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The Origin of the Birthing
Part 2 THE BIRTHING continued
Born-again Defined Written
By Warren Litzman
Jesus was the first to speak of the birthing when He spoke to Nicodemus, who was the ruler of the Jews. God arranged for Nicodemus, who had heard about Jesus teaching, and performing miracles, to go to Jesus and say, “We know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him” (John 3:2)
It was obvious that Nicodemus wanted to talk to Jesus about spiritual matters. He most likely wanted to talk about Moses and the Law and the many wonderful things that had happened during that 4,000 period. Jesus looked at this spiritual leader and, with no explanation, said he must be born again or he cannot see the kingdom of God, or better yet, he cannot understand what God is doing unless he is re-birthed. That was an extraordinary comment.
Nicodemus was aware that an earthly kingdom was going to be set up at some point in time because God had promised throughout the Old Testament that a Messiah –king would take over Israel someday, but Jesus said there was no use in discussing such things until Nicodemus was born again. My understanding of that discussion is that the kingdom was not going to be set up on Earth at that time because the kingdom would ultimately be in believers when they are born again. That was so radical that Nicodemus did not understand it. Nicodemus’ response was only rational. He said, Well does that mean I can go back into my mother’s womb and come out a second time? Jesus never answered his question. Instead Jesus said another very strange thing. He said Nicodemus it is like the wind blowing, you do not know where it is coming from and you do not know where it is going. That is what it means to be born again. That was the introduction to the liberating secret, the “mystery”. It literally meant you must have a spiritual birthing before you can ever understand the things of God.
I believe there are multitudes today that are born-again children of God, but they do not see the things of God because they do not understand the birthing process. Nicodemus did not understand it, and Jesus did not explain it to him.
That is very important. Why didn’t Jesus explain to Nicodemus what it meant to be born again? Why did he say it was like the wind blowing? The reason was it was a mystery not to be revealed at that time.
Nicodemus had already called Jesus a Rabbi, which established an important factor. When Jesus would not answer his question, he took it out of the hands of people such as the rabbis, preachers, prophets, apostles and everyone else to explain the mystery. He himself, as the Son of God, would not explain the birthing process. I think He did not do it because one day, as in 1 Corinthians 2:9-10, the Apostle Paul would be destined to say:
“Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him (The liberating secret that God had prepared for mankind) but God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit.”
Paul said the deeper things of God could only be revealed to you by the Spirit.
John also says some powerful and significant things about the birthing in his gospel and epistles.
In (1 John 5:1), we read:
“Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born (birthed) of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten (is birthed) of him.”
What we have in this verse are two different term related to the birthing, born and begotten. In (1John 3:9), an interesting word applies to the birthing.
“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”
The Koine Greek word for “seed” in this verse is sperma. The seed signifies the fact spiritual life is imparted to the believer, the instant of believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. The phrase, “his seed remaineth in him,” explains that the Seed, which is placed into the believer, abides without the possibility of removal or extinction. This means the child of God, one who is re-birthed, remains eternally related to Christ and the Father.
“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin” is also significant because the believer’s Adamic spirit has been exchanged for the Spirit of Christ who does not sin!
“He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit” (1 Cor 6:17). Skipping down to (1 John 5:4) we read:
“For whatsoever is born (birthed) overcometh the world:and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
This verse takes some explaining, it states that whosoever is “born of God overcometh the world.”
It is very rare to hear someone preach on that statement. What you usually hear is that the born-again have ready access to God, or that the born-again can get faith to obtain a miracle.
This verse does not say there is anything you have to do to make it work. It says the birthing means you have overcome the world. That is difficult for us because we do not really believe this fact; moreover, we are so mixed up with all of the soulish preaching we have heard about seeking after God, fasting and praying, memorising Scriptures, or contacting someone with faith who can help, that we miss the entire content of this verse. At the same time this verse does not say whoever is birthed of God will never have trouble. This verse does not say you will never get sick. It does not say you will never die.
Some Results of the Birthing – The moment we were born again, we were unfit for this world. We are not supposed to fit in because we are a new creation. We are an entirely different race of people, like people from Venus or Mars who have set foot on this Earth. God Himself rebirthed us, and He did not intend that the world should swallow us up. The world and all that is in it is under His subjection. All things were created by Christ and for Christ; and aside from Christ there is not anything in existence (Col. 1:16,17). Furthermore John say, “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.”(John 1:3),
When the world was created with its evil, its Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, with the serpent, with evil men all around, and getting worse. God still says, “Whoever is birthed of God overcomes.” We have not heard the gospel, have we? If every Christian knew that Christ was in them and that learning Christ would mean it did not matter what the devil threw at them, what a difference that would make in their lives. They would be overcomers, regardless of what God allowed to come their way. If one gets laid off the job, it concerns us. If the necessary money does not come in, it concerns us. If the doctor says there is a lump on your neck, it concerns us. From now until the time we go home to the Father’s house, there are going to be things that concern us, but Christ has overcome the world. Nevertheless Scripture does not say it will not hurt or it will not get bad. It does say we will overcome.
I do not know what you are concerned about, but I want to tell you that your visible problem is not the real problem. Your real problem is not knowing who you are; whoever is birthed by God is going to overcome the world. Better yet we have already overcome because there is not anything in the world that can take away your birthing or your relationship with the Father. Paul saw this, and he thought of the worst thing that could happen to a human being, and he said, “It does not matter whether I live or die. I have told people on their deathbeds that Christ was in them. Hearing that made a big change in them because they had been frightened to meet God and most of them were wondering why God did not give them a miracle and raise them out of bed. They did not know, or had forgotten, that Christ was in them and that was all they needed.
“We know that whosoever is born (birthed) of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten (birthed) of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not” (1 John 5:18)
Next: Part 3 – Some Results of the Birthing continued. Scripture Quotations are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.
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