There is a sad truth today in Christianity that has permeated the hearts and minds of Christians around the globe and that is a majority of Christians do not know beyond a shadow of a doubt whether they are saved and have eternal life. Much of this is caused by teachers and preachers that have a lack of understanding of salvation and inject into the church doctrines that cause confusion and doubt about whether one is truly saved. You have the reformed theology with its Calvinist leanings that has crept into so much of Christianity where one wonders if he or she has been selected by God for salvation or whether they have lost the election and condemned to hell with no way to reverse the “divine decision.” You have those who say you can lose your salvation and if you do not live a life worthy of the gospel God will revoke your status as saved, undo the blood of Jesus Christ and the payment on the cross for your sins, denounce you as no longer His child and give you a ticket to hell. It is grace with a caveat as the gospel of grace becomes the gospel of works. Even some have come up with the word “hyper-grace” to describe a warped view that you must not have too much grace for salvation as if the fullness of God’s grace can be measured or limited. The grace of God is put in shackles because it is just too hard to believe that God can save me without any help from me. In some way, shape or form, we want to be at the center of our salvation. You have others who cast the seeds of doubt into salvation for an entire lifetime as they teach if your works do not reflect Christ than maybe you will never saved in the first place. So Christians live each day in fear whether they are truly saved and remained confused as they wonder if they have the proper fruit to get into heaven’s door. Some take sections of Scripture that were written to Israel and try to apply them to the Christian church that causes deep misunderstanding of salvation as we think Jesus may curse us in the day of judgment and say “Depart from me I never knew you!”
I could go on and on about these winds of doctrine that have caused Christians to be blown about in doubt and fear about their own salvation. It is amazing how many main stream popular Christian authors and pastors believe that salvation is not permanent and can be lost. This plays right into the Devil’s schemes because he does not want you to be certain about your salvation. He wants you to doubt whether you have eternal life. He wants you confused about your eternal destiny. He wants you to believe in a theology that the grace of God is not good enough and must be helped along by our own works. If you doubt your own salvation, you are not going to go very far in your walk with God. Your faith will be weak, your love tepid and the gospel message will be water-downed and powerless. This is why it is so fundamental that we know as Christians we have eternal life, we are saved and no power in hell or earth can change this wonderful truth. The Bible declares that God does not want us ignorant concerning spiritual matters (I Corinthians 12:1).
I John 5:11-13: And This is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.
God does not want us to question or doubt whether we have eternal life. He does not want us to wait until we die to find out. God wants us to know right now with certainty and confidence that you have eternal life. He wants us to know and experience as a vital living reality that we have eternal life. So many professed Christians do not know if they have eternal life. So many teachings have infiltrated the church that at their root they get us to doubt whether we are truly saved.
Romans 8:38,39: For I am convinced [and continue to be convinced—beyond any doubt] that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the [unlimited] love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Are you convinced that nothing can separate you from God’s love in Christ Jesus our Lord? No theology, no doctrine, no teaching, no power on heaven or earth and not even ourselves can pull God away from us. We are attached like super glue throughout all eternity. Do you see why the Devil is constantly attempting to attack and erode this truth! To know that you have eternal life is a game-changer.
John 10:28,29: And I give them eternal life, and they will never, ever [by any means] perish; and no one will ever snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater and mightier than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
The word “perish” in the Greek means “to destroy, to put out of the way entirely, to put an end to, to ruin, to be lost, to be killed, to be rendered useless, to give over to eternal misery in hell, and to incur the loss of eternal life.” God has given us eternal life as a gift through the finished work of Jesus Christ and we have the promise we never ever perish, be lost, sentenced to hell or be put out of the way. No one has the power to snatch or seize us from God’s hand.
John 6:37,39: All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
All forms of the teaching that you can lose your salvation are ultimately rooted in the idea that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is not enough and we have to do something to earn our salvation and eternal life. The grace of God is not sufficient for these teachers. Is is so hard for the human mind to understand grace and that they have nothing to do with earning, qualifying or being worth of the gift of eternal life. Christianity does not begin with the word “do” but the word “done.”
