(As opposed to a Preamble? )
To literal-minded men like Nicodemus (and many of us), Jesus’ command to be “born again” posed a physical impossibility bringing into question the validity of the command itself. Other Biblical commands raise the same logical hurdles to our greater understanding (e.g., “it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” (see I Peter 1:16. KJV) How is that possible?)
But if we agree that God does not command the impossible, it would then follow that our task is to apply the intellectual capacities He has so graciously given us so we can begin to understand and enjoy the goodness He intends for us in giving the command in the first place.
In this series, which we have called “My Father’s Genes” (and are now concluding), we have compared the human and spiritual facts of life. This in turn should enlarge our comprehension of what it really means to be born again and to serve, fellowship with, and worship our great and gracious Creator, Sustainer and Heavenly Father!
A quick review:
(Remember, because of the nature of most blogs to show the latest postings first, the series appears on the website in reverse sequence. To review Part I, e.g., and other original and succeeding parts, you will probably need to access the website archives.)
In PART I we suggested that a working knowledge of the science of human conception and birth will help clarify our understanding of Jesus’ command to be “born again”. As the series progressed, some important questions were posed to help frame the discussion.
PART II examined the Biblical connection between the “original” sinful nature of mankind and our common understanding of the propagation of this nature through the human birth process. The subject of human genetics is raised in conjunction with the possibility of the existence of spiritual genetics.
PART III delved deeply enough into the principles of genetics and DNA to equip us with sufficient working knowledge and understanding to progress into a discussion of the whole conception and birth process.
PARTS IV & V compare the rather astounding details of the “complexity of conception” to the simple yet complex act of being “born again”.
PART VI expanded our understanding of the extreme (to us) complexity of DNA. PART VII directed our thoughts to the concept that if we think and/or speak of God’s attributes as DNA, it may help us understand being “born again”. Just as human conception combines two people’s DNA to create a new and distinctive person still containing and reflecting the original DNA contributions, so being “born again” should reflect not only our DNA, but God’s as well.
PARTS VIII & IX clarify the differences between “Gifts of the Spirit” and “Fruit of the Spirit”. Perhaps a clear understanding of these will help us live the joyful “born again” life God wants for each of us.
Our challenge is to correctly prioritize the blending of our DNA with God’s. This blending will reflect God’s will as we give Him preeminence in every area of our lives. As John the Baptist correctly points out in John 3:27b-36 (especially v.30 - ASV), “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Showing posts with label born again. Show all posts
Showing posts with label born again. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Saturday, September 11, 2010
My Father's Genes - Part IV - The Delivery System
In Parts I – III, we reviewed the Biblical background that established the connection between human birth, sin, and the need to be born again. The discussion then laid the foundation for examining the scientific and genetic principles involved in human birth. We now continue this discussion as we move into Part IV.
The Delivery System
In Jesus’ great priestly prayer as recorded in John 17, He prays for His disciples and says in verse 20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message…” The apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans amplifies Jesus’ implied delivery system of God’s plan of salvation by stating in verses 12-15: “12For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Based on the last half of verse 15, one of my former pastors declared his feet more beautiful than other people’s! Oh, well…)
Just as the human egg may have literally millions of sperm directed toward it before conception, the unconverted human spiritual heart still in need of being born again may hear anywhere from a few words to millions of words or messages before reaching real receptivity. And just as the sperm must survive a highly hostile environment to reach the tube and search for the egg, so the message of salvation must survive an increasingly hostile environment in today’s society and culture in order to penetrate the human mind sufficiently for God’s truth to sink in clearly and with conviction. The hostile distractions to God’s Word in today’s environment are virtually countless. The more we remove God from every area of public life, the easier it is to remove Him from our private life. The more we try to isolate Him to church only, the more we succumb to “out of sight, out of mind”. God’s instruction to “18Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates” (from Deuteronomy 11) is largely ignored today, even in any symbolic application. Practically every medium of modern communication is saturated with exhortations toward self-gratification rather than Gospel seeds that would lead to spiritual birth and growth.
Just as there is a limited window of opportunity for the egg and the sperm to successfully join to create a new life, so experience shows us there is a limited window of opportunity for the Holy Spirit to actively penetrate the human soul and mind with the convicting power of God’s word enough to cause a new spiritual life to be created. Literally millions of words that would direct our attention to our need to be “born again” may be flowing toward us but end up being drowned out by the hostile environment of the competing words and images drawing us toward every conceivable form of self-gratification and away from God. When one thinks of all the radio stations, TV stations (including cable and satellite channels), newspapers and seemingly countless print and web media, and all the public meetings and private conversations that occur in our world today, our minds then begin to be boggled to imagine the small percentage of all that stream of communication which is designed to actually draw us to understand and act on our need to be “born again”.
Please don’t misunderstand me here; there is much legitimate communication occurring related to our work and our world, but I suspect we all permit excessive amounts of the “hostile” communication to enter our lives and this would be especially true of those not yet “born again”. The “messengers” God has sent, who struggle mightily to overcome the “hostile environment” and deliver that message of salvation, are in such a competitive environment for peoples attention that their communication skills and methods must always be up-to-date. While the message of salvation doesn’t change, stale words, skills and methods (just like stale sperm) will not reach the intended destination.
