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Study 24 of 49

The New Birth

Ye must be born again — a life received, not a resolution made

Hands-free narration of this study — good for the car.

Synopsis

Christianity is not the improvement of the old life but the reception of a new one. The new birth is a creative act of the Spirit, mysterious in its process and unmistakable in its results, and it is as necessary for the respectable as for the outcast.

Key points

  • The new birth is a divine creation, not a human decision alone.
  • Its evidence is a new set of loves, not merely new behaviour.
  • Nicodemus shows that morality and religion do not substitute for it.

Key texts

  • John 3:1-8
  • 2 Corinthians 5:17
  • Ezekiel 36:26-27
  • 1 Peter 1:23
  1. Comprehension

    1. Why did Jesus press the new birth on a man like Nicodemus?

  2. Scripture

    2. Read John 3:8. What does the wind illustrate about the new birth?

  3. Scripture

    3. Read Ezekiel 36:26-27. What does God promise to do?

  4. Doctrinal Clarity

    4. Distinguish reformation from regeneration.

  5. Contrast

    5. Contrast the evidence of new birth with the evidence of mere religiosity.

  6. Doctrinal Clarity

    6. Can a person be born again gradually or unconsciously?

  7. Application

    7. What evidence of a new nature can you honestly identify in yourself?

  8. Application

    8. How would you speak of the new birth to a lifelong church member?