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kinguom or God: n..::ith..::r doth cor–
ruption inhcri t incorruption . Be–
hold.
l
!>hC\\ you
a
mystery: We
shall llOl all :-lcep [be ucadj. but we
~hall
all be
changed.
in
a
momcnt. in
thc tv.:inkling of an eye. at thc
l a~!
trump: for thc trumpel shall sou nd.
and thc dead shall be raised in–
corruptibl e. anu wc fthe then li\-ing]
~hall
be
c//(/nged ..
(ver~cs
50-52).
There
i~
the JI MF
ll'lten
we muy be
born again
ll'hen
wc may
see. en–
!er inlo,
(1/1(/
inheril
the kingdo n1 -
whcn " uo R AGATN.'' ancl
NOT BE–
FO RE!
ll ow s hall wc be changcd? The
ncxt worus a nswcr! "For thi s cor–
ruptible [t1esh. as we now a re] must
pul 011 i11wrruption [spirit - that
which is born of God
is
pirit]. and
thi~
mortal must pul on immortal–
itv..
be chane.ed from material
flésh LO '>pirit ! ....
úmil
born again. we ca 11110L
see
thc kingdom
~·
God - Jesus
10
Nicouemu5. John
3:3.
U111il
born again. \\e ca nn o t
enrer
inro
thc kinguom of God Jes us to
il'odcmus. John
3:5.
Unril
11 0 lo 11 ge r fl es h. bu t
changed
into SP JRrJ . wc cann o t en tcr into th c
kingdom or God Jesus
to
N icode–
mus. John
3:6-8.
H
hile
. till flcsh a nd blood (as
1
icoucmus
wa~
and we are)
wc
ca n–
no!
inherir
the kingdom of God -
Pau l lo the Cor inthians.
1
Cor.
15:50.
Umil
the rc!>urrccüon. at Chri t's
coming. wc shall not be changed
from corruptible fle:>h into in–
corrupt ible SPrR JT
Paul.
1
Cor.
15:50-53
and \'Crses
22-23.
Umil
the re;,urrcction. therefore .
we cannot
see. enrer
in to. or
inheri!
th e kingdom of God. We CA. :-roT
BE 130R I AGAI
UNT IL THE RESUR–
RH IION!
Now Heirs - Not Yet lnheritors
While in our present sta tu . born or
thc l1 esh and composcu o r t1csh. we
cannot scc. cntcr into. or inherit the
kingdom of God. ' ot ice. now. the
stat~s
of thc tr uly COI1 \Crtcd Chris-
tian. in this lifc thi'> \\Orld:
.. O\\'
if any man ha\·e not the
Spirit of Chri l. he is none of his· ·
(Rom. 8:9). Cnless onc has rccei \·ed
the holy !>pirit. and this spi rit is
dwelling in him. he is not a Chr is–
ti an. Joining a church does not
40
The tremendous message
that Jesus brought was
advance news of an almost
unbelievable utopian world
tomorrow. lt was news of
lite after death. And it
was news that we may
be born again!
makc onc a Christian. Rcccivi ng
ano fo llowing God's spi rit does!
Spiritual Birth Process Compares to
Physical
But now ce how God\ spirit cn ter–
ing an d dwcll ing in onc compa res
lO
the
phy~ ica l ~ pcrm
impregnating t he
ovum
the impaning of eterna!
SPrRr
r
li fe. la ter to produce
a
SPJRIT
PI:Rso:--;! A fcrtiliLc<.l
O\
um - an em–
bryo
i~
NO r a
horn
human person.
Lif'e l'rom the fathcr has been im–
pancd LO it. ll e
ha~
b..::goncn it. but
neither cmhr;o nor
fctu~
i.
Ytl
a
hom
pc r un. In thc samc manner
thc spirit-begotte l1 human is not.
yer.
a
SPIRIT PERSON or BEING . as
J csu~ ~aid
he :-, hall be
11·hen
born
again!
Continuc: " But if the Spirit of
him that rai!>CU up
Je~us
from the
dcau U\\ cll in yo u. he that ra ised up
Chri~t
from th e dead shall also
q
u icken your mona
1
bou
ie~
b) his
Spi rit that U\\ellcth in you..
