The Evidence of the New Birth

You must be born again —John 3:7

The answer to Nicodemus’ question, “How can a man be born when he is old?” is: Only when he is willing to die to everything in his life, including his rights, his virtues, and his religion, and becomes willing to receive into himself a new life that he has never before experienced (John 3:4). This new life exhibits itself in our conscious repentance and through our unconscious holiness.

“But as many as received Him. . .” (John 1:12). Is my knowledge of Jesus the result of my own internal spiritual perception, or is it only what I have learned through listening to others? Is there something in my life that unites me with the Lord Jesus as my personal Savior? My spiritual history must have as its underlying foundation a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ. To be born again means that I see Jesus.

“. . . unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God ” (John 3:3). Am I seeking only for the evidence of God’s kingdom, or am I actually recognizing His absolute sovereign control? The new birth gives me a new power of vision by which I begin to discern God’s control. His sovereignty was there all the time, but with God being true to His nature, I could not see it until I received His very nature myself.

“Whoever has been born of God does not sin. . .” (1 John 3:9). Am I seeking to stop sinning or have I actually stopped? To be born of God means that I have His supernatural power to stop sinning. The Bible never asks, “Should a Christian sin?” The Bible emphatically states that a Christian must not sin. The work of the new birth is being effective in us when we do not commit sin. It is not merely that we have the power not to sin, but that we have actually stopped sinning. Yet 1 John 3:9 does not mean that we cannot sin— it simply means that if we will obey the life of God in us, that we do not have to sin.

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新生的跡象

你們必須重生。 （約三7）

[人老了，如何能重生呢？ ]答案是在於人肯死去－－對自己的權利、德行、宗教，以及其他一切全然死去，然後接受一個他從來沒有的生命。這新生命是從有意識的悔改，及不自覺的成聖中孕育出來。

[凡接待他的。 ]（約一12）我對耶穌的認識，是因內在屬靈生命的體會，還是從聽人家講論而來？我生命中有沒有什麼使我與主耶穌相連，使我以他為個人救主？一切的靈性歷史，都必須以個人認識作為基石。重生的意思，就是我看見了主耶穌。

[人若不重生，就不能見神的國。 ]（約三3）我是否再尋找天國？還是看到神的統治？重生使我有了新的異象，叫我能夠體察神的統治。他的統治其實一直存在，是與他的本性相符的；如今我既接受了他，就看得見他的統治。 [凡從神生的，就不犯罪。 ]（約壹三9）我是設法不犯罪？還是已經停止犯罪？從神生的，就有神超然的能力，可以停止犯罪。聖經從沒有問：基督徒應否犯罪？聖經強調基督徒必不可犯罪。新生命的效能就是使我們不犯罪，不單是有能力不犯罪，而是根本停止去犯。約翰一書三章9節不是說我們沒有犯罪的可能；乃是說我們若順服神的我們裡面的生命，就不會犯罪。

祈禱◆主啊，我似乎令你憂心－－那將會帶來什麼後果呢？讓我在你的門口守候和等待。