In the next Part, we will continue developing the relationship between the human “delivery system” and the spiritual “delivery system”, along with some exciting expansions of concepts we may now take for granted.
The Delivery System
In Jesus’ great priestly prayer as recorded in John 17, He prays for His disciples and says in verse 20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message…” The apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans amplifies Jesus’ implied delivery system of God’s plan of salvation by stating in verses 12-15: “12For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Based on the last half of verse 15, one of my former pastors declared his feet more beautiful than other people’s! Oh, well…)
Just as the human egg may have literally millions of sperm directed toward it before conception, the unconverted human spiritual heart still in need of being born again may hear anywhere from a few words to millions of words or messages before reaching real receptivity. And just as the sperm must survive a highly hostile environment to reach the tube and search for the egg, so the message of salvation must survive an increasingly hostile environment in today’s society and culture in order to penetrate the human mind sufficiently for God’s truth to sink in clearly and with conviction. The hostile distractions to God’s Word in today’s environment are virtually countless. The more we remove God from every area of public life, the easier it is to remove Him from our private life. The more we try to isolate Him to church only, the more we succumb to “out of sight, out of mind”. God’s instruction to “18Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates” (from Deuteronomy 11) is largely ignored today, even in any symbolic application. Practically every medium of modern communication is saturated with exhortations toward self-gratification rather than Gospel seeds that would lead to spiritual birth and growth.
Just as there is a limited window of opportunity for the egg and the sperm to successfully join to create a new life, so experience shows us there is a limited window of opportunity for the Holy Spirit to actively penetrate the human soul and mind with the convicting power of God’s word enough to cause a new spiritual life to be created. Literally millions of words that would direct our attention to our need to be “born again” may be flowing toward us but end up being drowned out by the hostile environment of the competing words and images drawing us toward every conceivable form of self-gratification and away from God. When one thinks of all the radio stations, TV stations (including cable and satellite channels), newspapers and seemingly countless print and web media, and all the public meetings and private conversations that occur in our world today, our minds then begin to be boggled to imagine the small percentage of all that stream of communication which is designed to actually draw us to understand and act on our need to be “born again”.
Please don’t misunderstand me here; there is much legitimate communication occurring related to our work and our world, but I suspect we all permit excessive amounts of the “hostile” communication to enter our lives and this would be especially true of those not yet “born again”. The “messengers” God has sent, who struggle mightily to overcome the “hostile environment” and deliver that message of salvation, are in such a competitive environment for peoples attention that their communication skills and methods must always be up-to-date. While the message of salvation doesn’t change, stale words, skills and methods (just like stale sperm) will not reach the intended destination.
In the next Part, we will continue developing the relationship between the human “delivery system” and the spiritual “delivery system”, along with some exciting expansions of concepts we may now take for granted.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
My Father's Genes
My Father’s Genes – Part I
I have been intrigued for some time by the science of DNA from a layman’s perspective, particularly in how it and the human conception and birth process work together.
Is being born again easier to understand if we first understand being born at all? What similarities, if any, exist between the two that might help our understanding? We will explore these and other important questions in a multi-part series over the next weeks and perhaps months.
Biblical Background and Foundation
“But, that’s impossible!” Nick vehemently protested. “Can a man enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born?” (my paraphrase)
Jesus had just given His famous response to Nicodemus, found in John chapter 3, verse 3 (NIV): “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” This verse has arguably been the launching pad and foundation stone for all Christian evangelical preaching ever since.
Jesus says something else at this point: “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” (verses 5 and 6, emphasis added) Verse 6 in other translations reads: “Human life comes from human parents, but spiritual life comes from the Spirit.” (New Century Version), and: “Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven.” (New Living Translation)
Still, the question begs: Why is a second birth necessary? In the spiritual realm, does that imply the absence of a spiritual nature in humans before being born again, or is mankind originally born with an ungodly spiritual nature? Is it easier for God to fill the vacuum of no spiritual nature with one of His choosing, or to replace an existing ungodly spiritual nature with His own?
We will begin answering these questions in our next posting.
I have been intrigued for some time by the science of DNA from a layman’s perspective, particularly in how it and the human conception and birth process work together.
Is being born again easier to understand if we first understand being born at all? What similarities, if any, exist between the two that might help our understanding? We will explore these and other important questions in a multi-part series over the next weeks and perhaps months.
Biblical Background and Foundation
“But, that’s impossible!” Nick vehemently protested. “Can a man enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born?” (my paraphrase)
Jesus had just given His famous response to Nicodemus, found in John chapter 3, verse 3 (NIV): “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” This verse has arguably been the launching pad and foundation stone for all Christian evangelical preaching ever since.
Jesus says something else at this point: “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” (verses 5 and 6, emphasis added) Verse 6 in other translations reads: “Human life comes from human parents, but spiritual life comes from the Spirit.” (New Century Version), and: “Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven.” (New Living Translation)
Still, the question begs: Why is a second birth necessary? In the spiritual realm, does that imply the absence of a spiritual nature in humans before being born again, or is mankind originally born with an ungodly spiritual nature? Is it easier for God to fill the vacuum of no spiritual nature with one of His choosing, or to replace an existing ungodly spiritual nature with His own?
We will begin answering these questions in our next posting.
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