What do Christians mean by the term "born again"
A. There are only two kinds of people on planet earth; Those who are made spiritually alive and those who have only the human spirit of rebellion.
Psalm 17:14 O LORD, by your hand save me from such men, from men of this world whose reward is in this life. You still the hunger of those you cherish; their sons have plenty, and they store up wealth for their children.
(1) The men who belong to this worlds system must find their reward when?__________________________________________.
1 Cor 15:21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.
(1) How did death come to planet earth?_________________________ ___________________________________________________________.
1 Cor 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
(1) If death came though Adam, how does eternal life come? _____
______________________________________________________.
1 Cor 15:45-48 So it is written: "The first man Adam became [46] The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. [47] The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. [48] As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.
(1) What is the difference between the first Adam and the Second Adam (Christ)? ____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________.
1 Cor 15:49-50 And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. [50] I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the
perishable inherit the imperishable.
(1) Whose likeness does Scripture promise that we will bear? ______ _________________________________________________________.
(2) One is perishable and the other is imperishable. We shall be made ? ______________________________________________.
(3) According to 1 Cor 15:45 So it is written: "The first man Adam became a
living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. It is the _________-________ _________ that will make us imperishable.
(4) What is the destiny of those in Adam? ___________________________.
(3) What is the destiny of those in Christ? __________________________.
As a result of studying these passages, what are the two kinds of people on planet Earth? _____________________________________.
B. How did this condition of spiritual death and rebellion come to the human population?
Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned--
Romans 5:19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
(1) How did sin enter the world? ___________________________________.
(2) Who was that one man? _______________________________________.
(3) What entered the world through sin? _____________________________.
(4) As a result, what came to all men? _______________________________.
(5) Why did this come to all men? __________________________________.
(6) Therefore, what did Adam pass on to you and me? _________________
______________________________________________________.
Romans 5:17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
(1) What was the result of one man's sin? ___________________________.
(2) How many people were affected by that one man's sin? ___________.
(3) What is God's gift to those who will receive it? ____________________ _____________________________________________________________.
(4) What does it mean to "reign in life?_____________________________
____________________________________________________________.
John 5:24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.
(1) What two things are required to obtain eternal life? whoever hears my ______ and ______________ him who sent me.
(2) When we cross over "from death to life" what kind of life do we get? ____________________ life.
John 15:18-19 "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. [19] If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
(1) How do the people of this world's system feel about those who live under the authority of the kingdom of God? ______________________________
___________________________________________________________.
C. Death came to earth from a spiritual law that seems to transcend the covenants.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(1) What are the wages of sin? __________________________.
1. In the garden there was only one law. Gen 2:16-17 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; [17] but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
(1) If sin were defined simply as rebellion, what occurred when the first couple defied God? ____________________________________________.
This is known theologically as Original sin: the consequences of the original sin was death yet Adam lived physically, about nine hundred more years. He died spiritually, put out of the garden (kingdom). He was no longer able to commune with God as he had in the past.
Gen 3:8-9 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. [9] But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
Man was created in the image of God, therefore a triune being, body, soul, and spirit. When Adam Sinned, he died spiritually. Cast out of the garden, now a citizen of this world's system, without the spirit of God in him, he was only able to reproduce what he now was, a person devoid of the spirit of God.
Gen 5:1-3 This is the written account of Adam's line. When God created man,he made him in the likeness of God. [2] He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them "man." [3] When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.
(1) In whose likeness was Seth born in, God's or Adams? _______________.
Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned--
(1) How did sin enter the world? ___________________________________.
(2) Who was that one man? _______________________________________.
(3) What entered the world through that one sin? _____________________.
(4) As a result, what came to all men? ______________________________.
(5) Why did this come to all men? _________________________________.
(6) Therefore, what did Adam pass on to you and I? ___________________.
2. God see's the natural human being as spiritually dead
Ephesians 2:1-3 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, [2] in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. [3] All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
(1) According to these passage, what were we in our transgressions and sins? ____________________________________________.
(2) What ways did we follow when we lived in our transgressions and sins? __________________________________________________________.
(3) Who is the ruler of that kingdom? _________________.
(4) When we were dead in our sins, what did we seek to gratify?(vs3) __________________________________________________________.
(5) What desires and thoughts did we follow?_________________________
___________________________________________________________.
(6) When we were dead in our sins, what were we, in God's sight, by our nature?________________________________________________________.
(7) What type of nature and lifestyle did Adam pass on to us as our family progenitor? (vs2)______________________________________________.
(8) What destiny did Adam hand down to us? _________________________.
Rom 5:12a Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin,.
D. The body is the ticket onto planet earth, the spirit is our ticket into the kingdom of God. As long as we choose to remain dead spiritually, we cannot hope to enter the kingdom of God.
Romans 5:14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.
(1) Even if a person were so righteous that he never sinned: Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, because of what Adam passed on, what would eventually happen to him? _____________________________ _______________________________________. God knew, when He gave man a free will, what would happen. Scripture records that from the very beginning, God made preparation to reconcile man (cancel the debt of sin). Alluded to here in Genesis 3:15, And more clearly in later verses. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."
2 Cor 5:17-19 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! [18] All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: [19] that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. (ever wonder why Christians are always trying to share their belief with you).
(1) How did God reconcile the sin debt that we owe? ____________________ ______________________________________________________. God did this through the cross of Christ. Christ came into this world, lived a perfect life, fulfilling the law of God and became a sin offering for us, in our place, meeting the penalty of the law (death) and thereby reconciling all who would accept the gift, of God.
Romans 5:15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
(1) The sacrifice that Jesus made is called a ______________?
Romans 5:16 Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: he judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.
(1) What did the Gift bring ______________________________. (justification, just as if I'd never sinned.)
Romans 5:17-18 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. (18) Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.
(1) If we receive death through Adam, What do we receive through the gift of Christ?___________________________.
E. Exactly What does it mean to be born again, or more correctly born from above?
John 1:12-13 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- [13] children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
1. When you receive Him [the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit] and believe in the name of Jesus [way the truth and the life], what do you become? ______________________________________________________.
John 14:17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
2. Who becomes your father?_______________________________.
Gal 4:6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son
into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba ,
Father."
Can you see that you and I were born condemned already. We were born spiritually dead.
Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned--
God has made a provision for us through the gift of His Son, Jesus.
John 5:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
Jesus has come to bring you and I eternal life. Won't you receive His gift. If you need help in this area please Email me at deans@interpath.com.
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