Amon his son became king in his place.” 2 Chronicles 33:9-18-20 NASB. "And he [King Manasseh] took away the strange [foreign] gods, and the idol out of the house of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the Lord, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city. And he [King Manasseh] repaired the altar of the Lord, and sacrificed thereon peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel. Nevertheless the people did sacrifice still in the high places, yet unto the Lord their God only. Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer unto his God, and the words of the seers that spake to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel." 2 Chronicles 32:16-18 KJV.
The Bible records that King Manasseh tried to undo the damage he had done in serving the evil idol gods (demons), and restored the temple at Jerusalem. So even a devil worshipper can repent and be saved! There’s hope for you too! God’s love can reach anyone’s heart, if they would only humble themselves before Him and ask for His mercy and repent!
Had King Manasseh completely repented and been fully born again before he died?
There is no way to know for sure, but it sounds like he made a full repentance. But the fact remains that he had been a VERY evil man and a devil worshipper and had the prophet Isaiah put to death. The man had a lot of blood on his hands and “the land was [filled and] polluted with the blood.” We don’t know how old he was when he repented. But it appears it was when he was older. He was about 67 years old (12 + 55 years) when he died. It doesn’t mention everything that he did after he repented, because the records about him were compressed. Now regarding some other good kings like Hezekiah and Josiah and a few others, more details are provided as to what they did that was good. So we don’t know all the good that King Manasseh did after he repented. While we don’t know for sure, the implication in the Bible is that he would be saved, because he repented, even though it didn’t explicitly state that he was saved.
King Manasseh’s entrance into Heaven is based on grace alone, like it always does! He was a miserable sinner before he repented. So how does he get to enter Heaven? It can’t be based on his life record, but only by grace. Oh the love and mercy of God for poor, evil sinners that we all are! The story of King Manassah and God forgiving him, breaks my heart!
If God can forgive King Manasseh, the former devil worshipping king of Israel, cant He forgive you too for your misfailings? He murdered the prophet Isaiah by having him sawn in half! He had much blood on his hands, and burned his children in the fire to the evil pagan gods, maybe Molech. But he repented of his great wickedness and God forgave him! Oh the love and mercy of God!
“The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his [wicked] ways, and live?” Ezekiel 18:20-23 KJV.
For by grace are ye saved. Ephesians 2:8 “And He [God] said, ‘I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.’” Exodus 33:19 NASB.
Now King Manasseh repented from his wicked ways.
What is the promise of God? The one who repents from their wicked ways will live and not die.
I.e. They shall have eternal life. So if someone repents from their sins and wants to follow God they can be saved, whether they are fully born again or not. This is how King Manasseh gets to go to heaven! As far as we know, it appears that he will be saved.
What baptism really means and what it represents: Baptism by water and the Spirit is a symbol of dying to self, being raised in the newness of life and becoming born again. But baptism is also a symbol of the Resurrection: of physically dying, being resurrected, and going to Heaven – to gain eternal life! The type is baptism of the water and of the Holy Spirit, and the anti-type is the Resurrection and eternal life. -Holy living in Heaven forever! (Forever filled with the Holy Spirit.) So if baptism is a symbol of dying and being resurrected - to be born again - is not the Resurrection similar or better than baptism? If you are born again after baptism (dying to self and raised up out of the water), then at the Resurrection you will be raised to become born again into immortal flesh and you will never die!
“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:11 NASB.
“It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him; If we endure, we shall also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” 2 Timothy 2:11-13 NASB. Reining with Him means eternal life!
You must be born again to be able to see or enter the kingdom of Heaven.
You must die with Jesus, you must be raised with Him, you must live with Him, and you must endure with Him - if you would reign with Him! –If you would have eternal life!
“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:3-4 RSV.
“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” John 11:25-26 KJV.
So baptism by the water and the spirit represents forgiveness, and being born again in newness of life but is symbolic of being resurrected from the dead to eternal life!
Baptized (brought under the water) --> Raised up from the water
Baptism of the water --> Baptism of the Holy Spirit
Die to self --> Raised to Spiritual life through Jesus’ Resurrection (Born again or born from above)
Physical death (if baptized by Water and Spirit) --> Resurrection to Eternal Life (Born Again Eternally)
Baptism is symbolic of death and the resurrection.
This symbolism between death and resurrection compared with baptism and being born again is very strong. You cannot separate being born again and the Resurrection – they are integrally tied!
