I found your Web Site by Google. And I wish you the best you can get, the peace of God through Jesus Christ.
Allan S
Sweden
The New Birth
“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.” John 6:44-45.
“And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.” (6:65).
The Father draws people to Jesus. Jesus baptizes them by the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit gives them the new life in Christ so that they become born again. We become new creations in Christ. When God created the first man, Adam, he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man becomes a living soul. Genesis 2:7. When Jesus baptizes us by the Holy Spirit it is a new creating act. The Spirit gives us the new life in Christ and makes us to new creations. “So then if anyone is in Christ, that one is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, all things have come to be new!” 2 Cor. 5:17.
Earlier we have been only created beings, now we are relatives to the Creator. Jesus’ Father becomes our Father, and we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. The new birth is no adoption as it says in the English Bible. In that case we would not be God’s children, only God’s adoptive children. And God would be only our adoptive father. Who is then our real Father? In Swedish we have also the word ‘adoption’ with the same spelling, but it occurs nowhere in the Bible.
Through the new birth we enter the Assembly of God, God’s family. This has nothing to do with churches and denominations. The Bible describes the Assembly of God as the Body of Christ. Accordingly, a living Body. Rom. 12:4-5. 1 Cor. 10:17. 12:27. “But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.” 1 Cor. 12:18. We cannot by men be selected to members of the Assembly of God.
The Pentecostal preachers use to speak so proudly about the baptism by the Holy Spirit, and they mean that the “Pentecostal Revival” has conveyed this truth. However, what did the “Pentecostal Revival” do? The “Pentecostal Revival” censored away a big part of the truth of the baptism by the Holy Spirit, so that this truth has been preached and understood only partly.
As a result of this, the truth of the baptism by the Holy Spirit has never been preached within the Pentecostal movement. They have learnt only a little part of this truth, and this they have turned back to front.
Because of this false doctrine about the baptism by the Holy Spirit, people have not understood the connection between the baptism by the Holy Spirit and the new birth. They do not understand that it is when Jesus baptizes us by the Holy Spirit we get the new life in Christ and we become born again. The Holy Spirit gives us the new life in Christ and make the new birth. We are born of the Spirit. John 3:3-8.
They have preached that the baptism with the Holy Spirit is only for those who are born again. Yet, on the day of Pentecost the apostle Peter promised people, which were not born again, that they would get the Holy Spirit as a gift when they did repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Consider, that Peter promised the Holy Spirit to people who had not been born again! And when they received the Holy Spirit, what happened then? Well, then they got the new life in Christ and became born again!
In the Assembly of God (the Body of Christ) we are all baptized by the Holy Spirit, but not all are speaking with tongues. 1 Kor. 12:12-31. The Pentecostal preachers have turned this back to front. They say that only those who can speak with tongues are baptized by the Holy Spirit, and the speaking with tongues is the only certain sign of that someone is baptized by the Holy Spirit. This is a dangerous denying of a work that Jesus and the Holy Spirit have done, and legalization of false speaking with tongues.
Jesus is born again
Jesus was the first one who was born again. He is the Firstbegotten among many brothers. Rom. 8:29. Hebr. 2:11-18. Before Jesus was born again, nobody could be born again.
When was Jesus born again? When he rose from the death. His resurrection was also his new birth.
“He is the Head of the body, the Assembly, who is the Beginning, the Firstborn out of the dead ones that He having first place in all things.” Col. 1:18. “… the First-begotten out of the dead ones.” Rev.1:5. “… the One designated the Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection of dead ones, Jesus Christ our Lord;” Rom. 1:4. And again, when He brought the Firstbegotten into the world, He said, “And let all the angels of God worship Him.” Hebr. 1:6.
Jesus is the firstborn in double meaning. He is the Firstbegotten of all creation. For all things were created in Him, the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth, the visible and the invisible; whether thrones, or lordships, or rulers, or authorities, all things have been created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and all things have subsisted in Him. Col. 1:15-17. In the verse 18 we see that he is also the Firstborn out of the dead ones.
Allan S
Sweden
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Dear Allan.
I was impressed with how well you could explain some of the simple truths of Christ. God has clearly helped your understanding. It was good to read your email. I would love to meet and talk with you sometime.
As for the new birth and the resurrection: Several times in the NT, Psalm 2:7 is quoted as referring to the resurrection of the Lord, and so, I understand how you can say that he was born again at his resurrection. Jesus even went so far as to say that those who will be raised from the dead into eternal life will be “the children of God, being the children of the resurrection” (Lk. 20:36). But we can take that too far if we are not careful, Allan. Be careful. Some men have unwisely done so and foolishly teach that there is no new birth at all until the resurrection.
But Paul said that the saints are already raised with Christ through the baptism of the Spirit (Col. 2:12), and so, with THAT resurrection, yes, we can say we are born again. John said that we are now called the sons of God (1Jn. 3:1). Our sonship does not yet appear because Jesus has not returned yet to restore all things, but our sonship is, nevertheless, a reality. Peter, too, mentioned that the saints have been born of the incorruptible blood, the Spirit, (1Pet. 1:23). He obviously means that we are born again now, not at the resurrection of the just.
I was deeply disappointed that you do not understand that speaking in tongues, or “stammering lips”, is the evidence of the spiritual rest that Jesus gives. On the web site, www.GoingtoJesus.com you will find my book, “Speaking in Tongues at Spirit Baptism“. I would like for you to read that little book and let me know what you think.
Your servant,
jdc
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I read the email from the man in Sweden. No matter how “close” people get to the truth, even if they go so far as to say that one needs “Spirit baptism”, it always comes back to do you need “tongues”.
“This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.”
People will speak well of the Father, and the Son… they can’t see them. They just don’t want tongues – it’s too “visible”.
Gary
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Speaking in tongues does seem to be a stumblingblock. God is so wise. He knows how to weed things out and to gather in the wheat.
jdc