Chapter 34 - Birth

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Only one person has ever lived the Christian life. It is Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the Christian life. He graciously desires to share His life with the redeemed members of the New Testament church. Consequently, they have the privileged opportunity to live the Christian life by faith in His shared, indwelling life.

Shared Life

God initiated a selfless, irrevocable covenant before the foundation of the world by which He could justly share His life (zoe) with undeserving, fallen mankind. (Isaiah 53:10; John 6:39; Titus 3:5-7; Hebrews 6:19-7:3; 7:11-8:6; 9:11-17, 23-28; 10:5-10, 19-25; 12-14; 29-39; 11:1-12:17; 12:22-29; 13:10-14; 20-21; etc.) Though the covenant is not necessarily mentioned by name in the Bible, it is not difficult to discern its presence in both Old and New Testaments. Recognized as the Eternal Covenant, its fundamental stipulations included the sacrificial death of the Son and His resurrection to new life by the Father. Throughout history, its benefit has been applied to the elect by the Spirit of God.

The primary benefit of the Eternal Covenant is twofold. It has provided the elect with new law and life.

The new law of the Eternal Covenant is the “law of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 9:21; Galatians 6:2) It is also described as the “law of faith,” the “law of the Spirit of life (zoe) in Christ Jesus,” the “perfect law,” and the “law of liberty.” (Romans 3:27; 8:2; James 1:25; 2:12) The law of the Eternal Covenant is often referred to in this book as the “rule of life.”

The new law of the Eternal Covenant reveals the grace of the Savior and provides guidance for holy conduct. In contrast, the old rule of law, the “law of sin and of death” was given to reveal the transgression of the sinner and provide boundaries for sinful conduct.

The new life associated with the Eternal Covenant is life shared with Jesus Christ, the divine mediator of the covenant. During this present age, it is fulfilled by instrumentality of the New Testament church through means of regeneration and spiritual birth. The church cooperates by grace through faith alone.

Regeneration

Sharing life with Jesus Christ necessitates the regeneration of fallen human life (psuche). To generate means to create or produce. Therefore, to generate life is to create or produce life. In contrast, to degenerate means to decline or fall to a less desirable state. Degeneration of life speaks of a decline in quality of life. Regeneration means to reform or recreate in a new and improved state. To regenerate life is to reform or recreate life to a new and improved state.

In the Bible, regeneration is a gracious act of God by which He reforms or recreates degenerate mankind into a new state of life. It makes him organically compatible with God and therefore, suitable to accommodate His indwelling life (zoe).

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Spiritual Birth

Jesus said, “… unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) The phrase “born again” can be translated from the original Greek language as “born from above” or “born of the Spirit.” In contrast to physical birth derived from human parents, it refers to a spiritual birth that originates from God.

Resurrected with Christ through the divine act of spiritual birth, the “Spirit of life (zoe) in Christ Jesus” permanently resides within the regenerated spirit of the redeemed. (Romans 6:4-6; 8:2, 9; 14; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 1:27; 1 Peter 1:23-25) As a result, Christ and the regenerated are joined together in an eternal union of shared, spiritual life.

Resurrected with Jesus to an inseparable union of shared life, the redeemed are provided with a new, righteous source of life (zoe) by which to live the Christian life on earth. Paul proclaimed his recognition of his new, spiritual life source by stating, “… Christ lives in me ….” (Galatians 2:20); “To live is Christ” (Philippians 1:20); and “Christ…. is our life (zoe)….” (Colossians 3:4).

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No Greater Privilege

Born of the Spirit of Christ, mankind becomes one with God in the most intimate sense possible, yet without compromising the integrity of either. The heavenly, eternal life (zoe) of God indwelling man does not abolish, replace, or even compromise the human personality. Rather, it is the path of recovery for fallen man, allowing him to experience life in fullness as God intended.

By His indwelling presence, God ensures the gradual transformation of regenerate mankind into the image of Christ. He does so through a progressive renewal of the human personality, gradually setting it free to express the attributes of His indwelling life (zoe). (Romans 8:29) Consequently, sharing life with God does not replace or reduce the human identity. Instead, it recovers mankind to a position of incomprehensible glory.

Through divine act of regeneration and spiritual birth, the New Testament church is privileged to enjoy an intimate union of shared life with Jesus Christ. There is no greater privilege.

Relative to the graciousness of God, the New Testament church is not called to perform impersonal, religious works for God. Instead, joined to Christ by an intimate union of life, the New Testament church is utterly blessed to live on earth with God by faith alone. Its spiritual, living (zoe) works, demonstrative of faith, are not its own. “Prepared beforehand,” they are the fruit of the indwelling Spirit of Christ. (Ephesians 2:10; Galatians 5:22-23; James 2:14-26)

“For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life (zoe).” (Matthew 7:14)

© 2023 James Hiatt

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