It seems obvious that since baptism is a symbol of death and being raised out of the water represents the resurrection of Jesus (which is how one becomes born again), that baptism is also a symbol of the Resurrection! When the Christian dies (who believes), and is raised at the Resurrection of the Just - they will also be born again. But this time in the incorruptible immortal flesh that will never die and never sin anymore! So it seems obvious that those who are raised in the Resurrection of the righteous will be permanently born again to live forever! (Because sin will not rise up a second time. Nahum 1:9.) We think that the natural conclusion of the symbolism between the type and anti-type between Baptism and the Resurrection is inescapable. Therefore in the Resurrection one must become born again too, since baptism by water is supposed to make one born again!
When someone becomes born again at their baptism, this symbolizes their mortal body putting on immortality and eternal life! At the Resurrection, it is not the old life of sin and death that is resurrected, Oh No! But it’s the sinless eternal life that is imparted, to be reborn into immortal flesh! So the Resurrection is physical, mental and spiritual. (Physically the body is resurrected, mentally the mind is rejuvenated, purified, and is spiritually reborn again in the sinless state of bliss.) This is often not discussed or very much. It is important to understand this symbolism – because it helps you to know the truth! The facts are the soul is reborn with new life at baptism and the person who is resurrected is given eternal life! – These are highly parallel. If someone can be born again here spiritually on earth, there must be a way to be spiritually reborn again in the Resurrection to gain eternal life!
We pulled in some quotes from our book: “The Ceremonial Law & Sacrificial System: What does it Mean to the Gospel Message?”
“Third, baptism is as Jewish as mikveh! The Hebrew word tevilah (translated ‘immersion’) is used in the benediction recited during the mikveh ritual. *** The roots of baptism rest deeply and permanently in the soil of these Jewish scriptures and traditions. That is, both baptism and mikveh depict by an outward act the inward transaction of faith; and both declare that only the Holy One has the power to cleanse men's hearts and lives.” https://jewsforjesus.org/answers/baptism-pagan-or-jewish, by Ceil Rosen. “In Judaism, the water of the mikvah is referred to as ‘the womb of the world’. When someone goes down into the waters of the mikvh, they leave behind their old pagan, and unclean ways. They ‘symbolically’ die to their old life and come up out of the water as a new and ‘clean’ person. So it should be no surprise to see the New Testament use similar or the same terms as ‘born anew’, ‘new creation’, and ‘born from above’.” This quote was from a PDF Book on the www.OliveTreeMessianic.org web site, page 1 of http://www.olivetreemessianic.org/uploads/1/6/7/5/16753254/27_tazria_lev._12__03-29-14.pdf .
These are by no means exhaustive quotes from Jewish or Messianic Jewish sources on the origin of Baptism from Judaism, but they give you the idea. These quote teach that the mikveh or tevilah were symbols of the womb and of death, rebirth and the resurrection. So to the Jewish faith - the mikveh and tevilah (baptism) are both like the womb (of the earth) and the grave. -When someone comes out of the water, they are no longer a pagan. We get this same idea from Paul.
Some are resistant towards this concept of being born again in the Resurrection. We have brought this concept up on several occasions. But the typology between dying to sin in baptism, being raised with Jesus (in baptism) symbolizing His death and resurrection to walk in newness of life is undisputable! Baptism / Death / Resurrection / Eternal Life and being born again are so interwoven in the New Testament – it’s hard to separate them! -They are interconnected! Yes, you only have one life to live, and you must humble yourself before God and repent, asking for His mercy before you die, if you wish to be saved. But being fully born again completely requires time and/or a great change. No one who abideth in Christ sinneth. 1 John 3:6 KJV. Can someone who is born again stop abiding in Christ then come back again? Or fully? How long can someone remain being born again, if they have stopped abiding in Christ or go back and forth between abiding in Him and not? If they ask for mercy from God when they fail to abide in Christ will God forgive them again? Yes. But at some point, if this goes on long enough they will probably not keep coming back to God, after they get completely hardened in sin.
"The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain,” says the LORD." Isaiah 65:25 NASB.
What is the change that is needed?
'This corruption must put on incorruption, this mortal must put on immortality.' 1 Corinthians 15:5-57 KJV.
"And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Matthew 19:28 KJV.
"But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." Luke 14:13-14 NASB.
"And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." John 5:29 KJV.
“And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” Revelation 21:23-27 NASB.
Now if nothing that defileth can enter Heaven, how can someone enter Heaven who hasn't been fully born again? Many times people backslide or have problems with doubt or other things. Paul says this mortal must put on immortality, this corruption must put on incorruption, .... What must take place for this mortal body to allow it to put on immortality and for this corruptible to put on incorruption? - to be immortal and be perfect, with no sin? Could this not be called being born again in the Resurrection? -Into the immortal incorruptible body and mind that can no longer sin?
