YeMust Be Born Again

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I sayunto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God"(John 3:3).

Rousing from slumber at about 6 am, I found Amy sitting up in herbed. She said "I’m having contractions." "How frequently?"I asked. "Every 5 minutes since 5 am." A tinge of panic surged up myspine as I stuttered, "I thought the mid-wife said just yesterday that thebaby is not engaged yet and that it would be at least a week more!" Dr Towhad said that it would be sooner than later, and he had even offered to examineAmy the next day just to be sure that she can go through a natural deliverydespite having a caesarean when she delivered Jonathan. But it was too late tohave the examination now.

We got our bags ready, roused Jonathan enough to tell him that weare going to the hospital and to solemnly charge him to obey Elder and MrsKhoo. Presently, Eld Khoo prayed with us, and then we were off into the dark,cold, morning—heading for the hospital.

All the beds were occupied, so we had to wait. It was a long,disconcerting 2 hours’ wait. In between the contractions, a scream from a roomup the corridor or an agonising sob from another room could be heard.

Soon, Amy was admitted. She was immediately strapped up to amachine to monitor baby’s heart beat and the rate and intensity of contraction.She would remain strapped for most of the next 20 hours or so. As the day woreon, the pain became more and more unbearable. The Entonox wisps and, towards theend, Epidural did not remove the pain completely. Not knowing how to comfort mywife, I reminded her that birth pangs are a consequence of the Fall. That didnot help her very much! But at least we had an interesting discussion onwhether pain existed before the fall and whether child birth would be withoutpain at all had the Fall not have occurred.

What relief, praise and thanksgiving filled our hearts when Joelfinally emerged more than 20 hours after the contractions begun. The mid-wifelater revealed to us that of all the mothers who were admitted around the time,my wife was the only one expected to have an emergency caesarean, but sheturned out to be the only one who delivered naturally. We thank God for theexperience—draining though it might have been.

This experience, —more than the birth of Jonathan, of which I wasnot a witness,—reminded me of the Lord’s statement to Nicodemus, "Except aman be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." It was a study basedon this verse, which several years ago, helped me to understand Calvinism moreclearly. Two key ideas from this verse struck me.

First and foremost, it struck me that the Lord was highlighting thepriority of regeneration over faith. One who is not born again "cannotsee the kingdom of God." The Lord didnot say, "Except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." He isspeaking about spiritual sight, or faith (see Jn 3:12). He is saying that faithcomes about through regeneration. This, essentially, means that when Paul saysthat faith is a gift of God (Eph 2:8), he is not saying that faith is plantedor poured into our hearts as if it is an entity that can be transplanted. Heis, rather, saying that faith or trust comes about because of regeneration,i.e. regeneration precedes faith. In regeneration, we are made able to seespiritual things (1 Cor 2:14-15). Our dispositions are also changed so that wefind Christ excellent, lovely and irresistible (cf. Ezk 11:19; Acts 13:48; Phil1:29). In other words, C.S. Lewis was simply not making sense when he said thathe was dragged into the kingdom kicking and screaming. The Lord does not forceour wills. He changes our hearts so we find Christ more attractive than sin andSatan, and our wills simply make a choice for what the heart finds to be mostattractive. Secondly, by using the illustration of childbirth, the Lord issaying that our regeneration is wholly a sovereign work of God. Just as Joeldid not co-operate at all when he was born, so we did not co-operate in ourregeneration. In other words, regeneration is monergistic rather thansynergistic. Man by nature, —because of Original Sin, —is irresistibly drawn tosin and Satan. He is "dead in trespasses and sins" says Paul (Eph2:1). In order that he may trust in Christ, a miracle, no less in magnitudethan the raising of Lazarus must be performed. Just as Lazarus did notco-operate with the Lord when He raised him from the dead, so we did notco-operate with the Holy Spirit when He regenerated us.