Romans 5:1-5;8-11,15,17: Since then it is by faith that we are justified, let us grasp the fact that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have confidently entered into this new relationship of grace, and here we take our stand, in happy certainty of the glorious things he has for us in the future.3-5 This doesn’t mean, of course, that we have only a hope of future joys—we can be full of joy here and now even in our trials and troubles. Taken in the right spirit these very things will give us patient endurance; this in turn will develop a mature character, and a character of this sort produces a steady hope, a hope that will never disappoint us. While we were still helpless [powerless to provide for our salvation], at the right time Christ died [as a substitute] for the ungodly. 7 Now it is an extraordinary thing for one to willingly give his life even for an upright man, though perhaps for a good man [one who is noble and selfless and worthy] someone might even dare to die. 8 But God clearly shows and proves His own love for us, by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Therefore, since we have now been justified [declared free of the guilt of sin] by His blood, [how much more certain is it that] we will be saved from the [b]wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, it is much more certain, having been reconciled, that we will be saved [from the consequences of sin] by His life [that is, we will be saved because Christ lives today]. 11 Not only that, but we also rejoice in God [rejoicing in His love and perfection] through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received and enjoy our reconciliation [with God]. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
We have nothing to do with the free gift of righteousness and eternal life. It is by the death and resurrection of one man Jesus Christ. It is a free gift of abundant grace. God is not give us a gift and yank it back. God’s gift of grace in permanent because it is the form of a divine, new birth. A birth cannot be reversed; it cannot be undone and it cannot be erased. We have all heard the terms “born again” and “new birth” but do we understand what they mean. Any Christian who believes you can lose your salvation does not understand the new birth. The new birth emphasizes the wonderful truth that salvation is permanent.
Even as fundamental to the Christian faith as the new birth is, it is still misunderstood by a vast majority of Christians. What is the new birth and what does it mean? Why does God use the word “birth” to describe salvation? Just recently I heard in a sermon the pastor say that it is the new birth is a metaphor. This means it is a figure of speech of comparison and not a literal truth. A metaphor suggests a strong resemblance, but it is not literally applicable. In a metaphor, a word or phrase that properly describes one thing is used to describe another. “Computer memory” is a metaphor. Whatever storage devices computers have, we know they are not a true memory. “Computer memory” borrows language that properly applies to humans. Is God comparing salvation to birth merely as a figure of speech of resemblance when literally there is no birth? Or is a there actually a new birth as a definitive literal truth? The new birth is not a metaphor. The new birth is not a figure of speech. It is a birth. Being “born again” does not just borrow the language of birth; it truly is a birth, as the synonym “new birth” implies. I would estimate that most of Christianity thinks the term “new birth” is a metaphor in Scripture and this robs them of knowing this glorious truth of the gospel that we are talking about a literal spiritual birth just as real as the physical birth.
You must understand there is a physical birth and there is a spiritual birth. The spiritual birth is only available through Christ. There is no new birth in Islam. There is no new birth in Buddhism. There is no new birth in secular humanism. There is no new birth with the Dali Lama. There is no new birth in Scientology. There is no new birth in politics or liberalism or conservatism. There is only new birth available in Christ.
John 3:3-7: Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again (from above), he cannot see the kingdom of God.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?5 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.6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
There is a birth of the flesh when we first came into this world. There is also a birth by the Spirit. The first birth of the flesh, the physical birth, to be born of a woman, is to be born of water. When a mother is in labor and about ready to give birth, the baby in her womb is surrounded by amniotic fluid. Amniotic fluid is a biological liquid similar to dilute sea water. The baby develops and grows completely submerged in amniotic water. Even the child’s lungs are filled with water until it is born and takes its first breath of air. But before it can do so the sac must rupture or be cut open in a caesarean operation. What do doctors and midwives call the natural rupture of the amniotic sac at the time of birth? They call it the “bursting of waters.” Every human comes into this world born of water, floating in the amniotic sac where it has grown in it mother’s womb knitted together by God Almighty.
What is even more amazing than the physical birth is the spiritual birth. It is just as real as the physical birth. It is to be born of the Spirit or to be born from above.
