The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit, lesson 8 question 5 to end

We are in lesson eight, got a couple questions to finish up. I think we're in question five. And we answered the question before about in the new birth, is it sinless nature? No. We have two natures now. We have the flesh and the sinful nature. We also have a new life, a new spiritual life that is sinless. So we have two natures within us. So continuing on the birth aspects, now it's the contrary, what the negative is.

What isn't? the new birth? What isn't the new birth? And this is really, I think, I might put this, yeah, I think this is one of those ones where, what is the typical, maybe, church look at what birth is, a new birth? What isn't it? We touched a little bit on it during one of the other questions, probably the first thing. What isn't uh... it is not a cleaning up or changing of the old nature it isn't mere profession of faith or just repentance and it isn't by the will of man but of god good good other thoughts? is it, you know i touched on it, is it asking jesus into your heart? I think that's a common one. I think that's where, you know, if you ask most people, it's asking Jesus into your heart.

No clue about the identification, the co-crucifixion. You know, I think the other aspect is that you now have the indwelling Holy Spirit that now allows the old man to function better. And that's not what it is. It's not a, you know, indwelling of the Holy Spirit to allow me to be a good person now. and a good new human.

And that's where I think, unfortunately, I think a lot of people, and especially the law-based people, it now allows me to better keep the law. And now that I have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, I can now keep that law, even though there's not a chance of me being able to do that. But that's what they feel. and some of the things that, some of the studies, the lady studies and that, they've kind of, now you can work on the law. Now I can do those things. And the 10 commandments, yeah, we're gonna keep them all, yeah.

For my four and five-year-old grandkids, you know, I kind of cringed when they said I asked Jesus into my heart, but as far as they understand, I think it's okay for them. They'll grow into a knowledge of Christ, a more correct knowledge as they age. And this is one of those things where, and I think there are millions upon millions of people who are believers based on the simple truth of Christ. dying for their sins and they need Christ. I think there's millions of people who are believers, but they are just in the nursery because they're always trying to be better, do just all the things we're saying about, I can keep the law now. Now the Holy Spirit is going to make me be a good person, you know, and all this, they don't realize the transactions that we see in the identification that there is a new life in me, a new spiritual life in me, and that positionally, God has co-crucified me with Christ, and now my past is gone. He sees me in Christ. That's when the growth happens, and I think there's billions and millions of people who have simple truth and simple faith. but they just they don't grow because they don't have the understanding of those things.

Even the new spiritual law written in our hearts, Romans 8.2, you've got to be careful, it's not the same thing. It's not the law, we don't need to obey that law, the 613 commandments, new commandments or whatever. We're going through Hebrews that, you know, and they quote, you know, about it's written in their hearts now and there's no need and all that, but that's in the millenniums. That's the kingdom, you know, that it's written on their heart and all that, but that's not now. And so a lot of misinterpretation of scripture. So yeah, there's just a lot of things.

Is it, is it a water baptism? Is that new birth? Is that part of you have to be baptized? I was going to bring that up. That's actually a really popular teaching for the Church of Christ, which my wife grew up in. So that was her identification with having become a believer. You must be baptized. It was a doctrine of Church of Christ. And so, even the Baptist faith, which I grew up in, used to be Southern Baptist most, but yeah, there was a heavy, heavy lift on getting that done. It didn't have the significance that the Church of Christ had, but, and I'm not just trying to call out denominations, I'm just saying this was our background, but yeah, it was, In the South, it's a big, big deal.

Yeah, I think you're right. I think this is one of those ones where you are not a believer until you're baptized. Yep. And it's like, wait a minute, what? But yeah, so the significance of baptism is first and foremost. And that is not. That is merely a public showing of what's transpired internally to you. And it's not a requirement. It's just a public proclamation. It has nothing to do with salvation or anything. It's just publicly saying what's transpired inside of you.

Yeah. The other one that comes to mind is coming down to the altar, professing your faith, which is interesting because I didn't know when a pulpit became an altar, but at some point it did. And you got to get down there at some point, and you got to probably have to do it a few times. You know, after, and this kind of goes back to history, and actually through my dad, actually, you know, the old Billy Graham crusades and stuff, and the things, and he, I used to work right next to their headquarters, literally in the next office. Got to know a lot of them, and I know they get slammed a lot, and I think this is where A lot of baby believers, they're believers, but they're gonna, they're babies, and they'll be there for a long time until they get the correct teaching. But they were very good at, you know, even in the altar call. I remember I went with my dad, and he was in my high stadium, and they did the altar call, and he's like, well, are you going down? I said, no, I'm pretty well good where I'm at. I'm not bad. I'm kind of there. Well, aren't you going down? No, no. Well, I'm going. So he went down. Yeah.

