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Spiritual Birth
(From Forerunner Commentary)

The first law of science is the fact that only life can beget life. Life cannot come from the not-living. Life could not have gradually come into existence from nothing. God could not have gradually come into existence. God and the Word always have coexisted—without father, without mother, having neither beginning of days nor end of life—but living from eternity through eternity. Out of matter God created the fauna and the flora—animal and vegetable life. We might classify all existence in kingdoms. The mineral kingdom, the plant kingdom, animal kingdom, human kingdom, angel kingdom, and the God Kingdom. Man was created in the human kingdom, and potentially may be born into the God Kingdom. But religionists who boast of being already "born-again Christians" are sadly deceived. The ultimate creation of man—to become God—necessitated the development of godly character within him. So at this point notice the system of duality in this ultimate God creation. Physically, man was made complete in two stages; first male, then the addition of female. Spiritually and mentally, he was to be made complete in two stages; first a human mind empowered by a human spirit. Even as God had supreme mind, man was made with human mind. But in mind and spirit man was not yet complete. To complete his physical creation, once the female was added to the male, they became one as a human family. So, in the spiritual creation, the addition of the Holy Spirit of God must be added to the human spirit. This makes the man spiritually at one with God. But even at this stage the principle of duality is still in force. Once the Holy Spirit is joined with his human spirit his human mind is complete, but he is still a human, now begotten as a God person. He is only an heir of God, not an inheritor of the God Kingdom. He is only begotten, not yet born as God. The duality principle continues. Human birth is the precise type of God birth. In the woman is an egg cell called an ovum. It possesses potential life. Yet unless fertilized by the human sperm cell from the body of the father, it has a life span of less than 28 days. The male sperm cell on entering it endows it with the start of human life. But to call it already a born human compares to the deceived calling themselves "born-again Christians." On conception the ovum is called an embryo. It must grow physically, fed through the mother. By four months, when taking on human form, it is called a fetus. It continues through a period of gestation for nine months from conception to parturition, when it is born. The first human, Adam, was created, as we might say by analogy, a spiritual ovum. He had only a temporary physicochemical existence. If "fertilized" by the male divine sperm of God (His Holy Spirit—actually God-life), he would have been begotten, but not yet born as God. But God is supreme perfect spiritual character. Before Adam could even qualify to be begotten into the God Family, he had to choose between the way of God and the way of Satan, who still sat on the throne of the earth. Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986) A World Held Captive

John 3:2-8  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) The "we" in verse 2 implies that the divine identity of the messenger and the source of His message was known to the Pharisees. But they were carnal people, concerned with protecting their status as rulers under the Roman government, not with receiving revelations from God. Jesus perceived the import of Nicodemus's first words. His message was the good news of the coming world government of God'that is, the kingdom of God, which shall rule all nations with the government of God. These Jewish rulers feared that message. Jesus was of their race'a Jew. If they did not oppose Him, they feared being shorn of their power and perhaps put to death as subversives threatening the overthrow the Roman government. And the Pharisees thought Jesus proclaimed the immediate takeover of that rule! Therefore Jesus did not waste words. He struck straight through to the crux point'the Kingdom of God is not of this world'this time, this age'but of the world tomorrow'a different and a following age. Not composed of humans, but of immortals'the God Family! So Jesus said, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). Notice carefully that being "born again" has a vital connection with the Kingdom of God'with the fact that it is not of this time'this age. But Jesus' abrupt opening statement left Nicodemus confused. The religious leaders and the hundreds of denominations and sects professing Christianity today are confused and deceived! Today's religionists put a different twist on it than did Nicodemus, however. Nicodemus did understand clearly what is meant by being born. He knew it meant being delivered from his mother's womb. It meant being delivered into the world! . . . What Nicodemus could not understand was how'in what manner'anyone could be born again! And of course, being carnal-minded, he could only conceive of a second physical birth. But he knew what being born meant! Puzzled, he asked, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?" He was not confused about what is meant by being born. . . . He thought Jesus was talking about a second human birth. . . . His mind could not grasp spiritual things. Now Jesus had made clear that the Kingdom of God is something that can be seen'but not until or unless one is "born again." Not during his physical lifetime! Also, verse 5, the Kingdom of God is something a man may enter into'but not until after he is born again'another and entirely different birth. Here is the crux point that explains it all: Jesus said, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh: and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." Man is now flesh'human. He is material substance. "Dust thou art," said God to Adam, "and unto dust shalt thou return." Again, "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Genesis 3:19; 2:7). But, said Jesus plainly, when one is born of the Spirit he will be spirit! The Kingdom of God will be composed of spirit beings'not of humans! At birth of human flesh, one is delivered from his mother's womb into this world. When born of the Spirit, one will be delivered from the church of God (physical)'the mother of begotten Christians (Galatians 4:26)'into the kingdom of God (a Kingdom of spirit beings). Man is now composed of flesh'material substance'matter. When born again he will be spirit'a spirit being, no longer human. He will be composed of spirit'of spirit composition'with life inherent'with self-containing life'not then existing by the breath of air and the circulation of blood. Of the next age when the Kingdom of God will rule the world'the life after death'the next life'Jesus said, "They neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God . . ." (Matthew 22:30). Marriage is a physical, fleshly union. In the age of God's Kingdom, when "born again" we shall be spirit, not flesh. Born of God as spirit beings, no longer human. Angels are spirits'composed of spirit (Hebrews 1:7). Jesus did not say we shall then be angels'but as the angels'sexless and composed of spirit. Angels are spirit beings'created as such'but not begotten and born of God as God's own born children. We therefore shall be greater than angels! Jesus explained this further to Nicodemus: "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is everyone that is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). You cannot see wind. Wind is compared to spirit. It is invisible. That is why mortal flesh, as we now are, cannot see the Kingdom of God. Those who inherit it will be spirit'normally invisible to eyes still human. The apostle Paul made clear that the Kingdom of God is something a human may inherit, but not in this age'not while he is composed of material flesh. "The first man is of the earth, earthy [human]: the second man is the Lord from heaven [a divine God being]" (I Corinthians 15:47). This is what Jesus was saying to Nicodemus. He was of the earth, earthy'human. He was flesh, not spirit. He was born of the flesh, so that is what he was'flesh. When one is born of the Spirit, he will BE spirit. . . . But we cannot be spirit in this present age. There is a time element concerned with being born again into God's kingdom. Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986) Life After Death?