Three different Greek words are used in the Church epistles to describe this new birth: Anagennao from the Greek prefix ana, “again” or “up,” and gennao, “to give birth.” It means to be given birth to again, or to be born again, and it occurs in 1 Peter 1:3, 23. Paliggenesia from palin, “again” and genesis, “genesis” or “origin.” It means to have an origin again, a new genesis, and it occurs in Titus 3:5. Apokueo from the Greek prefix apo, “away from,” and kueo, “to be pregnant.” It means “to give birth to,” and it occurs in James 1:18.
God gave birth to us in Christ. We have a new origin, a new genesis in the new birth and God was pregnant and give birth to us. How awesome is this?
1 Peter 1:23:
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
KJV: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
Phillips: For you are the sons of God now; the live, permanent Word of the living God has given you his own indestructible heredity.
The first time you were born was because of a seed that is planted in you at the time of your fleshly birth. You have the seed of your earthly father planted in your mother and it became you. The seed remains in you your entire life until death. It cannot be removed or changed. You are always your mother and father’s son or daughter because of seed. This cannot be undone and it cannot be erased. Because of Adam’s sin, it was a “corruptible” seed, that is, the life it generated will not last forever—it will eventually die. But when one is born again, he is born of incorruptible seed. It is indestructible heredity and will never perish. We cannot lose seed and that is why you cannot lose your salvation. You become a son or daughter of God at the time of the new birth and you then always God’s son or daughter because of seed. Seed cannot be lost, erased, wiped out or removed.
God’s use of “birth” to communicate what happens in Christian salvation is amazingly clear. The very second God puts His imperishable, spiritual seed in a person, he is born again. God calls the seed He puts inside Christians “imperishable,” because it does not die or go away. It stays in us forever, so its effect, our salvation, is “imperishable” too. When a person acts on Romans 10:9, and confesses that Jesus is Lord and believes that God raised him from the dead, God our Father puts a spiritual seed into that individual. That “seed,” like any seed contributed by a father, grows into a baby, which is then birthed. As every parent knows, the predominant truth about a birth is the presence of a baby, who is “permanent.” The birth cannot be undone. Surely God would not use three different words for “birth” if there were not an actual birth, or if we could not apply the concepts of birth, such as permanence, to what happens when a Christian is “born again.” “Birth” is permanent, both in the flesh and in the spirit. In birth, the nature of the parent is passed down to the offspring, and so in the new birth the nature of God is passed to believers. It is a new divine nature created in you at the time of the new birth.
2 Peter 1:3,4: His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to[c] his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
In the new birth we are partakers of the divine nature. The word “partakers” in the Greek means “to fully share.” The word “nature” means growth by natural production (lineal descent, hereditary seed), a genus, and origin by birth. The word “divine” is Theios which refers to the one true God. When we are born again, we fully share in God’s divine nature. We are God’s children by birth, His genus, His divine seed, and His sons and daughter by a miraculous act of creation. The Bible uses the word “create” to describe the new birth and create means to bring something into existence that did not exist before. We are a new creation in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
E.W. Kenyon powerfully states:
We are linked with God. He is now our
own very Father. We are utterly one with
Him. He is in us. We are in Him. He is
part of us. We are part of Him. We are
His children by nature. We are born of
Heaven. We are begotten of the Holy
Spirit. The Word has given us life. “Of
His own will He brought us forth.” The
union with the Master and with the
Father is beyond human intelligence.
The natural mind cannot not grasp it.
We stand in the presence of it, beggared
of the ability to fathom it, yet it is ours…
We are partakers of His nature. We are
born of His Spirit.
E.W. Bullinger, in his article “A New Creation” expounds on this new creation:
What is it to create? Not to change, not to
renovate, not to reform, not to improve,
not the old nature adorned and beautified,
not the flesh with its corruptions and lust
trimmed and trained; but it is the new and
Divine nature imparted, with all its spiritual
blessings and holy privileges. It is not the
old Adam made clean or religious, clothed
and adorned. No! It is something altogether
NEW. Therefore, in Christ Jesus, I am a partaker
of the Divine nature; I am a partaker of His
Resurrection-life, according to the Father’s
promise…A new Divine nature is not a mere
influence, is not a mere passing religious
feeling induced by ravishing music or pathetic
story, but a real existence in living union with
a crucified, risen, exalted, glorified, coming
Lord. What a glorious union!
