It is Not I Who Have Been Born Again
2003-09-29 11:30
First of all, thanks and praise be to the Lord who makes us grow in the knowledge of the truth and lets us be renewed day by day.
I am a sinner because I am a natural man who was born of a descendant of disobedient Adam. Even though a sinner has been born a hundred times over, he is still a sinner. That's because he is by nature the children of wrath. If I say that I have been born again, that is a lie itself because it means that I have entered a second time into my mother's womb to be born.
Being born again does not mean that the flesh is born again, but that the spirit is born again of God. The Bible speaks about those who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Therefore, I who was born of the flesh am still the old self, and he who was born of the Spirit is the new self. In 2 Corinthians 12:2-5, it is written about it, "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know--God knows. And I know that this man--whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows--was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses."
It is not I but he who is from above and is in Christ. Here we can distinguish between me from below and him from above.
A new heaven and a new earth are the kingdom which not flesh and blood, but he from above will inherit. And also, not my righteousness but his righteousness can remain in the kingdom. The Truth says in 1 Corinthians 15:50, "I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable."
Therefore, the kingdom of God is not my kingdom, but his kingdom. In Matthew 6:33, it is written, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." And also, it is written in 2 Peter 3:13, "But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness."
His righteousness is not man's righteousness, but God's righteousness which is from above. So the Bible says about man's righteouness from below, Romans 10:3, "Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness."
The Bible testifies in 1 John 3:9, "No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God." Consequently, I am a sinner, but he is a righteous one.
Without distinguishing between those, the natural old self would falsely say that he does not sin himself, or say, against the truth, that the new self who was born of God can go on sinning.
In 1 Timothy 1:15, Paul said about the sinner who was born of the flesh, "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst."
The Bible refers to him who was from above as 'one who is born of God'. 1 John 5:12 says, "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." And again, Philippians 1:21 says, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."
It is not I but he who is born of God. It is written in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." As it is confessed in the above, he who lives by this faith is the man of God.
He who has the man who is born of God has treasure in jar of clay. He who has treasure in jar of clay has eternal life. He lives only by faith. In Hebrews 10:38, the Truth says, "But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him."
The Lord said by his apostle, Romans 8:13-14, "For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God."
The message of the cross is the way to salvation, not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. So he does not think of the country he has left, but he longs for a better country and goes there. This is the very man who is not in the flesh but in the Spirit, and there is no condemnation for him. This gospel is the eternal gospel. Thank you, Lord.
He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old." Matthew 13:52. Amen. Thanks be to the Spirit of truth, who lets us know this truth.
The least brother, Kim Yun-gu
I am a sinner because I am a natural man who was born of a descendant of disobedient Adam. Even though a sinner has been born a hundred times over, he is still a sinner. That's because he is by nature the children of wrath. If I say that I have been born again, that is a lie itself because it means that I have entered a second time into my mother's womb to be born.
Being born again does not mean that the flesh is born again, but that the spirit is born again of God. The Bible speaks about those who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Therefore, I who was born of the flesh am still the old self, and he who was born of the Spirit is the new self. In 2 Corinthians 12:2-5, it is written about it, "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know--God knows. And I know that this man--whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows--was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses."
It is not I but he who is from above and is in Christ. Here we can distinguish between me from below and him from above.
A new heaven and a new earth are the kingdom which not flesh and blood, but he from above will inherit. And also, not my righteousness but his righteousness can remain in the kingdom. The Truth says in 1 Corinthians 15:50, "I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable."
Therefore, the kingdom of God is not my kingdom, but his kingdom. In Matthew 6:33, it is written, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." And also, it is written in 2 Peter 3:13, "But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness."
His righteousness is not man's righteousness, but God's righteousness which is from above. So the Bible says about man's righteouness from below, Romans 10:3, "Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness."
The Bible testifies in 1 John 3:9, "No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God." Consequently, I am a sinner, but he is a righteous one.
Without distinguishing between those, the natural old self would falsely say that he does not sin himself, or say, against the truth, that the new self who was born of God can go on sinning.
In 1 Timothy 1:15, Paul said about the sinner who was born of the flesh, "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst."
The Bible refers to him who was from above as 'one who is born of God'. 1 John 5:12 says, "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." And again, Philippians 1:21 says, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."
It is not I but he who is born of God. It is written in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." As it is confessed in the above, he who lives by this faith is the man of God.
He who has the man who is born of God has treasure in jar of clay. He who has treasure in jar of clay has eternal life. He lives only by faith. In Hebrews 10:38, the Truth says, "But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him."
The Lord said by his apostle, Romans 8:13-14, "For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God."
The message of the cross is the way to salvation, not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. So he does not think of the country he has left, but he longs for a better country and goes there. This is the very man who is not in the flesh but in the Spirit, and there is no condemnation for him. This gospel is the eternal gospel. Thank you, Lord.
He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old." Matthew 13:52. Amen. Thanks be to the Spirit of truth, who lets us know this truth.
The least brother, Kim Yun-gu
