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The Amish Voice 5

read? We cannot even go to God unless

He decides to draws us to Himself. We

are helpless! We are at His mercy!

Titus 3:5

Not by works of righteousness

which we have done, but according to his

mercy, he saved us…

Before the new birth takes place in a

person’s life, that person is a dead spirit;

therefore, he can do nothing spiritually,

just as a dead body can do nothing

physically.

The apostle Paul writes:

Romans 3:11-12

There is none that

understandeth, there is none that seeketh

after God. They are all gone out of the

way, they are together become

unprofitable; there is none that doeth

good, no, not one.

There is not a single human being on the

face of the earth that seeks after God. No,

not even one in the 7 billion people alive

on this earth right now! Unless the Father

draws us to Himself, we will never in a

thousand years go to Him on our own.

The Father has to draw us to Himself,

convict us of our sin, and show us that we

are in desperate need of a new birth

experience. See John 16:8-11.

John 3:5-6

Jesus answered, Verily, verily,

I say unto thee, Except a man be born of

water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter

into the kingdom of God. That which is

born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is

born of the Spirit is spirit.

To enter and experience the physical

world, we had to first be born in the flesh.

To enter and experience the spiritual

world, God’s kingdom, we have to be born

in the spirit.

Here are a few things we know about the

first birth:

1. I am flesh that can be seen with eyes

and felt with fingers.

2. I did not pull myself together one

day and give myself legs, arms,

nose,

brains,

ears,

eyes,

kidneys, blood,

etc.

3. I became

flesh, just

like

my

father.

4. I inherited

the family

name.

5. My father

will always

be my father. I will always be his

son.

6. Our fellowship may at times be

hindered,

but

the

father/son

relationship can never be severed,

cut off, or given away.

At birth, my parents wrote out a birth

certificate that reads: On February 1,

1967, at 5:02 am, Joe was born into the

Keim family.

Please note: My birth certificate does not

read, “Between February 1st and March

8th, 1967, Joe was born into the Keim

family.”

7. I can never be unborn or re-born in

the flesh. It was a onetime physical

birth that allowed me entrance to the

physical world.

Most of us would agree thus far, but you

ask, how does the second birth work? In a

nut shell, the second birth works in many

of the same ways that the first birth does.

It happens on a certain date and at an exact

time.

Everyone who is born again should have

two birth certificates.

1. Just like you celebrate your physical

birth every year, so you should

celebrate your spiritual birth every

year.

2. When you were born into your

earthly family and took on

the family name, so it is

when you are born into

God’s family; you take

on the family name—

CHRISTian.

3. The Bible does not

talk about a third and

fourth birth. There are

only two. The first one

is physical and allows

entrance into the physical world; the

second one is spiritual and allows

entrance into the spiritual world.

4. Just like your earthly father

corrected and disciplined you, so

your heavenly Father will also

correct and discipline you. That is,

if you have been born into His

family. Look what the Bible says:

Hebrews 12:7-9

...God dealeth with you

as with sons; for what son is he whom the

father chasteneth not? But if ye be

without chastisement, whereof all are

partakers, then are ye bastards, and not

sons.

Furthermore we have had fathers of our

flesh which corrected [us], and we gave

[them] reverence: shall we not much

rather be in subjection unto the Father of

spirits, and live?

There is one big difference between the

first birth and the second birth; our earthly

father does not have any part in the second

birth. Neither do you, the church, or the

Bishop. No, the second birth is a work of

God and God alone.

But you say, wait a minute, I have to do

something. Yes, you are right. You have

to believe, which we will get into later;

however, beyond that you can do nothing.