Born to Believe: God’s Work in Regeneration and Conversion

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I. Introduction – John 3:1-21.

II. God must regenerate – John 3:1-13.

A. Because we are spiritually blind – John 3:3.

B. Because we cannot regenerate ourselves – John 3:5; Heb 5:5

C. Because regeneration involves water and spirit 3:5.

1. Born of the Spirit.

a. Implies born from above – 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:8; 5:4.

b. Has different results from born of the flesh – John 3:6; 1:13.

c. Cannot be controlled – John 3:7-8.

2. Born of water.

a. Various views of water.

b. Water and Spirit in the Old Testament – John 3:9-10, Ezek 36:25-31, Numb 19:20.

D. Because Jesus is the authority on the new birth – John 3:11-13; 1:18.

III. You must believe – John 3:14-18; Numbers 21:4-9.

A. You must believe because of your sin problem – John 3:14; Numb 21:5.

B. You must believe because this is the only way to eternal life – John 3:15.

C. You must believe because of the cost to the Father – John 3:16.

D. You must believe because of the preciousness of the sacrifice – John 3:16.

E. You must believe because of the extent of the invitation – John 3:15-17.

F. You must believe because of the mercy of the invitation – John 3:17; Matt 23:27.

G. You must believe because of your present condemnation – John 3:18.

H. You must believe because you are running out of time.

IV. You must repent – John 3:19-20.

A. John doesn’t use the word repent but he does describe the action.

B. Verses in John that describe repentance: (3:19), (3:20-21), (3:36), (3:21), (4:23-24), (5:22-24), (5:29), (6:48-66), (8:42, cf. 1 John 2:15), (10:26-28), and (14:15).

V. When you repent and believe it is the result of God’s prior work – John 3:21; 6:29,45.

VI. Helpful web articles.

A. Various views of water in John 3:5.

1. John 3:15 - Part I, Sam Storms

2. John 3:15 - Part II, Sam Storms

B. Eternal sonship – Reexamining the Eternal Sonship of Christ, John MacArthur

C. Repentance in John -- Repentance in the Gospel of John, John MacArthur