How amazing is this new birth where we spiritually become a new creation and share fully in God’s divine nature that is birthed in us as His incorruptible seed!
Many people say that simply being born of earthly parents means you are a child of God. Unfortunately, this is not true, as every person born in this world inherits the nature of Adam and is dead spiritually and in bondage to their inherent sin nature (Ephesians 2:1). People need a savior, a mediator, a redeemer who can pay the price for Adam’s fall and all its consequences. A man or woman needs a new nature-a spiritual birth, whereby God creates His spiritual life and nature into a person, reconciles them to Himself, and gives them the full legal standing as a son or daughter.
In one of the greatest revelations to the church, the book of Ephesians, the word “create” is used again to describe the new birth:
Ephesians 2:8-10: For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
What a wonderful summary of this teaching. Although we mouth it, when will the church believe deep in its heart that we are not saved by works, not even one? When will we believe that not one iota of salvation is of our own doing? When will we truly believe salvation and eternal life is a gift and not a wage? We are God’s masterpiece, His workmanship and we have been created in Christ Jesus. Then God has given us the power and ability for Him to energize the good works within us. The new birth is to be created in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 4:24: And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
The new birth is referred to as the new man created within us.
The “seed” of God is His nature. God is “holy” and God is “spirit,” and we are sealed with the gift of holy spirit at the time of the new birth.
Ephesians 1:13
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
ESV: In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.
This verse contains a number of significant truths. First, we received holy spirit at the time we believed. Acts 2:38: “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” There is a general misconception today that one can be born again without receiving the gift of holy spirit. This is impossible as the new birth is God creating the divine nature in a person which is the gift of holy spirit. This is a whole teaching by itself and there is often a confusion between receiving (dechomai) the spirit and receiving (lambano) it into manifestation. There are nine manifestations of the gift of holy spirit set forth in I Corinthians 12 that each born again believer can operate. The new birth is to be born again of God’s spirit and to be sealed with the holy spirit. Each believer is “sealed” with holy spirit. This is new! No one in the Old Testament, Gospels, or Revelation is said to be “sealed.” Quite the opposite! God took His holy spirit from King Saul when he sinned (1 Sam. 16:14). Psalm 51:11 records that after committing adultery with Bathsheba and having Uriah killed, King David asked God not to take holy spirit from him. The word “sealed” indicates that we are permanently sealed with holy spirit. Someone might say, “Well, if you sin, God breaks the seal and takes holy spirit away.” If that were the case, why say we are “sealed” at all? Why not just continue the terminology of the Old Testament and Gospels and say that holy spirit is “upon” us? Logic demands that if God uses a totally different vocabulary that is unique to the Administration of Grace, He must be letting us know that something is new and different. The holy spirit we receive is the “promised” holy spirit. It was promised in the Old Testament for the Millennial Kingdom, the 1000-year reign of Christ, but given to us now as a surprise by God’s grace. The very fact that it was promised in the Old Testament and Gospels means that the people of those times did not yet have it. If we have spiritual seed, holy spirit, are born again, and have been sealed by God, then our salvation is guaranteed. Scripture says exactly that. No one can unseal what God has sealed especially not ourselves.
2 Corinthians 1:22
[God via Christ] set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit [spirit] in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
2 Corinthians 5:5
Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit [spirit] as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
Ephesians 1:14
who [the holy spirit, which] is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
Those three verses say that our future is guaranteed. There are versions of the Bible that do not translate the Greek word arrhabon as “guarantee,” but instead use “earnest,” “pledge,” “deposit,” or something similar. The Greek word arrhabon means a deposit in advance that guarantees the full payment to come. For Christians, that means we are guaranteed being Raptured into heaven and given new, immortal, bodies. Once a person is born again of God’s holy spirit, his salvation is guaranteed, that is, he is not in danger of the “Second Death,” which is when everyone who is not allowed into God’s Eternal Kingdom will be thrown into the Lake of Fire and burned up (Rev. 20:12-15).
Because the Christian is uniquely born again of God’s imperishable spiritual seed, sealed with holy spirit, and therefore guaranteed salvation, the very presence of holy spirit permanently born in us gives us a divine nature as 2 Peter 1:4 states.
