Old Testament believers (2)

We are looking at salvation with particular reference to Old Testament believers. In the second part of this series we are going to look at the necessity of being born again.

Born of water and the Spirit

Jesus answered, 'I tell you the truth, no-one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, "You must be born again." ' (Joh 3:5–7)

Jesus said that no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Has that been true for mankind only since the time of Christ? No, it's been true for every human being since the fall.

Man originally dwelt in God's kingdom. God created him in his image (Gen 1:26–27): he did that by breathing his Spirit into him so he would have his nature. (The Hebrew word translated 'breath' in Gen 2:7 means breath or spirit).

He then placed him in a garden he had planted in Eden where he had fellowship with him. The garden was a copy of the Paradise of God in heaven (Rev 2:7), which is part of God's kingdom, and to which Jesus returned after his death (Luk 23:42–43).

When man sinned, God withdrew his Spirit from him and he died spiritually. He then drove him out of his kingdom and he hasn't been able to re-enter it without being born again (reborn spiritually).

Jesus defined being born again as being born of water and the Spirit. We know what being born of the Spirit is—it's when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us, as he dwelt in Adam before the fall. But what is being born of water?

Jesus placed being born of water before being born of the Spirit. He did that for a reason: being born of water precedes being born of the Spirit.

Water for repentance

The New Testament uses water to symbolize three things. The first is the Spirit himself.

Jesus said:

'Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.' By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. (Joh 7:38–39a)

So water symbolizes the Holy Spirit, but Jesus wouldn't say we must be born of the Spirit and the Spirit.

The second thing it symbolizes is the Word of God.

Paul wrote:

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loves the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word… (Eph 5:25–26)

The Word of God was symbolized in the Old Testament by the water of cleansing (Num 8:5–11). It purified the Levites so they could serve the Lord. As we read the Word it cleans us by exposing our sins and failings and showing us where we need to change. The Word of God also leads us to salvation.

The apostle Peter wrote:

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. (1Pe 1:23)

Most Christians are born again when they hear the gospel: they believe the Word they hear and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within them. However, not everyone comes to Christ that way. I've heard of Christians being born again after seeing visions of Jesus. No word was preached to them; the Lord appeared to them in a vision and they were born again.

But there was one thing they would have done (which we all do) before the Holy Spirit entered them: they would have repented of their sins. And that brings us to the third thing water symbolizes, which is repentance.

John the Baptist said, 'I baptize you with water for repentance (Mat 3:11).' John the Baptist preached repentance to Israel and told the people to be baptized—to symbolically wash away the sins they'd repented of. He then told them to believe in the one who was to come after him, namely Jesus (Act 19:4).

Repentance is a prerequisite to being born again. We hear the message that we're sinners and repent of our sins; we then receive Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord and are born of his Spirit. His Spirit enters our hearts (2Co 1:21–22).

No one can enter the kingdom of God without repentance. It was man's sin that caused him to be driven from it in the first place (Gen 3:23–24); he cannot re-enter it unless he repents of his sin.

What did Jesus preach to Israel? He preached repentance: 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near (Mat 4:17).' In other words: 'Repent of your sins and you'll be able to enter God's kingdom.'

Isaiah's conversion

Jesus said that no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born again. That means that every Old Testament believer must have been born again. Is there evidence to support that? Yes there is.

In Isa 6 we read of Isaiah's conversion. He had a vision of Jesus sitting on a throne. What was his reaction to the vision? He said, 'Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips and I have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.'

Isaiah's immediate reaction was to be conscious of his sin, which is a function of the Holy Spirit (Joh 16:8). He felt deep regret for his sin, realizing it was his undoing.

But a seraph took a live coal from the altar and placed it on his lips and told him that his sin had been atoned for and his guilt taken away. That is what happens when we are born again: our sin is atoned for and our guilt is taken away.

Persecution of the prophets

Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. (1Pe 1:10–11)

Every Old Testament prophet (and prophetess) was born again; they had, as the above text tells us, 'the Spirit of Christ in them'.

That explains why they were holy and righteous, because no one can live a righteous life unless Jesus lives his life in them by his Spirit (Col 1:27). And the prophets in the Old Testament were persecuted for their righteousness, just as Christians are persecuted for righteousness today.

Paul told Timothy that everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2Ti 3:12). It's not a possibility; it's a certainty. And he knew what he was talking about.

What did the Lord say to Paul when he met with him on the Damascus road? He said, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me (Act 9:4)? Why are you persecuting those I am living my life in?' Paul was cut to the heart when he heard those words and went on to be persecuted himself, many times, for the sake of righteousness (doing what was right in the sight of God).

The company of the prophets

God had believers in the Old Testament, chosen by grace, just as he has today; and they met together for fellowship, as we do today. They were known as 'the company of the prophets' (2Ki 2:3,5).

One such group built a meeting place on the banks of the Jordan because the place where they were meeting was too small (2Ki 6:1–2). That meant that God was adding to their number and that church building programmes are not new.

We can learn a lot from the Old Testament. God's church was living and active long before Jesus died on the cross. In fact God has been saving people since the time of Abel (Adam's son).

Having driven Adam and Eve out of the garden, God longed to have fellowship with mankind again. And Abel was saved by faith (Heb 11:4), just as we are. We'll look at that subject next time.

Michael Graham
September 2009

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