And they gave the gospel to him. And emotional in that years later, I found his Bible and it said the day he accepted the Lord. And not a lot of manifestation, obviously. But they were really good at getting the basic gospel message. And they had tried to have follow up with local churches. They try and set up a lot of different things. But they get slammed because of the altar call.

So yes, I agree, but in some cases it works. You know, God uses all different methods. I don't think he really, like I said, didn't have a lot of growth, but so. The other one kind of, go ahead. I do agree. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. Oh, no, no. And I totally agree with you.

It's just in some instances, you know, God uses all the, it's like the guy down, and I haven't seen him in years, the guy who was down at Coors Field screaming the scripture, You know, screaming and yelling at people. I'm like, really? But God, for some reason, allows him to do that. And is there somebody that's walking by that's just changed by that? I have to accept that God is using that method. and and otherwise the bolt of lightning should come down and obliterate him but God allows him to do that.

Well otherwise Les wouldn't be a believer. That's how she grew up. I wouldn't be a believer if I didn't go to the altar. Not necessarily. I'm just saying that those christianese practices that are introduced into and like asking Jesus into your heart and so forth. I sympathize with what you're saying there. Courtney, in the sense that it's not ideal, but it doesn't mean the Lord's not working in those people's lives, right?

I had a flight. I went down to see a friend down in Alabama when I was in high school, coming back on the flight, and I was feeling really bad and bummed, and I got stuck on a flight, and the guy beside me just tried to pound the gospel in me for two and a half hours. And I was not a believer at that point. And I was like, if I could jump off this plane, I would jump out of this plane. If I could change seats, I'd change seats. But I got two and a half hours of this guy just in my face with the gospel. And I thought, man, I will never do this.

But guess what? Years later, I'm thinking, you know, things he said, and all this kind of stuff. God uses all different methods, I guess. It happens. I think I have Bill Fay, who is the guy who I've talked to many times. He was the head of the mafia here and had all sorts of stuff. Guy said one time that, I have a piece that you don't have. Years later, that's when he was in prison. For a little bit of time, he remembered that, and that changed his life.

I don't doubt how God works. He works in all sorts. it which is the one in one of paul's epistles it says that uh... even when you do it in their wrong uh... collation yet it's it's even if i do it in a wrong motives or something uses it so i think there's some of those things it's it's it's it's it's uh... When John said, you know, this guy's preaching the gospel, and Jesus said, if he's not against us, he's for us. Leave him alone. Let him continue. Like I said, God uses everything. Hey Courtney, I was going to tell you about, I was in a Bible study with a guy, he was a New Yorker. That's your first problem. No. I know.

He was a business guy. And at lunchtime, he would go down on the street and just stand by the front of his building and say, can I share the gospel news about Jesus Christ so you can be saved eternally? I'd say, I'm not interested. He said, great, go to hell. And he'd go to the next one. Well, that's another way. That's a direct sale way. I don't have as good a story as Rust has on that.

But I remember in college, I was part of Athletes in Action. And so we would go to the Texas Tech campus and meet with athletes. I was so perturbed about the tracks. Do you know what I'm talking about? The track. Yeah, we don't use those anymore very often. So I wrote a bunch of new ones, trying to get it right. And it's like, oh my gosh, looking back on that, had I just used the word of God and let that be the, you know, The penetrating message, it would have been great, but I worked really hard on some tracks growing up. My general, and this is for believers, that wasn't a mistake. Mike always says, he goes down and he said the wrong thing at the wrong time. No, he didn't.

God allowed that. God used it for his purposes. He is in control of it, and he allows you to do that, even if it's, not wrong, but he's using it to grow you. And now you can look back at that and see the word. I mean, I don't think there's mistakes. I think God allows these things, and he's using it for his purposes. He uses all things. Remember, it's all things.

That includes the trials and the, quote, mistakes. So, I think, you know, again, when we think it's wrong, you know, as Mike, when he said, whatever you said, you go down and you said the wrong thing at the wrong time to the wrong people or whatever.

Yeah, and I'm thinking that's my finger pointing. You're looking at that, but God has gotten three more pointed back at you. He's working on you that day. Not the guy you think you were there to work on. There were a lot of those days. Yeah, and I mean, it's still in my life. There are still days like that.

I'm thinking whatever, and God is working on me, not whoever I think I'm working on. So again, I just rest in fact because it's sovereign God using all this. I'll bring up another one. What about asking God to forgive your sins? That's another one that, yeah, what do you think about that? Are you a believer or not? Not a believer, and a part of salvation is to ask God to forgive you your sin. I don't see that in the Bible. It's not in the Bible. It's not there. For either believer or unbeliever.