Revelation declares that God will wipe away every tear, there will be no more crying or pain. That is because there will be no more sin or suffering or death. “and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.’" Revelation 21:3-4 RSV. In order for this to happen, there must be a great change in the people who enter there.
You are to experience the kingdom of Heaven now, by becoming born again – this helps prepare you for Heaven. But when you are resurrected or translated with immortality you must be born again before you can enter Heaven. God explains this more clearly by the prophet Jeremiah: “"Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."” Jeremiah 31:31-34 NASB. This is the first mention of the phrase “the New Covenant” in the Bible! This promise by God started to be fulfilled at Pentecost in Acts 2, when God wrote His law in His people’s hearts through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
But the final fulfillment of this prophecy happens in the New Jerusalem in Heaven, where: “They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.” See also Joel 2. This can only be in Heaven, after all Christians have been changed to the perfection of Heaven. It is obvious this can’t be talking about anywhere on earth now, with all the sin and sinners still reeking havoc on this earth and hurting and killing others! When is it going to be that everyone will know the Lord from the east to the west, from sea to shining sea? Only on the Earth made new, after the destruction of the wicked, when there will be no more crying or pain or death. This is the true final fulfillment of the New Covenant! Sin and death will all be removed on that happy day and all there will love God supremely and their neighbor as themselves. And they will all be filled with the Holy Spirit perpetually, forever in an endless life of joy and delight of love! Amen! This is what it means to be truly born again! This can only happen at the Resurrection of the Just and the translated of the living to the life of immortality – being reborn into immortal flesh!
We also see that the concept of the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:31-34 being ultimately fulfilled in Heaven – further demonstrates the idea that the Resurrection symbolizes being born again into immortal flesh, since the New Covenant promise is all about God writing His law in His people’s hearts. But God writes His law in His people’s hearts through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit! The prophecy in Joel 2 discusses the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Joel 2 and Jeremiah 31:31-34 are linked. And the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which started at Pentecost, is how one becomes born again, and is linked with the New Covenant – we will not go into the proof of that here. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit happens when someone becomes fully born again, and the Holy Spirit helps people obey God and live a righteous life. Being fully born again is the most wonderful blessing you could ever experience!
Jesus must plead His blood for your sins, and God must decide that you can be raised from the dead, or be translated without seeing death to be able to enter Heaven. There is nothing you can do to deserve Heaven or earn your salvation. But you can be lost if you get too proud, refuse to obey God, and do not let His Spirit dwell in you fully to help you become born again.
Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! We think this is self-explanatory. It is a dangerous thing to take a chance on your salvation! Now is the day of your salvation, not tomorrow! When you first gave your heart to God you should have been growing in God daily, with no backsliding. If you have been a Christian many years you should be a powerful worker for God and serving Him, and helping others. This is the ideal God has for you. You owe this to God – to do something to help others get to the kingdom too! Give yourself to God, do not dilly-dally in your old life of sin! “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV. ‘Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.’ Romans 8:9 KJV.
If you are not becoming born again or have lost it, you are in a dangerous position. 'But can't I be born again at the Resurrection?' You can confess your sins and be baptized and backslide…. But if you try to wait until the resurrection (assuming you have given yourself to God, but have gone back and forth from following Him to your own way again and again) ... that day may never come for you. You have no guarantees of salvation, unless you turn to God now and keep giving yourself to Him. Today is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:2. Today if you hear His voice, harden not your heart in unbelief. Hebrews 3:8. Unbelief will shut you out of Heaven, unless you repent of it. Revelation 21:8. If you are not born again, you will not have the power to live a righteous life. If you are not born again, you will not have the assurance of your salvation - for as long as you want it – and you will be living in guilt of unfulfilled duties and the shame that comes from sinning again and again. If you are not born again - that means you have a divided interest, if you are a Christian at all. If you are in the middle - you are neither for God nor against Him - stuck in neutral. I.e. lukewarm. Jesus will spue out all who try to stay in the middle and stay lukewarm. Revelation 3:15-16. Any house divided against itself cannot stand. Matthew 12:25; Mark 3:25; Luke 11:17. If you are not for God - you are against Him, if you do not gather for Him - you scatter (or cause other people to be lost). Jesus declared, “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” Luke 11:23 RSV.
Dear reader, are you with Jesus? Or are you against Him?
