BORN AGAIN, BORN OF THE SPIRIT AND HOLY GHOST BAPTISM

1. we are going to examine some words in the “Original Greek”

NT:4151 pneuma, pneumatos, This word with a “lower case “s” is used 126 times in the N.T.

1. a movement of air (gentle) blast

a. used of the wind:

b. breath of the nostrils or mouth, 2 Thess 2:8

2. the spirit, i. e., the vital principle by which the body is animated

3. a spirit

a. generically: Luke 24:37

b. a human soul that has left the body Heb 12:23

c. a spirit higher than man but lower than God, i. e. an angel: plural Heb 1:14

d. the spiritual nature of Christ, higher than the highest angels, close to God and most intimately united to him (in doctrinal phraseology the divine nature of Christ): 1 Tim 3:16

4. The Scriptures also ascribe the pneuma to God, i. e., God's power and agency

The word “spirit” L.C. “s” is used 126 times in the N.T. and always deals with the “spirit of life” in mankind and in some cases an “evil spirit” in a person, or in animal or bird life.

S# NT:4151 pneuma, pneumatos, is used in the N.T 388 times as Spirit, spirit ,Spirit of God, Born of the Spirit, Spirit of Truth and Spiritual Gifts.

The same Greek word with a Higher Case .S. “Spirit” is used 135 times in the Spirit of God or the Holy Spirit or the Holy Ghost; the third person of the “God Head”.

As simply “Holy Ghost” 90 times.

John 3:5-8 “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. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit”.

NT:1080 gennaoo, gennoo; [born]

1. properly: of men begetting children, Matt 1:1-16

2. metaphorically,

a. universally, to engender, to cause to arise, to excite 2 Tim 2:23

b. in a Jewish sense, of one who brings others over to his way of life: 1 Cor 4:15

c. after Ps 2:7, it is used of God making Christ his son

<START GREEK>a<END GREEK>. formally to show him to be the Messiah Acts 13:33

<START GREEK>b<END GREEK>. to be the author of the divine nature which he possesses Heb 1:5; 5:5

d. peculiarly, in the Gospel and First Epistle of John,

absolutely, 1 John 5:1

Since “Jews” [Hebrews] were children of God by lineage [birth; descendants of Abraham through the lineage of Jacob. Under the covenant of grace; [Saved through and by faith in the blood of Christ; It was required that they be “born again” of the water and the Spirit. See John 3:8. Under this same covenant of Grace the Gentiles were required to be “adopted”. Rom 8:15-17 “ For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption , whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together”.

Gal 4:6-7 “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son [Holy Ghost] into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father; Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ”.

This tells us plainly that for Jews to be saved after Calvary they had to be “born again” by faith in Jesus Christ. And Gentiles who had never been children of God could now be saved by receiving the “Spirit of adoption” by faith in the same Jesus.

1 Cor 12:13 “ For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body , whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit”.

Let us go back to John 3:5 “Except A man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”. If baptism in the Holy Ghost and being “born again” are the same thing; There were believers at Ephesus [Acts 19] that died lost during the elapsed time when they became believers and when the Holy Ghost was poured out on them some 20 years later.

From that which was designed to be “The great gift of God” to the church; the “Baptism with the Holy Ghost” later became the greatest divider of brethren in the church. A number of different organizations using variations of the name Church of God came into being along with Pentecostal Holiness; Assemblies of God, Independent and Free Holiness groups sprang into existence throughout the world. Each of these came into existence mainly because of “Charismatic Leaders” that preached a variation of the Pentecostal message and claiming to have received “special revelation or vision” from God. This fulfilling the prophecy of the Apostle Paul in Acts 20:30 “Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them”.

RELIGION: “Belief in and reverence for God or some supernatural power that is recognized as the creator and ruler of the universe; an organized system of doctrine with an approved pattern of behavior and a proper form of worship. The classic New Testament passage on religion is James 2:17. Faith divorced from deeds, says James, is as lifeless as a corpse”.

Instead of “belief in and reference for” Elehoim” [S#430 the God of creation of Genesis 1:1] this generation has degenerated to the condition to the Greeks of Athens on Mars’ Hill in Acts 17:22-25 when they were involved in the worship of multiple gods; built an altar “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD” and bowed in worship to it; Being afraid that they would miss the worship of a god without a name.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 1^st. Cor 14:26 “How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine , hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying”.

The “Bottom Line” is that every man [person] must “search the scriptures” to know the truth of the Word of God for themselves. The key to understanding the Bible is.

1. Know the time of the writing.

2. Know who is writing.

3. Know who the letter or Epistle is directed.

4. Know the purpose of the letter or Epistle.

5. Know the subject matter.

There is also a difference in being “born of the Spirit” and being “born of God”. 1 John 3:9-10 “ Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin , because he is born of God In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother”. The above says that a person that is “born of God” cannot sin”. And we know that a person that is “born of the Spirit” can sin. And if he can’t sin it would be impossible to ”backslide” or fall away from God.

I have to end this somewhere; but I could go on and on.

Give me your thoughts on the subject after you complete the study.

Shelton Turner