I mean, I guess we got 1 John 1-9, but that's still a conditional recognition of something that's positionally already true. Right. Well, and the whole issue of salvation is that Christ has already put your sins away. My faith in that fact doesn't require me to confess. I don't think the confession, but I think you have to know the need. Yeah, you do. And I think that's where the crossover, the problem happens. If I don't know, I'm a sinner. Well, you don't need a savior. Why don't I need a savior?

That's right. So I think you have to know that you're a sinner and that he's paid for them. That's the basic gospel. OK. So I think you have to come to that understanding, because you have to have a need. Otherwise, you're not going to have to decide sometime. Yeah.

All right, here's a tough one. How about repentance? well you're hitting on every catholic thing that's none of these are catholic none of these are catholic confession? no confession of sins but that's after the fact that's what you need to work on that's kind of the post era We could do a whole study on repentance and compassion for that matter. Yeah, we've pushed a little. But the other question is, one of the ones is, is it making a commitment to Christ?

Oh, that's a good one. Is that what new birth is? No. No. And that's a big one. Lord of your life. Oh, that's a good one, too. You're pulling out all the stops. Oh yeah. I know where to put this question. It's like, boy, there are several of them in here that you can pull out. Yeah, that's a big one. And the Brethren Church, that was a big one.

Being Lord of your life, MacArthur, and all the things that brought out that you have to do that. He has to be Lord of your life. Although, I just looked at, I meant to, I have it in my notes in my reading, there was something about Lord and heart together.

And I can't, I'll have to look at that verse again. I have it written on my desk, but it was like Romans 10. Was that no, no, it's, it's, it's further on. It's, I don't know if it was in Hebrews. Cause I'm in Hebrews right now. I read through, and there was something about that. And it was like, I think it had heart and Lord. I'm like, wow, that's a twofer on that one. I'll get it next week. Anyway, so any other do nots on the new birth?

As far as repentance goes, Mike mentioned repentance. Repentance comes after salvation. Repentance is just turning from one thing and turning toward another. You do that after salvation. That's not a requirement for salvation. I might add that I think it's part of it in terms of your understanding about why would you think that you needed a savior because you understood you were lost. Well, the very fact that you've arrived at the understanding that you do need a Savior is a change of mind. Yeah, that's what I said. I'm kind of like ambivalent on this, and JD, I think you're right.

We could have a whole study on repentance because, I mean, you really have to have a change of heart of who Christ is. But it's not in the common vernacular of use of the repentance. But I've got to change all my behaviors. I've got to change. I've got to stop drinking before. I've got to stop whatever before I accept the Lord. Right.

So I think that's more kind of where the repentance term gets kind of contorted. So I would add that. Yes, there can be repentance with regards to the definition of it being a change of mind after becoming a believer about certain things. There can be areas of your heart that are turned from one thing to another. But the area that I think the scripture speaks about specifically with regards to uh... salvation is that happens at the moment of belief you're turning from believing in one source to believing in the lord jesus and that that's that that's the saving repentance but it doesn't mean that there's not a change in mind over time maybe we could apply it that term to other areas but yeah i agree alright uh...

So yeah, the other, which one of the other, which kind of touched on living a good life with the help of the Holy Spirit. That's the, that's now, that's not part of the new birth, the shine out the old guy. So again, it's reminded that new birth is no light thing. It's not a, it's not profession or it's, it is merely repentance, but it's actual birth. You got to have death first, we talked about death first, and then, What? Birth. Birth. So life. OK. In question six, is there more to regeneration than just birth in Titus 3, 5 through 7?

I'll read that. He saved us not on the basis of deeds, which we have done in righteousness, but according to his mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing it by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ, our Savior. So that being justified by his grace, we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy statement. I added a number eight in there, verse eight.

So from the Titus passage, what more is there to regeneration than new birth? you said it's her life he justified justified seniors that's i think the key right there is yet airs you didn't do you think there's a price do you understand what that means you're an air now you are part of a family and what's that family god's family that again is uh... i think do we take this lightly That new birth puts you into a new family, the family of God, the God of the universe, the one that holds every star in place, every moon, every cell in your body holds it. We are now part of that family.

I mean, just thinking about that and what that means is incredible. I think it's really important because when you think about birth, you think about, oh, I'm part of something that's eternal, and it's great, and I'm saved. But you don't think about the family aspect of it as much sometimes. It seems to escape us.

