You had as much to do with your natural birth, as you did your spiritual birth.
Posted : 6 Sep, 2013 12:24 PM
The �Rev�. Billy Graham once wrote a 170 pages book titled � �How to be born-again�. He might as well have written a book on how to be born. For in many ways the natural birth is very similar to the spiritual birth!
And just as we had no say in the former, neither do we have any say in the latter!
In natural birth, we know that the one who is BORN DOES NOT WILL TO BE BORN--in fact, he has NO SAY IN THE MATTER WHATSOEVER. He does not decide the time, place, or circumstances of his birth. He has no power to determine the family into which he will be born etc. The analogy holds true with regard to the spiritual birth. GOD determines the time, place and circumstances. The sinner can no more resist this than can an infant resist and refuse to be born naturally.
This fact is shown so clearly in John 1:13 where speaking of believers it is said, "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." i.e. �The new birth is �not of blood (by natural descent), nor of the will of the flesh (his own volition), nor of the will of man (the preacher�s persuasion), but OF GOD� [John 1:13], and the seed which God uses to produce the new birth is His own Word�! [James 1:18]. [A.W. Pink]
This verse kills the doctrine of those who teach that men are saved when they exercise their "free wills" and accept God's "offer" of salvation.
God Sovereignly saves us in Regeneration and THEN CALLS US OR ILLUMINATES US BY THE GOSPEL. �Who hath SAVED US (regeneration), and CALLED US (by the Gospel) with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace etc�. [2Tim 1:9] As I always say we must beware of putting the proverbial �cart before the horse�! A man does not believe the Gospel and GET SAVED but believes the Gospel BECAUSE HE IS SAVED!
This is the reason the Gospel is referred to in the Scriptures as a mystery! Because only to the regenerate it is the �power of God unto salvation�. The rest can only behold it, wonder about it and perish! �BEHOLD, ye despisers, and WONDER, and PERISH: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in NO WISE BELIEVE, though A MAN DECLARE IT UNTO YOU�. [Act 13:41]
Regeneration is a ONETIME sovereign act of God whereas Conversion is always PARTIAL (on this earth) and CONTINUAL, and can be seen in different parts of our lives at different times. A genuine backslider does not need to be regenerated but he needs to be converted. A backslider no matter how far he has strayed is still God�s son and the Lambs bride! �Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I AM MARRIED UNTO YOU�! [Jer 3:14] (I say this with tears in my eyes, for I was the greatest backslider of them all) Prior to Peter�s backsliding, the Lord told him � �Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and WHEN THOU ART CONVERTED, strengthen thy brethren�! [Lk 22:31,32]
And I may finally add that it is in conversion that we unlearn much of the error which we held on to initially after our regeneration. Errors such as �Free will� Universal Atonement, The Pentecostal errors etc.
The path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day! [Prov 4:18] Hallelujah!
