The Gospel and the New Birth

"Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." 

(Jesus Christ to Nicodemus, John 3:3)

There is certainly a great deal of misunderstanding on the topic of the new birth in Christendom today. I believe that regeneration is as broadly misunderstood in our day as it was in the time of Christ and that a great many professing Christians stand to benefit from the exact same lesson that the Lord Jesus Christ taught Nicodemus some 2000 years ago. Consider the following:

Regeneration Precedes Faith: What Others Mean vs What PBs Mean.

The new birth is an incredibly important Christian doctrine. When it comes to having a proper understanding of our eternal salvation, few doctrines provide as much explanatory power as the bible's teaching on the new birth. Nowhere is this more true than when the new birth is represented on a timeline along with the exercise of faith. Since both the new birth and the exercise of faith are events in time, it follows that there are only three possible timely relationships between the two.

Reflections on How to be Born Again by Billy Graham

Subtitle:  How does man perform a monergistic act of God?

It may be that there is no man in the 20th century more well-known, influential, and respected in all of Christendom than the Reverend Billy Graham.  I can recall a time years ago when I made a statement among a group of fellow believers in opposition to the teachings of Billy Graham and was confronted by a combination of horror and astonishment.  From the looks on some of their faces, one might have well concluded that I had just uttered the most blasphemous phrase ever to take flight from human lips, something on the order of, "This here picante sauce is made in New York City!"

The Problem of "If We Ask" Salvation

Theologian, we have a problem...

In a recent Internet conversation with a fellow Christian of another order, I was confronted with the following statement:

"Being saved by grace is a gift from God that He gives freely to all, if we ask Him." (Anonymous)

This belief is by far, by FAR, the most common belief regarding eternal salvation among professing evangelicals today. So universally accepted is this statement that to oppose it places one outside the camp of Christianity in the eyes of a great many professing Christians. Matters of popularity notwithstanding, what is the proper response to such a statement in light of the testimony of the scriptures?

Born Again: The Doctrine of Effectual Calling by Elder Michael L. Gowens

By Elder Michael L. Gowens

The hour is coming and now is when the dead 

shall hear the voice of the Son of God, 

and they that hear shall live. (John 5:25)

"Sovereign Grace" is an expression calculated to suggest that God is sovereign in the salvation of sinners. What does that mean? It means, specifically, that He takes the initiative, moving toward man to bestow salvation, not because He is obligated to bless, but because it is His sovereign pleasure to bless. There is no external compulsion upon the Almighty to bestow salvation on sinners. It also means that God is in absolute control of the work of salvation and nothing can thwart His plans. There are no external limitations upon His power. God is sovereign in the salvation of sinners.

Total Depravity Requires Immediate Holy Spirit Regeneration

No desert road is too remote for the grace of God.  

It seems that most Christians believe in something other than immediate Holy Spirit regeneration. Many will suggest that the grace of eternal salvation is imparted to God's people through means - either by the gospel, or by repentance and faith, or by church membership, or by the so-called sacraments, or by water baptism, etc. Primitive Baptists have long held that the impartation of eternal life is not by any such means but rather by the direct or immediate operation of God upon a subject that is spiritually dead.