Yeah, I agree. And that's, you know, the John 17 with our union, you know, and where he just richly pours out about how we are now, you know, us and we and talking about that, this union that we have with Christ and God, the Father and the Holy Spirit, you know, that's our family. And then all amongst us, too. You know, we're all part of that family. I mean, that's not as great looking at you guys as it is looking at God, I hate to say that, but we are all part, especially Mike, he's turning around, he's getting cranky over here.

No, I mean, it is, but you realize, actually, I mean, when you meet a believer, there's a... Special. A union, you know, it's just different. What's interesting about that is that one of the reasons, or motivations, for believers to be together is exactly that. I don't come to hang out with believers just because I belong to a denomination that I'm supposed to be in church. It has nothing to do with it.

It has to do with hanging out with family. Well, family and the other, which you're touching on in your message, or the messages, is all the gifts to edify each other. Our gifts are to build the body up. You know, we come together. That's why we're together, is to build each other up. Because we are a family, you know, but the head of our family is God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

Man, that's not a bad family tree. You know, like have a family picture, you know? Sit there, it's incredible. It's not something to be taken lightly. We are a God family. You're gonna go to Lake Powell, you didn't invite all the people in your neighborhood, you have no idea who they are. Yeah. It's family that's going. Yeah. You know. No, family is special, but we have a special family now. That's exactly right. Not just our earthly family, but it's incredible. Yeah.

You know, they have the, you know, like John 17 is still, I think one of my favorite section of scripture, just talking about the union that we have with Christ and God. We have that right now. Not to be discovered, we're gonna discover it in a whole different way when we shirk our fleshly bodies, but right now we have that union, right now. That's incredible.

Anyway, let me just quickly read a quote from a write-out on this. I've quoted the connection as showing that the subject before the apostle includes more than new birth, going on to heirship, and taking in justification. The word here is not the same as in the third chapter of John.

It is the same word as used in Matthew 19.28, where it refers to the millennium, the new surroundings for God's regenerate earthly people. Thus, the cleansing in Titus is one which implants a new nature and looks on to the full surroundings of the new creation. It would, I should say, include new birth and more.

I will merely, before leaving this branch of our subject, remind you that this new birth is no light thing. It is not profession, nor is it merely repentance, but it is actual birth. Then, too, it is the sovereign, gracious act of God. It is not of the will of man, but of God.

And then I just thought for some more things from the rebirth, just a couple of verses. I love these ones. Colossians 3, 3 and 4, for you have died. So we died and now we have a new birth. Your life is hidden with Christ in God. Is there a better position to be in? Yeah, when Christ who is our life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. Incredible verses.

And then I did pull something out of John 17. I do not ask, John 17, 20 through 24, I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in me through their word, that's us. that they may all be one, even as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me. The glory which you have given me, I have given to them, that they may be one, just as we are one, I in them, you in me, that they may be perfected in unity. So that the world may know that you sent me and love me and even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that they also whom you've given me be with me where I am. So that they may see my glory which you have given to me for you love me before the foundation of the world.

That's family. And then Galatians 2, I was like, I've been crucified in Christ, it's no longer I live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me. Just incredible truths about our new birth, our new life, our new family.

So, any thoughts before we turn it over to JD? I just have one quick one. Nevermind. JD. I was going to say a very life-changing thing for me was we talk about justification. And basically, when it says that we're justified, it says that God literally declares us to be righteous. that we are literally righteous, because he declared it has nothing to do with me being righteous in and of myself. And that is a mind-boggling truth to wrap your head around. Justified before the God of the universe.

Yeah. Yeah. And nothing ever wrong. Any other thoughts? Sorry, JD, I thought I'd be through the two questions. I apologize. No, it was a great lesson. Thank you so much. We'll hit lesson nine next week. Any other final thoughts before we close? All right, let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you. We thank you again for this time. We thank you for your scripture. Thank you that it's the living word.

And the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which we're studying, is the one who just convinces us of these truths that we have. And the truth that we, just this family aspect. that we are now, as in John, the union that we have with you, father, your son, and us, and the family aspect of that, that we are heirs, heirs in your family. And that's just incredible. And that was nothing of what we've done. It's the free gift that you gave to us through salvation in your son. It's incredible. We just thank you for that.

We thank you for what that means in every one of us who have believed in your son. And we just, we thank you again that you have given us the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And that is something that we take for granted many times about how he's working moment by moment in our lives, even in our trials, our mistakes, and our blessings, he is working 24 seven every day, every minute, every second of our lives. And we thank you for that. And it's not out of malice and punishment, but it's to draw us to your son and to conform us ultimately to the image of your son. And we thank you for that. So we just pray for the next meeting, again, that be true to your word and just prepare our hearts to receive it. We thank you for this time. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.