Growing In Godliness Blog
Salvation
What It Means To Be Born Again
Friday, June 14, 2024What It Means To Be Born Again
By Paul Earnhart
Nicodemus, the great Jewish rabbi, must have been shocked when Jesus said to him, “You must be born again.” (Jn. 3:7) There was nothing Nicodemus was prouder of than his first birth. He was born as a descendant of Abraham. He might well have described himself as another Jewish rabbi did: “circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews.” (Phil. 3:5) What better birth could a man have?
Jesus, of course, was not speaking of another physical birth. He was speaking of a figurative new birth. It was another way of saying that Nicodemus would have to make a completely new beginning. The first birth of Nicodemus determined his family relations, his nationality, his cultural heritage, his language, and even to a great degree his goals and values. All of these would have to become new for him. Many people talk of being born again without realizing the significance of the expression. The fact is no matter what a person may have experienced, if these changes have not taken place in their life, they have not been born again.
“How can a man be born when he is old,” Nicodemus asked? (Jn. 3:4) Perhaps you wonder that, too. Jesus answered the question, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (Jn. 3:5) The Holy Spirit changes the spirit of mankind. Jesus said, “that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (Jn. 3:6) This is accomplished through the word of God which the Spirit has given. Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:23 that Christians have been born again through “the word of God which lives and abides forever.”
But there is another part of the new birth. Jesus said that one must be born of water and the Spirit. The only act the New Testament describes involving water is water baptism. When the Spirit has changed the inner man, the outer man must be washed in the water of baptism. Have you been born of the water and the Spirit?
Jesus Baptized
Friday, October 27, 2023Jesus Baptized
By Paul Earnhart
When Jesus was about 30 years old, His cousin, John the Baptist, began his preaching campaign. “Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Mt. 3:1-2). John was preparing the way of the Lord.
Mark records in Mark 1:4-5 that John’s preaching included “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and the people of Jerusalem; and they were baptized by him in the Jordan river, confessing their sins.”
Verse 9 tells us that “in those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.” (Mk. 1:9) John was actually reluctant to baptize Jesus. John’s baptism was “for forgiveness of sins.” But Jesus had no sins, so “John tried to prevent Him, saying, ‘I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?’ But Jesus answering said to him, ‘Permit it at this time, for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness’” (Mt. 3:14-15).
From the very beginning of the mature life of Jesus, we see His firm determination to do everything God wanted done. Coming to John for baptism was not a convenient thing for Jesus. In fact, He had to walk about 60 miles from His home to get to the place where John was baptizing. He did not need baptism, as others did, for the forgiveness of sins. But John was a preacher from God, he was preaching baptism, and Jesus wanted to do whatever God wanted people to do. Do you want to do God’s will enough that you would walk 60 miles to do it?
Jesus has commanded baptism for us (Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38). Many people, however, hesitate. Some do not feel it is necessary; others complain that it is inconvenient. Such excuses are not Christ-like. He was determined to “fulfill all righteousness.” Are you?
When Jesus Was Baptized
Friday, October 20, 2023When Jesus Was Baptized
By Paul Earnhart
Mark records the baptism of Jesus in these words: “And it came about in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heaven opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; and a voice came out of the heavens: “This is My beloved Son, in Thee I am well-pleased.” (Mk. 1:9-11)
There are some interesting things here. One is the fact that Jesus was baptized in the Jordan river-not near it, but in it. Furthermore, He came up out of the water after His baptism. The word baptize means “to dip, to plunge, to immerse.” If Jesus was not immersed in the Jordan, there was no point in His going into it. Did you come up out of the water after you were baptized?
Another thing is made very clear…what Jesus did was approved by Heaven. The Holy Spirit descended upon Him as a dove, and God spoke in a voice from heaven, confessing Jesus as His Son.
The confession that God made is one that we all must make if we are to be saved. Rom. 10:10 says, “For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.” All men will eventually confess Him. Phil. 2:9-11 tells us that “God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
How much better to confess Him now…while we live…and be saved, than to wait until it is too late when we confess Him when He comes in judgment. If this confession is to be valid, however, it must be backed by complete submission and obedience to Him as God’s Son.
Gospel for All
Friday, August 11, 2023Gospel for All
By Larry Coffey
The Bible clearly teaches the gospel of Christ is available for everyone who seeks it. While reading a book on the life of Walter Scott, a preacher in the early 19th century, I noted two good examples of this fact. Scott moved to Carthage, OH, a small village near Cincinnati and lived there 13 years. When he moved there, the village was described as flourishing with drunkenness, profanity, idleness, and neglect of the public and private duties of religion. The single redeeming feature was a Sunday school where an incident of interest took place on Scott’s first visit.
