Begotten of God

James 1:18-20

 

INTRO: What is James speaking of when he says in verse 18, "Of his own will begat he us...." James is clearly speaking of the doctrine of regeneration. Baptist believe in regeneration for without it no one would get to heaven.

Ephesians 2:1 says: "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins." To be quickened is to be made alive by God, to be born again, to be born from above. Because the lost man is "dead in trespasses and sins," completely dead spiritually, he must have new birth, regeneration. As Jesus said to Nicodemus: "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (Jn 3:3). There are those who want man to be in charge of salvation; he is not for Jesus went on to say: "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again" (Jn 3:7).

The work of regeneration is a wonderful manifestation of the power of the Spirit of God (Jn 3:8). We are saved not by works, but by God’s grace in accordance with His will, pleasure (Titus 3:5).

The New Hampshire Declaration of Faith says: Article VII. We believe that, in order to be saved, sinners must be regenerated or born again;¹ that regeneration consists in giving a holy disposition to the mind;² that it is effected, in a manner above our comprehension, by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine truth,³ so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the gospel;⁴ and that its proper evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance and faith and newness of life.⁵

 

I. VS 18, DIVINELY BEGOTTEN

A. "Of his own will begat he us." Pastor Bill Brown says: "Nothing in man causes God to give him eternal life (vs 18). He does it freely of His own will" (10). As Jonah 2:9 says: "Salvation is of the Lord."

1. Through the fall, man lost his ability to do that which is spiritually good. Without the intervention, God all would go to hell. John Gill said: Man, in his state of innocence, had both a power and a will to do that which was naturally and morally good; though his will was left mutable, and so through temptation might be inclined to evil, at which door came in the sin and fall of man. Man, in his fallen state, is wholly under the power and dominion of sin, is a captive under it, and a slave unto it, and has neither a power nor will to that which is spiritually good. Man, in a state of regeneration, is freed from the dominion of sin, though not from the being of it; his will is sweetly and powerfully wrought upon, and inclined to what is spiritually good, though he finds a body of sin and death about him which much distresses and hinders him in the performance of it. (7-8).

2. John 1:13 makes plain the truth we are studying here: that truth being the doctrine of regeneration. Those who receive Christ have been enabled to do so by God. "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

3. Jesus says in John 15:16: "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you...." It is truly by grace that we are saved.

4. Salvation is according to God’s good pleasure (Eph 1:4-13).

5. Without the resurrection, we could not be born again (I Pet 1:3).

B. "With the word of truth." The Word of truth is the Gospel, the good news of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection (I Cor 15:3-4).

1. It is by the Word of truth that we are set free from sin and error (Jn 8:32).

2. The Word of truth is the Gospel of our salvation (Eph 1:13).

3. Without belief of the Word of truth, there is no salvation (II Thes 2:13-14).

4. The words of that Jesus speaks they are spirit and life (Jn 6:63).

5. Those that hear the Word with a spiritual ear pass from death to life (Jn 5:24-25).

6. We have the hope for the world, God’s Word. Let’s spread the Gospel seed! Let’s be a lighthouse!

C. "That we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures." The principle of the first fruits has to do with ownership. In the Old Testament, the Jews gave an offering of the first fruits. God got His portion first. He owned it all and by giving the first fruits they acknowledged this (Prov 3:9).

1. We too are to recognize the fact that we are owned by God (I Cor 6:19-20). The saved called first fruits in many places in the New Testament.

2. Rev 14:4 says: "These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb." First fruits says we are owned by God, and we are to recognize this and honor Him with our lives (Rom 12:2).

 

II. VSS 19-20, WHEN TO SPEED UP AND WHEN TO SLOW DOWN

A. We need to be "swift to hear" and "slow to speak, slow to wrath."

1. "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear...." The word "wherefore" points us back to verse 18. Because God brings us from death to life by the Word, we are to "be swift to hear."

a. In the Gospel of Mark, we are told that the sower went out to sow the seed and the seed is the Word of God. Mark 4:9 says of the seed: "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." Sixteen times in the New Testament, we are specifically instructed to hear the Word of God.

b. Romans 10:17 says: "Faith cometh by hearing, hearing by the Word of God." The lost need to listen to the Gospel.

c. The saved need to listen to the Word, so that they can grow (II Pet 3:18; I Pet 2:2). We need to have an ear for what God has spoken in His Word. We need to continually sit under the sound of the Gospel preaching (I Pet 1:25).

2. "Slow to speak."

a. Zeno said: "We have two ears but only one mouth, that we may hear more and speak less" (Barclay 55).

b. From Proverbs, we read: "He that hath knowledge spareth his words" (Prov 17:27); and "He that refraineth his lips is wise" (Prov 10:19).

3. "Slow to wrath."

a. Don’t get angry at God, His Word, or His messenger.

b. Prov 14:29, "He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly."

c. Words of encouragement usually accomplish more than words of wrath.

B. Vs 20, Man’s anger does not produce the righteousness of God. Anger hinders the cause of Christ; it does not help it.

1. The Bible teaches us to hate sin, to run from evil, to do right. But we are to always have a Christ like attitude.

2. Religious groups that thrive on hatred and violence are not of God.

 

CONCLUSION: The Word of God is what we need! The lost need it for the message of salvation; the saved need it for growth.

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