BORN AGAIN BY GOD FIRST FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD
"SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF
GOD AND ALL THESE THINGS WILL ADDED TO YOU." . Matthew 6: 33
The first three Gospels are mostly about the
kingdom of God. "Although the Cross was the primary mission of Christ on
the Earth, it was not his main message, nor was it considered as an end in
itself. Any careful study of the Gospels will reveal that the kingdom was the
primary message of the teaching of Christ." that statement was written by
a Dr. Earle E. Cairns, in his book, p. 54, "Christianity through The
Centuries."
According to Dr. Cairns, " Christ
taught that the kingdom will never be
realized by an historical Evolution process in which the Church by social
action prepares the world His coming. The Scriptures plainly teach that
the future eschatological, as
distinguished from the present ethical and spiritual phase of the Kingdom, will
be realized supernaturally and cataclysmically at the coming of Christ rather
than as a result of the work of the Church.
Hence, the primary task of the Church is not world conversion by preaching and social action, but the evangelization the world by the proclamation of the Gospel, so that those who are to make up the true church may have an opportunity to respond to that message as the Holy Spirit brings conviction to their hearts." P.56
Hence, the primary task of the Church is not world conversion by preaching and social action, but the evangelization the world by the proclamation of the Gospel, so that those who are to make up the true church may have an opportunity to respond to that message as the Holy Spirit brings conviction to their hearts." P.56
Most evangelicals that I know of ,
that I have been associated with, believe the above statements, but I
wonder sometimes if we sell short this last sentence that Cairn makes. I
believe, the spiritual impact on our
lives, that our new relationship with Christ and the Holy Spirit, should be
life changing. I wonder if there are times in our zealous efforts to
win somebody to Christ, we are manipulating somebody, rather the gospel of
Jesus Christ is possible, but we had better understand that it takes the Holy
Spirit to cause anyone to be born again.
"Truly truly I say to you must be born above to see the kingdom of
God "John 3: 3
mh tiV gennhqh anwqen ou dunatai idein thn
basileian tou qeou
:31; 19:11,23) the meaning is "from above" (desuper) and usually so in the Synoptics. It is a second birth, to be sure, regeneration, but a birth from above by the Spirit. He cannot see the kingdom of God (ou dunaFirst aoristtai idein thn basileian tou qeou). To participate in it as in Luke 9:27. For this use of idein (second aorist active infinitive of oraw) see John 8:51; Revelation 18:7. passive
subjunctive of gennaw. Anwqen..... In the other passages in John ( 3
"Most assuredly I tell you, unless one is born of water and the
Spirit,
ean mh tiV gennhqh ex udatoV kai pneumatoV
he can`t enter into the kingdom of God!
That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That
which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
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"not by works of
righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy, he saved
us, through the washing of regeneration and
renewing by the Holy Spirit,
 dia loutrou paliggenesiaV kai anakainwsewV pneumatoV agiou
which he poured out on us richly, through Jesus
Christ, our Savior" Titus 3:5
"Through the washing of regeneration (dia loutrou palingenesiaß).
Late and common word with the Stoics (Dibelius) and in the Mystery-religions
(Angus), also in the papyri and Philo. Only twice in the N.T. (Matthew 19:2
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