In one of the classes was a bright girl about 13 years old, who, along with others, had to find the answer to the question, “What shall I do to be saved?” She searched her Bible and found the answer in Acts 2:38. When the day came for the class to answer the question, she was the only one with a ready answer. With a feeling of childish triumph, she quoted the passage: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Rather than receiving the teacher’s approval, she was disappointed to learn she had not given a satisfactory answer. Soon the class was over and the superintendent asked the same question. She rose and quoted Acts 2:38, but her answer was not approved again. She cried and wondered why her answer was not accepted. Just after this, Scott preached in the village school house and the little Sunday school scholar was present. To her surprise his text was the very passage she had read in Sunday school. Her response to his lesson was a request to be baptized. Her example caused six men to step forward and be baptized at the same time.
These proved to be the first fruits of a great harvest. Many more soon also obeyed the gospel. Among the converts was one who had long held in the village an unenviable notoriety—a poor fellow who was regarded as the most hopeless of an exceedingly irreligious and immoral population. He was a clever, dissipated good-for-nothing by the name of Parker. When it was announced in the village that a strange preacher was to be there to hold a series of meetings, for reasons unknown, Parker decided to attend. After a few nights of sitting on the back row, he came forward to be baptized. Needless to say, Walter Scott looked upon him with surprise and astonishment.
After Parker’s conversion, he made this statement: “I was as great a sinner as any of you; a drunkard, a gambler, poor, miserable, and wretched. But now I am redeemed from my former ways and have become a man.” As far as was known, both Parker and the 13-year-old girl remained faithful the rest of their lives. The cases mentioned show that the gospel can be brought to the comprehension of a little child and its power can be felt by one as wicked as Parker. Walter Scott’s labors resulted in planting a church that had 200 members within about two years from his first visit.
Frederick Justus
Thursday, June 25, 2020Frederick Justus
By Matt Hennecke
His name was Frederick Justus and his story is one of resistance and stubbornness. Over the years he refused to listen to the appeals of his own son and daughter-in-law as together they tried repeatedly to speak to him of Christ. Perhaps his heritage had something to do with it. He had come to America from Germany when just 18 years old. Germans, rightly or wrongly, have a reputation for being stubborn and unyielding. Perhaps he didn't think his own son could teach him anything. Perhaps it was unbelief. Whatever the reason, he was unyielding to the message of salvation.
And time marched on.....
Frederick Justus became a grandfather. First a granddaughter arrived in 1943, then a grandson in ‘50. Three years later another grandson and finally another granddaughter. Four in all. Despite Frederick’s gruff exterior, he loved his grandchildren. You could tell by the twinkle in his eyes. Whenever they came to visit they brought bedlam and left messes, but he didn't seem to mind too much. During those visits, the story of Jesus was mentioned, but still Frederick resisted.
And time marched on.....
With age comes maladies. Aches and pains at first, then more serious conditions. When Frederick Justus was 88 years old he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. More likely it was just old age. In the last few years he could hardly walk. His body was bent. He carried a cane. He sat more than he stood. Then, one day, he was hospitalized - Saint Joseph's Hospital in Chicago. His son and daughter-in-law visited, and despite the many times their message had fallen on deaf ears, they again spoke softly of the Son of God and of the hope of glory. This time something was different. This time Frederick listened. This time he heard. In barely a whisper, he at last said, "I want to be baptized into Christ."
The hospital was Catholic, so the son prepared for battle. Baptism as immersion doesn’t sit too well with Catholics. Additionally, the old man was very sick, but the son was adamant and stubborn. No surprise there, for he was German too. The son had as much stubbornness as his father - maybe more. Nothing was going to prevent the very thing he had prayed about for so many years. The doctor said “No,” so the son went to the charge nurse who thought the idea of a baptism wonderful. She said, “We don’t listen to doctors.” The nurse located a large metal bathtub with harness system that could be used to lower Frederick into the water.
On that day, the stubborn, self-willed, infirm Frederick Justus finally let go, and gave himself to Christ. He was baptized by his own son for the forgiveness of his sins, and the blood of Christ removed all infirmities of the spirit. He was born again into the kingdom of God.
A few days later, the hospital, unable to provide any further treatments for Frederick suggested he be admitted to a nursing home, but the son and his wife wouldn’t have it. An ambulance brought Frederick to his son's house. Three days after his arrival, at breakfast time, Frederick Justus coughed once and died. A Christian for a mere 3 days - a heavenly reward for eternity....
Frederick Justus Hennecke - my grandfather. I will see him again.
-Matthew Justus Hennecke