Do you gather with Him or do you scatter? “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.” Matthew 13:41-43 NASB.
Do you have ears to hear? Then do not be a stumbling block to others. The only way to stop being a stumbling block is to become born again and give yourself to God, serving Him. This will help you to be a blessing to others and not be a hypocrite.
“Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS, WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS. THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION, AND SAID, 'THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART; AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS'; AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, 'THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.'" Take care, brethren, lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end; while it is said, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME." For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they should not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? And so we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.” Hebrews 3:7-19 NASB.
It is only when you remove the last barrier between God and yourself, when you stop resisting the Holy Spirit, and doing everything that He is asking you to do that you can have and no true peace and have true power from God. God will then give you the power to become one of 'the sons of God'. This powers your walk with God, and helps you to obey Him and stay on track. But if you haven't crossed that threshold of fully giving yourself to Him, you are in danger from the enemy of your soul. So even though you can be saved by a 'deathbed confession,' it is not wise to put off giving yourself to God all-the-way now. You don't know how it will turn out. Because your heart is desperately wicked. Jeremiah 17:9 KJV. The only peace and safety or security you can have is giving yourself to God now. Why wait? All the help you need to have that new life with God can be yours now! You can start to get ready for everlasting life now, by getting the Holy Spirit now for yourself.
When you yield all-the-way to God, with no more resistance - no more putting off what He has asked you to do, then you will be filled with the Spirit and become fully born again.
How long does it take? It depends on how long it takes for you to yield fully to God, and do everything He has asked you to do. But He may reveal more things for you to change. Are you willing to do it? If not, go back to square one. Are you willing to do it? Then proceed to the next step. If you are not willing to obey God at every point that He is asking you to do, you cannot become born again or keep it. You will have the spiritual life from God that you want. If you sow sparingly, you will reap sparingly. If you don’t want much from Him, you won’t have much. It is only those who hunger and thirst after righteousness who will be filled. Matthew 5:6. Every day you wake up, you need to invite God back into your heart to guide and direct you again, and stay in prayer with Him throughout the day. You need to die daily to self and your pride (1 Corinthians 15:31) if you want to stay born again. If you are born again - you will love God. If you love Him, you will want to spend time with Him - the one you love. If you love Him, you will also love the other children of Him. “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.” 1 John 5:1 NASB. You will want to obey Him, because you love Him. You will be sorry when you disappoint Him, and ask for help and forgiveness when you do. If you get off track, repent and seek Him again.
You can know that you can’t lose your salvation - as long as you don’t get proud, and as long as you keep confessing your sins to God and keep trusting in Him alone. You don't have to struggle with sin, you can get help. You can have a piece of Heaven in your heart now! You don’t have to wait to get to Heaven to get Heaven in your heart! You can have it now! When you become born again you get the power to live a righteous life - to have the power to love God supremely and others. When you become born again, you can make some spiritual progress in your life, and get a ministry to serve God with and help others - so that at the judgment Jesus doesn't say to you, 'Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.’ Luke 13:27 KJV. For I was hungered and you gave me nothing to eat.... Thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. Matthew 25:42 NASB.
Some people who are trying to do what's right, are still dilly-dallying with sin and putting off doing everything that God has asked them to do. Then they ask God for forgiveness. God looks at everything in a person's life - all the good and the bad. -He looks to see if they asked for forgiveness or mercy. -He knows the intent of the heart. -He knows the weakness that we have. He could literally say, ‘hey I'm going to save that person.’ Not one of us is fit to take God's place. Oh His love and kindness and mercy! He knows the struggles that you’ve gone through.
Some feel it’s an error that anyone can be born again in the Resurrection
– But this doesn’t agree with the Bible. We have shown you from the Bible what it means to be born again, and there's been so few people, especially in our day, who have demonstrated that they are fully born again. The bar to being fully born again is very high! It is only possible through God’s help and by a continual, daily, moment by moment surrender to Him.
So how can anyone ever be fully born again?
In our day there's so few people who have given themselves fully to God throughout their life. -God knows who have given themselves to Him and those who have not. There are so few who are totally devoted to God. Please leave room for the mercy of God! Otherwise there is no hope!
thinking you can just ask for forgiveness and be saved. Or thinking that you can put off doing something God has asked you to do later. It’s very dangerous to resist God for any length of time, thinking you can submit fully to Him later.
When Brother Paul was preaching to Felix and his wife Drusilla, Felix put off Paul for a more convenient season: “And as he [Paul] reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.” Acts 24:25 KJV. But for Felix, when he was listening to Paul, that was his last chance to repent! For Felix a more convenient season never came!