In 1 Peter 1:23, we see that one’s new, spiritual birth comes via hearing and believing the Word of God. 2 Peter 1:2 and 3 speak of the “knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” as the means by which we learn how to become partakers of the divine nature. It is in God’s Word that one finds the knowledge of how to get born again. Where is this in the Word?
Romans 10:8-10
(8) But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:
(9) That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
(10) For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
The “word of faith” is that Word of God one must believe in his heart if he wants to be saved. Saved from what? Death. What saves you from death? Life. How do you get life? Birth. Thus we see that to be “saved” is the same as to be born again. Simple, huh? Let’s allow another section of Scripture to clarify just what it means to be “saved.” Note the “liquid” terminology.
Titus 3:5-7:
He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but because of His own pity and mercy, by [the] cleansing (bath) of the new birth (regeneration) and renewing of the holy spirit [no article “the,” read “of holy spirit”].Which He poured out [so] richly upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior.
so that we would be justified [made free of the guilt of sin] by His [compassionate, undeserved] grace, and that we would be [acknowledged as acceptable to Him and] made heirs of eternal life [actually experiencing it] according to our hope (His guarantee).
In these verses, we can clearly see that to be “saved” (from death) is to be born again and simultaneously receive new life in the gift of holy spirit. In the words “cleansing bath” and “poured out,” we see the liquid analogy—the reason why we call God’s divine deposit within us a “liquid asset.” The word “richly” indicates that God did not hold back anything when He gave us the gift of holy spirit. We are justified, freed from the penalty of sin by His undeserved grace and made heirs of eternal life. It is guaranteed.
Three great statements of the Lord Jesus Christ’s goodness follow the formula for salvation in Romans 10:9 and 10.
Romans 10:11-13
(11) As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.
(12) For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile— the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,
(13) for, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will (absolutely) be saved.”
If you needed financial help, would you ask a poor man or a rich man? A poor man might desire to help you, but he would lack the means. A rich man has the means to help, if he wills to do so. The Lord Jesus became poor by giving his life for us, and God raised him from the dead to the riches of a limitless inheritance (Heb. 1:4). That is why he is rich unto all who call on him. He gives a gift to each one. This gift is the holy spirit that Jesus received from God, and gives to each person who believes in him as Lord. The first time that the exalted Lord Jesus did this was on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:33). This gift of holy spirit is the “earnest” (Eph. 1:14—KJV), or guarantee, that your “earthen vessel” will, at his appearing, be replaced by a perfect body like the Lord’s.
Other scriptures talk about the miracle of the new birth and further enlighten our understanding.
I Peter 1:3,4: Blessed [gratefully praised and adored] be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant and boundless mercy has caused us to be born again [that is, to be reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose] to an ever-living hope and confident assurance through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 [born anew] into an inheritance which is imperishable [beyond the reach of change] and undefiled and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are being protected and shielded by the power of God through your faith for salvation that is ready to be revealed [for you] in the last time.
We are reborn from above because of God’s abundant and boundless mercy. We have an inheritance awaiting us in heaven. It is imperishable, undefiled and unfading and specially reserved for you. God does not want you to doubt this. He does not want unbelief to fill your heart when it comes to eternity. You have a reservation in heaven for Christ’s second coming to enjoy your full inheritance as a son or daughter of God. It will never perish, fade, or be revoked. You have a permanent reservation with your name on it that became yours with your new birth in Christ. You cannot be scratched off the list; you cannot be bumped, and it is the ultimate VIP reservation that God has ordained for you. Nobody can take that away from you, because it is in God’s loving care and He is keeping it just for you. The good hope includes this incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that is legally yours in Christ because of the grace of God. The Bible tells us some great things about this inheritance, but you will just have to wait until the return of Christ to see how immense and wonderful it truly is. You never have to doubt your home in heaven for with the new birth in Christ your entrance into heaven is guaranteed. Rejoice in this good and blessed hope every day, as Romans 12:12 declares, and let the good hope become a sure and steadfast anchor of your soul.
I John 5:1, 4: Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
We have the inherent power in the new birth that when energized with our faith can overcome the world and all its fears, circumstances and problems it throws at us.
