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The Amish Voice 5
read? We cannot even go to God unless
He decides to draws us to Himself. We
are helpless! We are at His mercy!
Titus 3:5
Not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to his
mercy, he saved us…
Before the new birth takes place in a
person’s life, that person is a dead spirit;
therefore, he can do nothing spiritually,
just as a dead body can do nothing
physically.
The apostle Paul writes:
Romans 3:11-12
There is none that
understandeth, there is none that seeketh
after God. They are all gone out of the
way, they are together become
unprofitable; there is none that doeth
good, no, not one.
There is not a single human being on the
face of the earth that seeks after God. No,
not even one in the 7 billion people alive
on this earth right now! Unless the Father
draws us to Himself, we will never in a
thousand years go to Him on our own.
The Father has to draw us to Himself,
convict us of our sin, and show us that we
are in desperate need of a new birth
experience. See John 16:8-11.
John 3:5-6
Jesus answered, Verily, verily,
I say unto thee, Except a man be born of
water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter
into the kingdom of God. That which is
born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is
born of the Spirit is spirit.
To enter and experience the physical
world, we had to first be born in the flesh.
To enter and experience the spiritual
world, God’s kingdom, we have to be born
in the spirit.
Here are a few things we know about the
first birth:
1. I am flesh that can be seen with eyes
and felt with fingers.
2. I did not pull myself together one
day and give myself legs, arms,
nose,
brains,
ears,
eyes,
kidneys, blood,
etc.
3. I became
flesh, just
like
my
father.
4. I inherited
the family
name.
5. My father
will always
be my father. I will always be his
son.
6. Our fellowship may at times be
hindered,
but
the
father/son
relationship can never be severed,
cut off, or given away.
At birth, my parents wrote out a birth
certificate that reads: On February 1,
1967, at 5:02 am, Joe was born into the
Keim family.
Please note: My birth certificate does not
read, “Between February 1st and March
8th, 1967, Joe was born into the Keim
family.”
7. I can never be unborn or re-born in
the flesh. It was a onetime physical
birth that allowed me entrance to the
physical world.
Most of us would agree thus far, but you
ask, how does the second birth work? In a
nut shell, the second birth works in many
of the same ways that the first birth does.
It happens on a certain date and at an exact
time.
Everyone who is born again should have
two birth certificates.
1. Just like you celebrate your physical
birth every year, so you should
celebrate your spiritual birth every
year.
2. When you were born into your
earthly family and took on
the family name, so it is
when you are born into
God’s family; you take
on the family name—
CHRISTian.
3. The Bible does not
talk about a third and
fourth birth. There are
only two. The first one
is physical and allows
entrance into the physical world; the
second one is spiritual and allows
entrance into the spiritual world.
4. Just like your earthly father
corrected and disciplined you, so
your heavenly Father will also
correct and discipline you. That is,
if you have been born into His
family. Look what the Bible says:
Hebrews 12:7-9
...God dealeth with you
as with sons; for what son is he whom the
father chasteneth not? But if ye be
without chastisement, whereof all are
partakers, then are ye bastards, and not
sons.
Furthermore we have had fathers of our
flesh which corrected [us], and we gave
[them] reverence: shall we not much
rather be in subjection unto the Father of
spirits, and live?
There is one big difference between the
first birth and the second birth; our earthly
father does not have any part in the second
birth. Neither do you, the church, or the
Bishop. No, the second birth is a work of
God and God alone.
But you say, wait a minute, I have to do
something. Yes, you are right. You have
to believe, which we will get into later;
however, beyond that you can do nothing.