Advertise Your Business Or Website At HomewithGod.com

WHAT IS NOT THE NEW BIRTH? NO V.

By George W. Sinquefield

John 3:4 (KJV)
⁴ Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

John 3:7 (KJV)
⁷ Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

        In previous sermons I've discussed what the new birth is. In this sermon and perhaps two or three others, I want to explain what the new birth is not. I do this because so many people are confused about this, and are substituting other things which are definitely not the new birth.

I.   The New Birth Is Not Imitating The Life Of Christ.

        Webster says an imitation is, "That which is made or produced as a copy; an artificial likeness." We have many imitations in this day. Artificial flowers look so real you'd think they need to be watered. The pastorium in which we lived was near a cemetery. A man, on his way to put flowers on a grave, came by with a beautiful bunch. He asked me for something to put water in so he could water them. I had a rather difficult time getting him to understand that they were not the kind that needs watering.

        I suppose most people use Oleo instead of butter. Oleo looks so much like butter that it could fool any cow in the country. You see a house that looks very much like brick, but upon close examination you discover it is just brick siding -- an imitation of bricks.

        Then we have sweetners which are used instead of sugar in most homes and eating places.

        I fear that many are trying to imitate the life of Christ -- trying to live as He lived -- thinking this will save them. No where do we find any such thing taught in the Bible. Christ is our example after we're saved but we are not saved by trying to imitate His life.

        A young man said to an old pastor one time, "Why, I don't believe in all this slaughter-house religion and gory story and this business about blood redemption. I believe if we follow Jesus as an example we will be all right." This old pastor knew his Bible and loved his Jesus. He said, "Son, let's pursue that. You say, "Follow Jesus as your example and you will be all right." Let's see if you will." The pastor said, "All right, let's take the first step in following Jesus as you example. This Bible say of Him that He did no sin." Jesus said, "I do always those things which please the Father." "Son, He was perfect. He never sinned. He was holiness personified in the absolute." He said, "Son, can you take that step? Can you say, "I follow Him in His perfection?"" The boy answered and said, "No, I can't take that step." The old pastor said, "Then, Son, you don't need an example. Right now you need a Saviour It is Jesus the Redeemer the lost need and not Jesus the example.

        One has said, "Christ wrought salvation when he was bruised and smitten of God and afflicted. When his hands hung to a cross; when a spear opened his side; when blood flowed from a thorn-crowned brow down every part of His body and gathered in a crimson pool in the dust of Calvary. Then. He was able to say, "It is finished." That is why we can sing, "T'is done! t'is done! The great transactions done."

        My friend, it is not Christ living who saves, it is Christ shedding His blood who gives men the way of life. It is Christ living now at the throne in heaven who keeps us.

II.   Imitating Christ And His Suffering Will Not Take The Place Of The New Birth.

        Those who are saved are taught to imitate the spirit and life of Jesus as much as possible but no where are the lost taught to imitate Jesus and His suffering in order to be saved.

        Every year on Good Friday, the role of Christ bearing His cross to Calvary is re enacted in the village of Sartene, Corsica. This has been going on ever since the Middle Ages, and it always draws a big crowd of villagers and thousands of tourists who come for the occasion.

        Time magazine called last year's episode "one of the world's most brutally powerful Easter Week processions." And the report was a graphic description of what happened: "A grotesque lump of a man . . . barefoot, masked in a blood-red hood with eye slits . . . staggered under the weight of a massive oak cross. From his right ankle dragged a clanking, 31-lb. chain . . . (He) grunted and puffed as he bore the cross along a mile-and-a half route . . . As he stumbled along dirt paths and darkened, cobbled streets, struggled painfully up flights of ancient granite stairs, his bare feet began to bleed . . . Three times (he) fell under his burden and each time a fellow penitent playing the part of Simon of Cyrene whispered fiercely: "Get up! You asked for this!""

        Meanwhile, the villagers and tourists, 15000 of them, gathered along the route to mock and jeer. No, this was not a drama or passing play. The hooded figure was that of a conscience stricken French sinner whose identity was known only to the local curate. From wherever he had come, the man was there voluntarily to atone for his sins by enacting the role of Christ making His way to Calvary. So popular is the part that it is booked solid for the next 40 years by applicants, gamblers, adulterers, ex-convicts all seeking peace of mind. Now our first reaction to a thing like this is to condemn it as a pitiful distortion of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

        We know that no one can ever find peace, peace with God, peace of mind that way. Self punishment will never pay for our sin. If this sinner in Corsica went all the way and finally died on the cross, it would have been of no value to him in so far as his salvation is concerned.

        A lost sinner cannot save himself, not even by imitating Christ and suffering what He suffered.

        The gospel is the good news that Jesus bore the cross for us, that He made atonement by His cross. The way we can share in the benefits of His cross is to believe that He was crucified for us and that if we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our sins will be forgiven, all because of what Jesus did for us.

        If the New Testament (the entire Word of God) teaches anything, it declares that it is by His death that Jesus became our Savior. It was by the shedding of His blood.

1 John 1:7 (KJV)
⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Ephesians 1:7 (KJV)
⁷ In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Acts 20:28 (KJV)
²⁸ Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

1 Peter 1:18 through 1 Peter 1:19 (KJV)
¹⁸ Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; ^{19 But} with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

Revelation 5:9 (KJV)
⁹ And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

III.   The New Birth Is Not Imitating The Life Of A Christian.

        Let me explain it this way. Suppose a law was passed which stated that a person must be born an American citizen before he could be elected to a certain office. A man from another country comes to this nation and desired to occupy this position. He is told that the law demands that one must be a born American citizen before he can occupy such place. He says:

1.         "I will change my name. I have been called one thing in my native land. I'll drop that and take an American name." He does so and he again attempts to be elected to this office. "I have changed my name" he says. But he is again told what is demanded by law. Simply changing his name was not enough.

           So many bear the name of a Christian. "Sure, I'm a Christian" they say. "I'm not heathen, I'm not a infidel, not Mohammudans." Many bear the name of a Christian but not the nature of a Christian and there is a vast difference.

2.         "I will change my dress" he says. "I will renounce my native dress and dress like an American I will wear only the accepted style of the present day." So he changes his dress and again seeks the office. When asked "Are you a native born American?" he must answer. "No, but I have an American name and I dress like and American." He is told that he is not eligible because of what the law demands.

           "I will adopt American manners - the American way of life. I will lay aside the customs of my native land and live like an American." So he adopts American manners customs and again seeks the office. Again he is asked if he was born in America. He must answer that he was not. And again he is turned aside and told what is demanded by law.

           I fear that so many have adopted Christian manners. They are members of the church and attend rather regular the services, have some form of religion observed in the home, etc. This is all good in its place but all this is of no avail whatsoever for admitting them into the Kingdom of God because they've never been born of the Spirit.

3.         "I will adopt the American language. I will put away my native tongue. I will not only change my name, change my dress, adopt the American customs, but I will talk like and American. I will adopt the American brogue. I will then be thoroughly Americanized. May I now occupy the office?" The answer is still no, for the law demands that the one who occupies that office must have been born an American.