Galatians 4:4-7: But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons (one word in Greek and more accurately translated “sonship”). 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
We are literally sons or daughters of God by this new birth. It is not a figure of speech because we bear His divine seed within us. The Aramaic word “abba” is an intimate family expression that denotes the tender address of a child to its father. It could be translated “dear father”, or “father, father” and in today’s modern vocabulary would mean “daddy” or “papa.” “Abba” signifies the deepest bond of love and affection and the intimate, close relationship of a father and child. The Greek word “cry” means: a loud cry expressing deep emotion and confidence. God sent His Son to purchase our freedom and bring us into a deep intimate relationship with the Father as His cherished son or daughter.
James 1:17,18: Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of lights [the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens], in whom there is no variation [no rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [for He is perfect and never changes]. 18 It was of His own will that He gave us birth [as His children] by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits of His creatures [a prime example of what He created to be set apart to Himself—sanctified, made holy for His divine purposes].
Salvation is a good perfect gift from God above and it was his will and purpose to give us birth as His children when we believed. Reflect on this great truth-you are a child of God! How much worth do you have to the Heavenly Father?
Why is there so much confusion on eternal life and salvation? One main reason is not understanding the different administrations in the Bible and “to whom” a scripture is addressed. All of Scripture we can learn from, but we cannot confuse sections of Scripture written to Israel or the Gentiles in a different administration and try to apply them to the Body of Christ. It is imperative to understand that Scripture makes it clear that only in the Church Age, the Administration of Grace, is salvation guaranteed. One of the greatest truths of Scripture is that God has dealt with people differently at various times through history. For the accomplishment of His purposes and the benefit of His people, God has periodically changed the “rules” by which He wants people to live. Theologians call the time-period governed by a specific set of rules an “administration” or “dispensation.” The systematic theology that recognizes these different administrations or dispensations is referred to as “Dispensationalism.” There are seven distinct administrations throughout the Bible and I do not have time to get into the details of each one in this article. The administration we are living in now is call the age or administration of grace. There is no New Birth outside the Administration of Grace. It began on the Day of Pentecost, and will end with the Rapture of the Church. It is only for the Age of Grace.
Also the Bible says clearly that each born again believer is a part of the body of Christ. This also illustrates the permanency of salvation as God is not going to chop off a part of the body if we do something wrong. I Corinthians 12:12-. 12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves[d] or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. We have a permanent place, part and function in His body which was chosen by God and cannot be reversed or forfeited.
I John 3:1,2: Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
The word “children” in the Greek means: true offspring or genuine children by birth, and posterity. The word “beloved” in the Greek is from the word agape, which we have previously studied, which emphasizes the preciousness of the object loved. It is to love with wonder and admiration, prizing the worth of the person loved. It means to cherish with reverence and to have an internal feeling of satisfaction, kindness, and regard for the beloved person of His affection. God cherishes you; God prizes you; God values you; God admires you; God treasures you; God counts you worthy to be called His son or daughter. We are God’s beloved, esteemed, unique, dear, favorite, true and genuine offspring and birthed children in Christ.
By the grace of God, we received a new divine nature of Christ within us when we were born again that is now a part of who we are and what we can become. We can make a deliberate decision to manifest the character of Christ one work, one thought, and one word at a time. However, this is not a solo task, but we have the help of our Heavenly Father every step of the way. God is working mightily within us to fashion us in the image of Christ as we live, move, and breathe in His presence resting upon the foundation of His Word.
To be birthed by God with a new divine nature and filled with the gift of holy spirit is also referred to as having Christ in you.
