This is post #12 on the blood atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the first 11 studies of the atonement we have looked at the blood bringing about 10 wonderful Biblical life-changing truths.
| 1. Atonement for the soul 2. Remission of sins 3. Life and peace 4. Redemption | 5. Justification 6. We are made close 7. A pure conscience 8. Cleansing from sin | 9. Sanctification 10. The New Covenant |
The #11 truth concerning the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ is "THE NEW BIRTH." I hear these labels or identifying statements for believers all the time:
"Born again Christian"
"Saved Christian"
"Real Christian"
"Fully saved"
I even heard the statement a couple months ago, "He was a Born again Preacher"
I asked a guy not to long ago if he was save, ever been born again. He said that he was half-way saved.
What is up with all this? Either someone has had a "born again" experience or they have not. I know we live in a society that identifies anything that we can't put in some other religious group as "Christian" but we need not fall in line with the grouping of the world. Someone who is born again is a Christian. Someone who is a Christian is born again.
At the risk of leaving a mental picture that you won't be able to erase, I need to share this. A lady is pregnant and finally reached her 9th month and starts going into labor. The doctor says this is going to be a hard delivery. The mother says that she does not want a full delivery but just a half-way event. She has enjoyed carrying the baby and don't want it full delivered or completely born out in the world. I know this sounds insane, however, we have people who have this type of thinking when it comes to being called a Christian.
We may find ourselves getting into the mode of what I call "watering down" the status of the lost, or those who are NOT born again. We call them "unsaved," or "not fully a Christian," or "almost a Christian." They are LOST! They are hopeless and without hope outside of Christ! According to the Word of God they are already condemned to judgment and hell. We need to read the verses after the John 3:16 verse which we all memorized in Sunday School class back in the day.
(John 3:18 ESV) Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
(John 3:19 ESV) And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
Only the new birth will change this status of being lost. Over the years I have asked people if they are Christians and I get answers like "I am a church member." If I put a wheel barrel in my garage and pray over it, throw 4 tires in it, and place a gas can in it, it will still be a wheel barrel. It will never be a car. We need the NEW BIRTH and that is brought about through the BLOOD ATONEMENT of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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