Water, Wind, & Fire
UNDERSTANDING THE NEW BIRTH AND THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRITBy Mac HammondHARRISON HOUSE
Copyright © 2001 Mac Hammond
All right reserved.ISBN: 1-57794-441-0Chapter One
You Must Be Born Again "Opinions are like noses. Everybody has one."Or so the old saying goes. And it's true. Regardlessof the topic (sports, politics, even the weather),everyone seems more than willing to offer his or herpersonal wisdom and insight on the subject.
This holds true in spiritual things as well. Varyingopinions about heaven, hell, and salvation abound.
Now, adopting someone else's opinion onwho's going to the Super Bowl is generallyharmless. But when it comes to matters of life,death, and eternity, you'd better have somethingmore substantial than some mere mortal's opinion.Tragically, many people don't.
Far too many individuals are staking theireternal destiny on what their parents, professors, ordenomination told them was necessary to enter heaven.
Others aren't quite sure how they came to theirconclusions about God and His kingdom. They justshrug their shoulders and say, "I've always believedthis way."
The truth is, there exists only one reliablesource of truth concerning matters of the soul andspirit-the Bible.
The Holy Bible is the divinely inspired Word ofGod. Yet millions of people today assume that theirill-founded opinions are good enough to answereternal questions.
The tragic result in each case is an unfulfilledlife here on earth and an awful eternity in hell.
Going to the Source
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Timothy 3:16,17
The Greek word translated "inspiration" in thispassage of Scripture literally means "God-breathed."All Scripture is breathed from the very mouth ofGod Himself: God cannot lie. Therefore, you callrely on the Bible as an infallible source.
Notice what else this passage says about Scripture.
l. It is profitable for doctrine-meaning it provides the basic tenets of the Christian faith.
2. It is profitable for reproof and correction-meaning it tells us what we should not do.
3. It is profitable for instruction in righteousness-meaning it tells us what we should do to live a godly life.
Finally, verse 17 tells us the end result of allthese things. "That the man of God may be perfect(mature, complete), thoroughly furnished unto allgood works."
In the next few pages we'll open the Word ofGod and see what this trustworthy source has to sayabout the most important question you'll ever face.Namely, what does it mean to be born again andfilled with God's Spirit?
These are the most basic of life-and-deathissues. Yet your human mind alone will nevercomprehend the secret of life. And try as they might,scientists will never unlock the mystery of the sparkof life or see beyond the veil of death.
Only the Word of God penetrates the cloak ofmystery that envelops these questions.
Chapter Two
The Second Birth To truly understand what it means to be bornagain, you must understand the nature andcomposition of who you are.
According to the Bible, the real you is not whatyou see looking back at you in a mirror. That bodyis merely a vessel-a container for the real you.
The Word teaches that you are a three-partbeing. The real you is a spirit. You have a soul. Andyou live in a body.
We see this division in 1 Thessalonians 5:23.
I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
These are the three realms of humanexistence: the spirit realm, the soulish realm, andthe physical realm.
The new birth and the baptism of the HolyGhost impact each of these realms in different ways.To understand either of these things, you must firstrecognize the three-part nature of who you are.
The Reality of Heaven and Hell
One of the most widely held beliefs today isthat death means annihilation. In other words, whenyou die, that's it. It's over.
Please don't fall for that lie. Death does notmean a termination of existence.
In the Bible, the word death is translated fromGreek and Hebrew words meaning "separation."Physical death is simply the separation of the spiritand soul from the body.
No, death is not the end. On the contrary, deathis merely a door that leads to one of two possibleeternal homes: one in heaven, the other in hell.
Spiritual death results when you are separatedfrom God, the source of all life. Spiritual life, onthe other hand, results from oneness with the Giverof Life.
One of the most vivid scriptural pictures of whathappens after death was painted by Jesus Himself.
There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. Luke 16:19-24
Did either of the men in Jesus' account cease toexist when they died? No, they both continued aconscious existence even while separated from theirphysical bodies.
The beggar was carried by angels into"Abraham's bosom" (also referred to as paradise).This was the place where the saints of God werehoused prior to Jesus' resurrection.
The rich man, who was not saved, went to hellwhere he continued to feel pain, sorrow, and anguish.
You are an eternal being. Death means only achange of residence from this earth to either heavenor hell.
What determines your destination? One thingand one thing only-your relationship with JesusChrist. Why is that so important? You'll find theanswer back in the Garden of Eden.