Colossians 1:25-27: Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
What an awesome truth that Christ in is you and you are part of His body. You have been filled with all the fullness of Christ from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet. He is in every cell of our body and he permeates every part of our being. When you go to work, it’s Christ in you; when you go to school it’s Christ in you; when you go to the grocery, it’s Christ in you; when you go shopping at the mall, it’s Christ in you; when you drive in your car, it’s Christ in you; when you wake up in the morning, it’s Christ in you, and when you go to bed at night, it’s Christ in you. He is our new life, and all the power, riches, glory, and honor of Christ the risen Savior dwells and lives in you. Christ in you is your new divine nature that God has freely given to you by His loving grace. Christ in you does not fade; Christ in you does not dissolve or disappear; Christ is in you each and every second you draw breath, from this very moment in time throughout all eternity. You are not worthless; you are not downtrodden; you are not second-rate. You have tremendous value, worth, and honor because you have Christ in you, the hope of glory. He is a part of us and we are a part of Him. He is the eyes behind our eyes, ears behind our ears, mouth behind our mouth and heart behind our heart. Christ permeates every cell, every hair, every molecule, and every fiber of our beings. It is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Christ does not dwell in some fancy mansion on Rodeo Drive in Heaven, but he lives and dwells in you. Christ’s home is in you. Christ is alive and living in you.
A.W. Tozer, in God’s Pursuit of Man, says, “He does not distribute Himself that each may have a part, but to each one He gives all of Himself as fully as if there were no others.” All of Christ’s love, all of Christ’s heart, all of Christ’s strength, all of Christ’s compassion, all of Christ’s ability, all of Christ’s peace, all of Christ’s humility, and all of Christ’s power are a part of the poetic masterpiece of the new nature that God has created within us. He has given Himself fully and without measure to each one of us in the Body of Christ. No one has been left out. No one is lacking. This is almost too much for the mind to comprehend or the heart to grasp. We are full of the nature of Christ, and nothing is lacking or missing in this new nature. This is an unlimited resource of sufficiency, no matter what is happening on the world stage. There can be wars, recessions, violence, and evil of every kind imaginable that fills the earth, but we are still complete in Christ.
Think about this wonderful truth! The fullness of Christ dwells in you! We are not filled with an idea or a philosophy or an influence or a sensation or an experience, but we are filled with the living, breathing Christ. Christ is at the center of our spiritual new nature. His magnificent fullness flows into every nook and cranny of lives. When we let him be Lord of our lives, it overflows like a mighty river out of our lives into the valleys of human need in our communities. This mighty river never runs dry as its source is the unlimited fullness that we have in Christ.
God no longer dwells in a physical location, but He dwells in you, because of the mighty work of Christ in the new birth. From the moment you are born again, you have a divine union with God, and God in Christ dwells in every part of your being. You have a new spiritual divine nature born within you and have access to your Heavenly Father every second of the day. You are a son or daughter of God by birth. You are filled with all the fullness of Christ. You are filled with all the fullness of God. We know God is for us, and we know God is with us, but now God is in us. We must become God-inside minded.
God new this wonderful plan of the new birth before the foundation of the world. Out of the heart of God’s intense love for you came a strong desire and delight to bring you into the family of God by the new birth as a precious son or daughter. God took great pleasure and satisfaction in planning before the ages this good design and blueprint for your life so that He could make you His honored child. Nothing gave Him more joy than preparing to bring you into His heavenly household and to bestow on you all the glorious rights and privileges of sonship. God longed for ages to wrap his loving arms around you and say, “Welcome home my child; I have waited for this moment before all time.” This is the most awesome plan of all the ages that originates out of the intense, everlasting longing of God to call you His very own beloved child. This plan did not originate in our good works or accomplishments. It is what God wants, it is what God desires, and it is what God longs for. Above all else, He desires to have children and to have a family that He can adore, love, nurture, protect, cherish, and fellowship with as a loving Heavenly Father. God is the ultimate designer, and there is no more prestigious mark in the universe than to be marked out as God’s very own and allow Him to stamp your life with His design. People pay thousands of dollars to wear and display the mark of Gucci, Prada, Dolce Gabbana, or Versace. God is much more of an awesome designer than any earthly label, and how much more should we be proud to display His mark of sonship, declaring to the world that we are His son or daughter? You cannot get any cooler; you cannot get any better; you cannot get anymore distinguished then to be declared own God’s child.
When we were born again, we received the greatest source of power ever given to a person-the gift of holy spirit (Acts 1:8). This spirit of God birthed within us is the very energy and power of God Almighty. We are filled with all the fullness of God. We have been made fully alive in Him. What a power source! What an incredible amount of energy! Do you realize how much power is living within you as a Christian? This is not the power to destroy, hate, condemn, judge, or ridicule. This is the power to live like Jesus Christ did upon the earth and touch the hearts of people with the love and compassion of God.