(ver~e
11 ).
UNDI:.RS
1.-\l'.D
rHI S! There is a ui–
rect compa ri son bc t\\ een hav ing
bcen born of the fl c!>h and be ing
born AGA J'l of God. J es us. a id that
v;h ich is born or thc fl es h
is
fl esh - a
born
hu111on.
T ha t wh ich is born of
thc '>p irit (God)
is
spi rit - a born
SP IRI
1
PLRSO:"!
A mortal human life
srans
whcn
a
!>perm ccll from thc body of the
fathcr
impregnatc~ -
imparts phys i–
cal
LlfE
to - an
O\
um (egg ccll) in
the mother. At
thi~
point the father
beget~. ~ircs.
!le
docs not .. bring
fonh.' ' The mother <.loes that. later.
H
is pan in th e PRonss lcauing to
final binh
i~
thcn
done.
Bu·r THERE
ISA
11 ~11:.
LLI:.ME:\1. Al the TIME of
bcgettal. birth (partu rition) has not
YE1 occurrcu.
lt
i ~
necessa i') lO give this ex-
pla nation. a l this poi nt. because thc
po pu lar dcception of a uccei\eu tra–
uit ional "Chri:,tianit)"
i~
to clai m
that \\ hcn onc
"rccci\'e~
Christ. ..
..acu.:pts Ch ri:-.t. .. ··prof'e:-.scs Ch rist. ..
o r
fir~t
rccci\Cs Gou\ holy spirit to
d\\CII in him. he is alrcady
"J30R~
AGA I• .
Firsl. thcn. noticc thc physica l
lj pe ancl
compar i ~on.
The TIME Element
In human physical reproduction,
therc is a f JMI·. J:LJ·.MrcNT. Frorn im–
pregnat ion
hegeua/
on thc pan of
thc l'a thcr - havi ng
conceiPed
on the
pan of the mothcr - to DJRTH. or
par/urilion.
o r bcing uclivcrcd from
the mo thcr\ womb i a
1
rMt ELE–
MENT of' ninc monthS.
That nine-month pcriod
i~
ca lled
gesration.
Upon conccption . thc now
fe rt ili;cd
01'11111
i~
callcd an
embrro.
A
fev. months la tl!r. it i:. called a
f'etus. But
during
this nine-month
period of
gesf(/fion.
\\'Cdo not speak
of thc cmbrvo-fetu:, as ha\·in!!. been
born.
l t is in thc PROC LSs toward
birth.
]¡
is the child.
or
it:,
paren!~.
f3ut it i5 thcn thc
11111J0m
child of' its
parcnts. Thc fa thcr has already be–
gollc n it - sired it. But the mo ther
has not yet g iven
birrh
Lo it. Yet it is,
during thc
ge~tation
pcriod. thc
un–
bom
ch ild of
it~
parcnt .
·ow in being ..born a2.ain.'' the
PRO(
!.:SS of
thi~~
birth bcgins when
Goo's uivinc SPIRIT-LI FE is im–
partcu Lo u · by the ho ly spirit. from
His ver) PLRso, . cntering to dwell
wit hin us. Repca t. l'rom Romans
8:
.. But ir thc Spirit of him that raised
ur Jcsu . rrom the dead dwcll in you.
he that raiscu up Ch ris t from thc
dcad shall
abo
qu ickcn [change ro
immorta l sp iri l] your mortal bodies
by his Spirit tha t dwcllcth in you"
(ve rse
11).
Th is is dcscribing the
ver) !>ame thing exp la ined in
l
Corinthian~
15:50-53.
thc resur–
rect ion.
1
want to makc
thi~
crvstal clea r.
M
illiom of sincere
profes~ing
Chris–
tians belie\'c that when the) profess
Christ (or receivc His holy spirit)
the; are "born again ... \1-.'ha t ac–
tually happem is this:
The Church Our Mother
Whcn one, after repcntance. faith .
and baptism receives the ho ly spirit.
th e spirit of Gou pu ts him into -
The
PLAIN TRUTH August 1976