So is it really true you can be born again in the resurrection? Or must you be completely born again before you die to be resurrected? Are you saved by grace without the need of being born again? Or is being born again how you are saved by grace? Do you need God’s grace in order to become born again? Are the two connected? Is being born again a process that can take time? Should becoming born again happen instantly? Think about this carefully. You need to know the answer to these questions. We may have gone too far to one extreme or the other here, but we're trying to present these parallel truths that are in the Bible: That you are saved by grace and that you must be born again to enter heaven. The judgment is when God decides who can go to heaven. Because no one has a spotless record. So He has to decide. Please don't bank your eternal life on something a preacher told you without considering all that the Bible declares about this matter. When someone’s heart and life is not in harmony with God and they haven't fully yielded to him – then they will have no assurance of salvation until they repent of this and yield to Him and obey Him. “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Romans 6:16 KJV. The real reason why people aren't born again or stay born again is that they allow other things than God to have the first place in their life. But we can also lay this charge at the feet of those teachers and preachers who are confused on this too. If people were told the unvarnished truth about how to be saved and give themselves to God by someone who was believing and practicing faith – by a teacher who was born again, then there need not be any confusion about this. Everyone can be born again if they would have it.
If you didn't know everything you needed to know to be a Christian, because the people that taught you didn't know it either… Or if you were stubborn or let the cares and troubles of this life choke out your relationship with God... It is God's mercy and kindness that enables you to be saved, not through anything that you have done or not done. God's grace trump's everything else.
One can be born again in the resurrection, otherwise there is no hope for the vast majority of people who are living who call themselves Christians. They would have no hope of being saved, if it was a requirement that they had been fully born again for every day of their life. Being born again is infinitely higher than any human being has ever been able to manage. Only God can make you born again. The standard is perfection – the standard is being born again. This can be measured by the standards of the Bible - loving God supremely and loving your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:35-40 and Galatians 5 (the fruits of the Spirit).
This has been on our mind for a while and it really bothered us, because we knew what the teaching of the Bible was regarding what it means to be born again. –If this be true there is no chance that a lot of people who call themselves Christians could be saved. Because there so few who have consistently displayed the fruits of the Spirit. Do not forget the love and mercy of God! It overrides everything else! If He makes the decision to save someone - that person will go to heaven - that's what will happen. So this article is about the love and mercy of God! No one deserves to be made born again and live forever – but God still offers this to everyone! This really breaks my heart because God is so kind and merciful! No matter how bad you have been, God can still save you – if you would throw yourself on His mercy and give yourself to Him!
“But as many as received him [Jesus], to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth.” John 1:12-14 KJV. But this is exactly what God wants to do for you, dear reader! Do not take advantage of God's mercy, but allow Jesus to give you the power to become a son or daughter of God. This may be the most uber-powerful message in the most concentrated truth of them all! If you receive Jesus fully and love and obey Him, He will give you the power to become a son or daughter of God. “For the kingdom of God does not consist in words, but in power.” 1 Corinthians 4:20 NASB. “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18 KJV. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.’” Romans 1:16-17 NASB. This truth is too wonderful and we cannot take it all in! It boggles our mind.
May the grace of God be with you all! Amen.
Our prayer for you is:
© 2022 John Foll 9/25/2022 – 04/22/2023 (But I have thought about this idea for several years.)
Originally posted 2023-04-22 13:03:57.
Jesus said, “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.” Luke 11:23 NASB. What does it mean to be ‘for Jesus?’ It means to be His disciple, to bear much fruit for Him and His Father; this is to tell the wonderful news of salvation to those who don’t know. If you are ‘for Jesus’ you will be unable to help yourself from doing something for Him, whom you love. What does it mean to be ‘against Him?’ This is the status quo. All who are not fully His or those living their life for themselves, who look to have their own way will sometimes or always be against Him, whether they are in the Church or in the world. For those in the Church like this, this is a halfway conversion to Christianity: one foot in the Church and one foot in the world. Read this article to find out more about what it means to be 'for Jesus' and to 'scatter'.