Adam's Double Defeat
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 2:7
When God first created mankind, He breathedinto his nostrils the breath of life. That included lifefor his spirit, life for his soul, and life for his body.That very same word "life" is used in Genesis 2:8,9.
The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
The phrase "tree of life" should actually betranslated "tree of lives." It was specially created tosupply life to the spirit, soul, and body of Adam.
That's why God commanded Adam to eat of itand every other tree in the garden except for one.
The Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Genesis 2:15-17
God gave Adam two commands. First, he wasto eat of the Tree of Life so God's "life" and powerwould be imparted to him on an ongoing basis.Second, he was never to eat of the Tree of Knowledgeof Good and Evil.
The penalty for violating the second commandwas death. Not physical death, mind you-spiritualdeath. Separation from God would be the result.
Thus Adam's disobedience was twofold. Ineating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil,Adam partook of that which he was commandednot to eat. This resulted in death and separation.
Secondly, he neglected to eat that which he wascommanded to eat, which would have resulted ineternal life.
As Adam's descendants, we each have a twofolddecision to make as well. We must not onlyreject evil, we must also partake of life.
Many people have fulfilled only the first half ofthat equation. They live good, moral lives by moststandards. They don't smoke or drink. They displayhonesty and integrity. They generally shun evil.Many even go to church and have been baptized inwater. Yet they still face an eternity in hell becausethey have neglected to partake of the Tree of Life.
Jesus, the Source of Life
For us, Jesus is the Tree of Life. He said:
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10
We must partake of Jesus if we are toexperience life in all three facets of our being.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation: but is passed from death unto life. John 5:24
What, then, must you do to partake of this life?How does one partake of Jesus, the Tree of Life?
Jesus answered a similar question for a mannamed Nicodemus in John 3:3.
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Jesus explicitly told Nicodemus that in order tosee heaven, he must be born again. This "newbirth" is the process by which we partake of theTree of Life.
Notice, Jesus didn't tell him that joining achurch would give him eternal life. He didn'tprescribe being sprinkled as a baby, living a goodlife, or any other good work.
There is only one way to see the kingdom ofheaven. "You must be born again."
The concept of being born a second timeconfused Nicodemus. Thinking only in naturalterms, he protested that it was impossible for a manto reenter his mother's womb. Jesus explained it tohim in verses 5-7.
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
Here, Jesus explains that the second birth occursnot in the physical realm of man's three-part nature,but rather in the spiritual.
Some people have misinterpreted Jesus'declaration that a person must be born both "ofwater and of the Spirit." They claim that thisscripture proves that water baptism is a means of,and therefore is necessary for, salvation.
This is simply not true. Of course, waterbaptism is an important point of obedience in thelife of a believer. But in the New Testament, water isfrequently a type, or symbol, of the Word of God. Inthis instance Jesus is merely saying that man isspiritually reborn through the Word of God and bythe Spirit.
This is confirmed in 1 Peter 1:23.
Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.
Here the Holy Spirit clearly links the process ofbeing born again to the Word of God.
Chapter Three
How To Be Born Again As you can clearly see, being born again is themost important thing you can ever do. All othergoals and aspirations in life pale in significancealongside the knowledge that you are going to liveforever with a loving heavenly Father.
As a result, you might presume that being bornagain is a difficult or complex process. Nothingcould be further from the truth.
There are basically three components to receivingthe new birth.
1. Repent
I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Luke 13:3
To repent, the first component, means tochange or turn around.
True repentance means recognizing that yoursinful life is wrong and that a change of heart, attitude,and direction is required. To repent is to reject evil.
2. Believe on Jesus
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting lift. John 3:16
The second component of the new birth process isbelieving in the deity and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Romans 10:9
3. Confess Jesus as Lord
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:10
The third component of the new birth involvesyour mouth. You must use it to sincerely confessJesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
When you believe on Jesus with your heart andconfess Him with your mouth, you are partaking ofthe Tree of Life.
Chapter Four
The Miracle of the New Birth You now know the three steps a person musttake in order to be born again. However, you mustunderstand that these steps do not cause the newbirth to happen. It is a miracle that can beperformed only by the Holy Spirit.
When you take these steps, you give the HolySpirit permission and freedom to do what only Hecan do.
If a person could be saved by merely followinga three-step formula, salvation would be based onworks rather than God's grace.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8,9
Your heart-belief and mouth-confession simplybring the Holy Spirit on the scene to create themiracle of the new birth.
Continues...
Excerpted from Water, Wind, & Fireby Mac Hammond Copyright © 2001 by Mac Hammond. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