John 3:5-8  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) In connection with John 4:24, this verse implies that, since God is Spirit, if one is going to be born of the Spirit, he will be composed of exactly the same substance as God. To make it even clearer, Jesus gives an illustration in verse 8 so that no one would misunderstand His intention. Wind is invisible. When something gets moved by the wind, a person can see that object moving. He does not see the wind moving but the object. The wind, composed of air, is invisible to his eyes. This illustrates one who is born of the Spirit. Spirit is invisible but no less real than air. Nobody would argue that air, of which wind is composed, has no substance, for though it is invisible, it is made up of particles too small to be seen by the unaided eye. John W. Ritenbaugh Image and Likeness of God (Part 4)

1 Corinthians 15:47  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) This is what Jesus was saying to Nicodemus. He was of the earth, earthy—human. He was flesh, not spirit. He was born of the flesh, so that is what he was—flesh. When one is born of the Spirit, he will be spirit. Paul is here explaining the same truth. But we cannot be spirit in this present age. Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986) Life After Death?

Ephesians 2:10  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) The word "we" in New Testament language usually refers to Christians, as Paul intended in verse 10. We, then—if we are Christians—are God's "workmanship." We today are being "created"—why?—"for good works." God, with the Holy Spirit He has put within us, is forming in us perfect spiritual character! He is creating us in His own character-image! He is creating us to be the supreme masterpiece of all His works of creation—individuals who will ultimately be capable of exercising awesome powers in the universe! Man, the material creation, is only the first phase. Now the clay model has to be fashioned and molded by experience, with the aid of God's Holy Spirit, into the finished spiritual masterpiece. An analogy of this process would be a caterpillar going through a metamorphosis and emerging a beautiful butterfly. Man must undergo a spiritual "metamorphosis," or change—to emerge as perfect spiritual members in the divine God Family! What It Means to Be Born Again

1 Peter 5:1-2  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) The Father begets. He does not "bring forth"; the mother does that, later. After the father's part, which initiates the process, there is always a lapse of time leading to final birth. At the time of begettal, birth (parturition) has not yet occurred. In the case of human beings, it follows about nine months later. During the intervening time, just as the mother nourishes and protects the unborn son or daughter in her womb during the gestation period, so the true church is commissioned to nourish and protect true Christians in her spiritual womb—to "feed the flock." God's spirit-begotten children must be nourished on the spiritual food supplied by God—the words of Scripture—and live by every word of God, in order to grow up spiritually. If by the return of Jesus Christ we have grown and matured in spiritual character, we will become born "children of God," being "children of the resurrection" as Christ was at His resurrection. We will then no longer be subject to death (Luke 20:35-36). But if the spirit-begotten child of God does not grow spiritually, he can become a spiritual miscarriage. What It Means to Be Born Again

 

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