Are you tired of hurting yourself and others? It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. “And it happened that as He [Jesus] was reclining at the table in the house, behold many tax-gatherers and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, ‘Why is your Teacher eating with the tax-gatherers and sinners?’ But when He heard this, He said, ‘It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means, 'I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE, 'for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’” Matthew 9:10-13 NASB77. Why are all of God’s people today not seeking healing from Him? Aren't we all sick? This is God’s message to His people in our day too! There needs to be a balm in Gilead and help from the Great Physician, because many of His people in our day are in as much need of healing from the sickness of sin as they were when Jesus was dining with the tax collectors and sinners.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9 KJV. The key here is that ‘He is faithful’. Who is faithful? God is faithful. Our salvation and all the good things now and forever depend on the love and faithfulness of God to keep His promises to us, to forgive us and to help cleanse us from all unrighteousness and to provide all the other gifts that He wants to give us.
We want to help you love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul. Matthew 22:38. We want to share with you the good news that God really loves you, even if you don’t love Him back. We want you to not be afraid of Him. There is no reason for anyone to be afraid of God, if they would allow Him to work in their life and would cooperate with Him. He will make this easy for you, if you will just let Him do it for you and find out how much He loves you! But even if someone will not let Him do this for them, there is no reason to believe that He will treat them unfairly. God is not like that. He is kind, loving and merciful, and gives people time to get to know Him and make their choice of where they want to go in life. We think you will get much comfort and peace when you find out how much God loves you, and everyone who has ever lived or who will ever live, and how fair He is. To use common vernacular, ‘God has been given a bad rap.’ The enemy of our souls has stacked the deck against God with his falsehoods and half-truths, or so he thinks. But he can only deceive the unwary and those who want to be deceived or those whom he can blind to the truth or poison with his malignancy. Many people seek religion or seek to obey God out of guilt or fear, rather than out of true love and devotion to Him; this should not be. It’s a place to start, but all need to get beyond this in their relationship with God. He should be your dearest friend! This is what we have been striving to do, to tell all who will listen how much God loves them, so that they can fall in love with Him! Our enemy is trying to make people so disgusted with all of it that they abandon their belief in God, and some have no religion whatsoever but hedonism. And others try to make it too easy to be saved and never be lost, because they don’t like the consequences. (They preach a religion without the need of continued repentance or without the need of carrying a cross or making changes or sacrifices.) And others yet live under a burden of guilt, never knowing if they are good enough to be saved, and are worried about what lies ahead of them. And others still are just blind to the direction of their life and the consequences of their actions, and some think that they are “good enough;” that everything will be all right in the end, without making sure that they are walking in the path that God wants them to go. But never fear! Where sin abounds, God’s grace abounds even more! Romans 5:20. You don’t have to stay stuck in going the wrong direction, be misled by wrong beliefs, or stay under a deep load of guilt or fear anymore, because God has made provision for your salvation! He knows just what you need and has a plan to save you, if you will let Him. So have faith and take encouragement! If you continue to seek for the truth with a desire to please Him, He will reveal it to you and it will all make sense! Then you will have no fear of the future, because God will be your guiding light.
No Tears in Heaven: There will be no tears in Heaven. Isaiah 25:6-8; Revelation 7:13-17; 21:1-6. How can there be no tears in Heaven if loved ones of the saved […]
“But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7 NASB. This text is so true. This is looking at the truth in a different way. We need to contemplate what this means, it is so important! Those who are walking in the light as God is the light will not be thinking that they do not need to be too concerned about their behavior or whether they are free from all enslavement and entanglement with the sins and things of this world. Many surround themselves with preachers and others who believe that they do not need to be concerned very much about their behavior or entanglement with sin and the things of this world, and little mention is made of the sinner’s need of walking in the Light of God, to repent and have a change made in them. And others think that they believe in ‘the truth’ while they are not walking in the Light and have not His abiding presence in their heart. It is every Christian’s privilege to choose to walk in the Light as God is the Light, whether they will listen to His sweet Spirit when He whispers to their heart or not.
Conclusion of the wonderful passages and promises showing God’s great kindness and mercy towards His created beings whom He loves: Yes! These bear repeating, with descriptions added where needed to […]
Sin will not Rise a Second Time: Evidence that sin and sinners will not rise up a second time after their destruction: (We are giving this to you from several […]
“Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” Hebrews 3:12-19 KJV.
So what is the cure for unbelief? Faith. Faith is the opposite of doubt or unbelief. Unbelief in what? Unbelief in the promises of God. The children of Israel had been given a promise by God that He would give them the land of Canaan and help them to possess it, if they would follow His lead. Caleb and Joshua told the children of Israel that they were well able to enter the Promised Land, that God would open the way for them and give it to them. But the 10 other unfaithful spies lied to the children of Israel about this, saying many discouraging things to them, so that they did not believe the promise of the Lord.
