THE KING’S BUSINESS
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of salvation—(a) Shall not perish, (b) Shall have eternal life. The verse also con tains a marvelous revelation of God’s love: (1) The objects of God’s love—“the world.” (2) The character of God’s love: (a) Great, holding nothing back. (b) Self-sacrificing—giving His very best, (c) Holy—not forgiving sin without an ade quate expression of His hatred of it. (3) The manifestation of God’s love, in the gift of Hjs, only begotten Son. (4) The purpose of God’s love—to save. (5) The results of God’s love—whosoever believes gets everlasting life. It is a common teach ing nowadays that Jesus was the Son of God only in the sense that all men are sons of God, but the Bible clearly teaches that He was the Son of God in a sense that no other is the Son of God. The word translated “only begotten” is the word that is used elsewhere in the New Testament for the only one of its kind, as an only son and an only daughter (see Luke 7:12; (1) New Birth Demanded. What kind of a teacher was Jesus? Matt. 7:29; John 7 :46. Why did Nicbdemus come at night? John 12:42, 43. How is he spoken of in the Scriptures ? John 7:50; 12:42, 43; John 19:38, 39. What brought Nicodemus to Christ? Isa. 57:21. What are the wicked like? Isa. 57:20. Why is it necessary to be born again ? Rom. 3 :23. Can the flesh please God? Rom. 8:5-8. Is any life better than the source from which it proceeds? Matt. 15:19. Is the old nature corrupt? Eph. 22:24. Can the flesh do the will of God? Rom. 7 :18; 1 John 2:16. Is the old nature eradicated? Gal. 5:16. 17. (2 ) New Birth Provided. What was the origin of the old nature? John 8:44. What is the origin of the new nature? v. 3 (R.V.) 8:42. LESSON
8:42; 9:38, see Greek). In the six remain ing passages in which this word is used in the Greek New Testament (John 1:14, 18; 3 :16, 18; Heb. 11:17; 1 John 4:9) it is used of Jesus Christ as the only Son of God. This shows how utterly foreign to New Testa-, ment teaching is that of those who. in our day say, “Yes, Jesus was the Son of God, but we are all sons of God.” v. 17. " For God sent not His (the) Son into the world to condemn (judge) the world: (;) but that the world through Him might be saved (but that the world should be saved through Him")., God sent His Son into the world to save it, not to condemn it, but whosoever will not receive Jesus is pondemned, and condemned already (v. 18). If we fall in with God’s purpose, then we are saved. If we reject God’s pur pose of love, then He who came to save but brings the greater condemnation cf. Heb. 10:28, 29). OUTLINE From where does every gift come? James 1:17. How are men born from above? John 1:13. Is a man born from above through the Word? 1 Peter 1:23; James 1:18. What other agent does God use in the new birth? 1 Cor. 6:11. Are the Spirit and the Word the agents always used? 2 Thess. 2:13. How can we be used by these two agents in the work? Rom. 8:14; Matt. 4:19. (3) New Birth Illustrated. How does Christ explain the new birth? John 8 :28. What does He say He will do when lifted up? John 12:32, 34. How was the deadly bite cured in Israel’s camp ? Num. 21:7-9. Was the look an evidence of faith? Isa 45:22. Is there life for a look at the Crucified One? Psa. 34:5. What other simple terms are used to illustrate the simplicity of the new birth?
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