These two points of doctrine are so crucial to a properunderstanding of the work of salvation that a failure to grasp them has beenthe result of numerous errors in the church throughout the ages. Pelagianismdenying Original Sin, denies that man is spiritually dead and asserts that heis able to do good and to attain salvation in that way. Christ did not die ansubstitutionary death. Pelagianism is ancient Liberalism. It is anti-Christian.Arminianism or semi-Pelagianism teaches that man is partially dead, and that hecan co-operate with the Holy Spirit in regeneration. Man is saved by grace butnot saved Sola Gratia (by faith only). He responses eitherin faith or in unbelief when the Holy Spirit begins to woo him. Grace, in otherwords, is resistible. While salvation in the Calvinistic scheme may beillustrated by the raising of Lazarus. Salvation in the Arminian scheme may beillustrated by the rescue of a drowning man. The sinner is reckoned as drowningand the Gospel likened to a lifesaver thrown beside him. All he needs to do isto reach out to grab the lifesaver and he would be saved. Or the sinner may belikened to a sick man, and the Gospel the medicine that will save him. All hehas to do is to reach out for the medicine, to swallow it, and he would besaved. The sinner under this scheme has to co-operate to be saved. ClassicalDispensationalism (e.g. Chafer, Ryrie, Walvoord), adds to the confusion bysaying that they agree with the Reformed teaching that regeneration ismonergistic, but at the same time asserts that faith precedes regeneration.Fallen man is able to exercise faith, by himself. After he has exercised faith,the Holy Spirit regenerates him monergistically. How do the Dispensationalistscome to such a position? Firstly, they have mistaken historical, intellectualfaith for the faith of the Scripture. In the Scripture, faith is wholeheartedtrust that comes about through a changed heart. To Dispensationalists, faith issimply saying "I believe that Christ died for me." To aDispensationalist, anyone who says he believes that Christ died for him, andprays to receive Christ is a Christian. He may not have received Jesus as Lord,but he has received Him as Saviour. This is also why many Dispensationalistsbelieve that there is such things as Carnal Christians—Christians who will besaved as by fire because they acknowledge Christ as Saviour though they havenot submitted to His Lordship. Secondly, to Dispensationalists, regeneration isthe implantation of a divine nature in the heart of believers. It is not arenovation of the old nature, but an impartation of a new nature which willexists side-by-side with the old nature and will constantly be at war with it.The Reformed position is that the war is between the flesh which represents the"remaining corruption" and the Spirit which represents the"regenerate part" (WCF 13.2-3). It is not a war between two separateentities in the soul.

These differences are not merely, theoretical differences that haveno bearing on the Christian life. The implications are deep and far reaching.The evangelistic and revivalistic thrusts of Charles G. Finney were based on aform of Pelagianism. His introduction of altar calls was founded on this faultyunderstanding of the doctrine of salvation. I shudder to think of how manyhundreds of thousands were deluded to think that they were saved or revivedwhen they had merely been manipulated emotionally by Finney’s methods. It is mysuspicion that much of the man-centredness, shallow-evangelicalism in the United States, Britain and around the world can beattributed to Finneyism. The evangelist Billy Graham was at times Pelagian andat times Dispensational in his Gospel presentation. His use of emotionalappeals, of testimonies and of music—"Softly and tenderly Jesus iscalling," "Come to the saviour, make no delay," etc is based onhis faulty theology. Again, how many would have been misled to think that theyare saved and assured that they are saved and are not to doubt their salvationwhen they had made mere intellectual or even emotional professions only. And isit not the case that the methods of Campus Crusade are also based on theDispensational doctrine of salvation? I wonder how many, who, according toCrusade have "PRC’ed" (Prayed to Receive Christ), will hear the Lordsay "I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matt7:23)? And to think that I was once involved in the evangelistic campaigns ofCampus Crusade. How sad. Sadder still, for quite a while, I had continued toevangelise in the same Dispensational manner: "God loves you … Christ diedfor you … If you want to be a Christian, pray with me now." At first, Ithought that the sinner’s prayer, being an act of faith makes one a Christian.Then, when I began to understand more about election, I somehow convinced myselfthat only the elect would be able to say, "Yes, I want to be aChristian." All these errors, and giving of false assurances, would nothave been necessary had I understood that regeneration precedes faith. God by asovereign work of regeneration makes Christians by enabling them to repent andembrace Christ in faith. Sinners do not make themselves Christian or initiatetheir new birth by praying the sinner’s prayer.

Dear friend, you may also have been "led to Christ" by anArminian or Dispensational presentation of the Gospel. I am not denying that awork of grace has already begun in your heart despite the errors. However, Iwould urge you, as I urge myself, to examine yourself, whether you be in thefaith (2 Cor 13:5) and to give diligence to make your calling and election sure(2 Pet 1:10). If your life, after you profess Christ, is not in any waydifferent from before you profess Christ, —apart, perhaps from the fact thatyou attend church as a matter of routine,—then, I would urge you, especially,to take heed. Listen to the words of Spurgeon:

"I have heard it often that if you believe that Jesus Christdied for you, you will be saved. My dear reader, do not be deluded by such anidea. You may believe that Jesus Christ died for you, and may believe what isnot true; you may believe that which will bring you no sort of good whatever.That is not saving faith [ie. Saving faith is not just believing that Christdied for you]. The man who has saving faith afterwards attains to theconviction that Christ died for him, but it is not of the essence of savingfaith. Do not get that into your head, or it will ruin you. Do not say, ‘Ibelieve that Jesus Christ died for me,’ and because of that feel that you aresaved. I pray you to remember that the genuine faith that saves the soul hasfor its main element—trust—absolute rest of the whole soul—on the Lord JesusChrist to save me …" (Sermons, 58.583).

If your faith is merely one of intellectual assent that Christ diedfor you. May I urge you to repent of your sin of unbelief and stubbornrebellion against Christ, and then plead with the Lord that He may change yourheart and help you to truly trust Him as Saviour and Lord. Do not fail to seekHim until you are sure that "Christ be formed in you" (Gal 4:19).