This new nature in Christ is God’s ability living within us and gives us the inherent capacity and ability to do His good works upon the earth. As Christians, we decide to make this stored powerhouse of God’s energy within us kinetic energy, when we move out into the world trusting God, having faith in His Word, walking by the spirit, living love, and renewing our minds to the Scriptures. Great power is released from the manifestation of the spirit of God in our lives, and miracles, wonders, healings, changes, deliverances, and transformations take place in the lives of all those we touch with the power of God.
The movement of God’s spiritual energy given to us in Christ produces works of goodness that break the power of Satan in a person’s life and bring great wholeness and deliverance. This energy source of God that lives within us will never diminish, never short-circuit, never be subject to shortages of power, and as a great fire of God can burn away every chaff, every bondage, every depression, every prison, every oppression, every misery, and every fear. This great source of holy spiritual power cannot accomplish the good work of the Lord unless this spiritual energy becomes kinetic and moves out from our lives into the valley of human need. We must move by touching people with His love, healing people with His Word, delivering people by His power, helping people with His abundance, and bringing the goodness of this gospel of power and salvation to all the world. These are the good works that can be produced by the awesome energy and power of God after our new birth.
Perhaps no verse in Scripture sets forth the truth of this awesome ability and power of God that lives within us, and what it can accomplish, better than this verse in Ephesians:
Ephesians 3:20 (Amplified): Now unto him who, by (in consequence of) the action of His power that is at work within us, is able to carry out His purpose and do superabundantly, far over and above all that we dare ask or think {infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes or dreams. New Living Translation: Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
This is a wonderful benefit of the new birth, that God can be at work within us with unlimited power above to do infinitely more than we ask or think.
What a glorious privilege it is to be a son or daughter of God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! You have full legal standing as a son or daughter with absolute heavenly legal rights declared by the court of heaven, and no earthly or satanic power can diminish, take away, or extinguish. You cannot forfeit these legal rights; they are innate, given to you as a born again child of God. These rights are part of your inheritance as a child of God, which God has decreed with all the authority of His inalterable Word as they are firmly rooted in God’s love, pleasure, purpose, and declaration for you.
What are some of these legal rights and privileges of sonship? You have a legal right to eternal life and a home in heaven. You have a legal right to victory over the devil and his authority on the earth. You have a legal right to freedom from the bondage of sin and all its consequences. You have a legal right of deliverance from fear, worry, anxiety, and doubt. You have a legal right to the Father’s protection and care. You have a legal right to use the name of Jesus Christ in prayer, invoking its authority and power. You have a legal right to be more than a conqueror in any situation. You have a legal right to overflowing joy in all of life’s circumstances. You have a legal right to the peace of God ruling in your heart, no matter how intense the problem or trouble. You have a legal right to the wisdom of God. You have a legal right to confidence and boldness. You have the legal right to have all of your needs met according to God’s riches in glory by Christ Jesus. You have a legal right to do all things and be ready and equal to anything through Christ who strengthens you. You have a legal right to salvation and wholeness in every area of your life. You have a legal right to perfect health and deliverance from all forms of sickness and disease. You have a legal right to prosperity and overflowing abundance in your life. You have a legal right to be completely free from every form of depression, condemnation, guilt, misery, despair, and any other type of mental bondage. You have a legal right to live and walk in the revolutionary and life changing love of God that proceeds from the heart of God. You have a legal right to be changed at the return of Christ and receive a new body unlimited in scope and dimension. You have a legal right to all the blessings of your inheritance in the family of God. You have a legal right to the goodness of God abounding in every area of your life. You must know your legal rights in Christ and boldly and fearlessly walk in them all the days of your Christian life.
Do you see why the Devil does not want us to know we have eternal life? Do you see why the Devil does not want us to know the great truths of the new birth and our divine nature in Christ? He wants you to doubt your salvation for it is hard to get past square one if you do not know these truths of your salvation as a vital living reality in your heart. May we never doubt our God and His eternal purpose and plan of salvation. May we know with great confidence that we have eternal life and walk in a manner worthy of that calling.
Tim Rowe
Goodness of God Ministries
