Excerpts of edited transcription of the audio interview with John Piper:
Is being born again up to us?
It's no more up to us than it was up to my grandson, who was born two days ago, to get out of the womb. In other words, birth is something done to us. It's not something that we do.
It is, however, something that we react to. The first cry of a newborn in Christ is faith. I would never write a book on how to be born again—because that is like writing a book for babies on how to get out of the womb—but I would write a book on how to be saved, because that is about faith in Jesus Christ.
...
We pray for regeneration—we pray for new birth—so that people can believe. They don't believe so that they can be born again. They're born unto a living hope so that they can believe. People don't believe unless God breaks into their lives, raises them from the dead, gives them a new heart, and enables them to see the beauty of Christ.
Do you think we'll ever be able to resolve the tension between God's sovereignty and man's responsibility?
...
The biblical mystery is between God, who is sovereign over all things and governs all things (including the will of man), and our accountability and responsibility to will what we ought to even though we don't have absolute self-determination. That's the mystery. And I'm willing to live with that because the Bible teaches both of those things.
What is the first step in our responsibility?
If we read Jesus in John 3 we see that the new birth is God's work. ...
Then the person must admit, "I was brought to this point by the Spirit of God. Yet now I must use my will, enabled by God, to embrace him, to receive him" (John 1:12).
So I would plead with people to come to Christ as the fountain of living water and as the bread of heaven (Isaiah 55:1-3). And when people come and embrace Christ with faith they are saved, their sins are forgiven, and they have the hope of eternal life. Then they'll look back some day and say, "I came because he drew me. I came because I was born again. He opened my eyes. He gave me ears to hear. He enabled me to taste and see that the Lord is good."
1 comment:
This is a difficult concept. John calls it a "biblical mystery" and I agree. I do see God as drawing us to Himself by the power of His Spirit. He does make the first step and breaks into our lives. He shows us His love and offers a new way, a new heart, and freedom. I don't see Christians, as John states, equal to the newborn; not having a choice whether they are born. This may all be terminology, but I believe God pursues us and He wants us to find Him. As John said "I was brought to this point by the Spirit of God. Yet now I must use my will, enabled by God, to embrace him, to receive him" (John 1:12). I like the sound of that, and I think I agree with it. Spiritual rebirth sounds, to me, like an event, or our salvation embrace. To my understanding, this happens when we embrace the open arms of God and surrender to Him. It is a death to our old way of life and pursuit of a life hidden in Christ, living for Christ. The rebirth is being "born again" after a death to the old self ("the flesh"). By faith, and not by works, we transition from death to life. That faith is, first and last, from God but, under His mysterious power, he has allowed us not to be a cosmic puppet. We can choose to love or reject Him. Not because of our power, but because of His allowance. It is our tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The desire of God to have the praise of His creation. The fact is, He is glorious and all-powerful and will have praise regardless of our decisions. Chris
Post a Comment