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Scripture Reading: 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4a, 18
Before we consider this mystery of the divine birth, I would like to add a further word about the anointing, which was our subject in the two previous chapters. When we speak of the anointing, we are speaking figuratively. In actuality, it is the Divine Being Himself who is moving in us and being wrought into our being. There is no point to our making up our mind to improve our behavior. Though we may try this, it is a waste of time. As long as we are saved and remain in the proper church life, this mysterious One will keep moving in us and transfusing us with all He has accomplished and obtained. In time our whole being will be saturated with the divine nature. We shall be as weighty as gold!
It is not only divinity that will be wrought into us; the proper humanity will be also. We shall have a resurrected, uplifted humanity. Furthermore, His death will also be worked into us, thus terminating all the negative things of the old creation.
This process going on in us is a lifelong matter; it is not accomplished overnight. Day by day, as we are in the church life, this compound ointment will be doing its work in us, until finally we are in resurrection. We shall all be translated from our present situation in the old creation into the new creation. This will be the fullness of resurrection. In the meantime, this anointing is constantly working within us, bringing us to this goal. Whether a meeting is living or not so living, this inward working still continues, infusing and transforming us. I am happy to see that there are a good number of young people who are experiencing this anointing and are thus undergoing the process of transformation.
The first two chapters of 1 John form one section of the book, and the last three another. In previous chapters we have already considered the mysteries of life, fellowship, abiding, and the anointing presented in this book. These topics are mostly found in the first section.
Now we come to what I call the mystery of the divine birth. All those who have been redeemed have had two births: the first human or natural, and the second divine. The last verse of chapter 2 says, “Everyone who practices righteousness also has been begotten of Him” (v. 29). Here the matter of the divine birth is brought in. Then in chapter 3 the first verse is, “Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God.” From here to the end of chapter 5, this thought of the divine birth is mentioned repeatedly, and the phrase begotten of God occurs a number of times (3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4a, 18).
It is surely a mystery to say that we have been begotten of God! That we have been created by God is commonly admitted. But to say that God is our Father, and that we therefore have His life and nature, is to make a great claim. Do we really believe that we have been begotten of God? Is God really our Father, not our adopted father or our father-in-law, but the One who has given us His life? Yes, these verses clearly declare that we have been begotten of God.
“Everyone who practices righteousness also has been begotten of Him” (2:29). Do not misunderstand and think that doing righteousness is a condition, or term, of being begotten of God. The meaning here is that if you are begotten of God, you will surely do righteousness. This doing is an expression of your being begotten of God.
Why, then, I used to wonder, did I sometimes act unrighteously? Surely I was begotten of God, yet on one occasion after another I could be found doing what is not righteous.
If we go on to 3:9, we shall be bothered even more! “Everyone who has been begotten of God does not practice sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been begotten of God.” How can the Bible say that the one who is begotten of God cannot sin? Surely all of us can testify that our experience contradicts this!
Now look at 4:7: “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God, and everyone who loves has been begotten of God and knows God.” Again, the meaning here is not that if we love others, we shall be begotten of God; rather, the evidence of our being begotten of God is that we love. Is this true of us? Honestly speaking, sometimes it is, and other times it is not. Since we are not always loving, can we say that we are begotten of God?
Then we come to 5:1: “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been begotten of God, and everyone who loves Him who has begotten loves him also who has been begotten of Him.” I surely like the first part of this verse. From my youth it has been an encouragement to me to know that because I did believe that Jesus is the Christ, I was begotten of God. However, the second part of the verse troubled me. Yes, I did love some of God’s children, but there were others that were not to my liking. Those I simply could not love.
Verse 4 goes on to say, “Everything that has been begotten of God overcomes the world.” Notice here that we have everything, not everyone. Everything that has been begotten of God overcomes the world. Is it true of you that you have overcome the world?
Verse 18 reads, “We know that everyone who is begotten of God does not sin, but he who has been begotten of God keeps himself, and the evil one does not touch him.”
Let us now sum up what this Epistle tells us about the one who is begotten of God.
(1) He practices righteousness.
(2) He does not and cannot sin.
(3) He loves the brothers.
(4) He overcomes the world.
(5) He keeps himself.
(6) He is not touched by the evil one.
How are we to reconcile these facts with our experience?
In the Gospel of John we have the key: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (3:6). When we were born again, it was not our whole being that was regenerated. It was our spirit that was born of the Spirit. Where is our spirit located? This is not easy to answer, but from 1 Peter 3:4 we can say that the spirit is the hidden man of the heart. This inmost part of our being has been begotten of God. A divine birth has occurred in us. When 1 John 3:9 tells us that the one begotten of God does not commit sin, it adds, “because His seed abides in him.” The seed of God abides in our spirit.
The same one who wrote 1 John tells us in his Gospel, “As many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God, to those who believe into His name, who were begotten not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (1:12-13). This new birth is not of blood, that is, not of the physical life; not of the will of the flesh, that is, not of the fallen, soulish life; and not of the will of man, that is, not of the soulish life of the created man. The new birth is fully related to God; at the time of our regeneration, only our spirit is begotten of Him.
This is the key to understanding these otherwise troublesome verses in 1 John. “Everything that has been begotten of God” (5:4) refers to the human spirit. This part of us does righteousness, does not and cannot sin, loves as God loves, overcomes the world, and keeps us. In this part we are safe from the evil one. This is our hiding place, our refuge, our high tower. To this place we flee whenever Satan comes. If we find our temper flaring, we must not struggle to keep it under control. To try to suppress our temper is to stretch out our neck for the enemy to cut off our head! Rather than fight to keep our self-control, we must withdraw to our spirit. This is our refuge.
Our regenerated spirit, then, is the key to understanding these verses regarding the characteristics of the one begotten of God.
The writings of Paul have this same thought, expressed in different terms. Galatians 5:17 says, “The flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.” The word Spirit here must be the Holy Spirit, who dwells in and mingles with our human spirit. There is a part of our being, the flesh, which is against another part, our spirit. Paul exhorts us in verse 16 to walk by the Spirit in order that we may not fulfill the lust of the flesh. We must not stay in our flesh but rather abide in our spirit, the part of our being that is begotten of God. Romans 8:4 also tells us that we are not to “walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit.” Within we have a spirit that has been begotten of God. We also have the flesh, which was begotten of the fallen nature. We must choose to walk in the part that has been begotten of God. This part does not and cannot sin, overcomes the world, loves what God loves, and keeps us from the evil one.
There is a teaching, based on 1 John 3:9, which claims that once we are saved, sin is eradicated; that is, it is no longer possible for us to sin. Nowadays this teaching is not popular, but it was quite common in China some forty or fifty years ago. There was a brother in Shanghai who preached the eradication of sin. He opposed Brother Nee’s teaching, based on Romans, that when we do not walk according to the spirit, we surely will sin. One day this brother, named Hwang, went with a few of his followers to a park, which required a ticket for admission. Instead of buying the needed number of tickets, Brother Hwang paid for only two or three. After two or three of those with him used these tickets to get in, they went back to where the others were waiting and handed the tickets over to them so that they could reuse them and get into the park without paying. One of those with him was troubled at this behavior. If sin has been eradicated, how could this Brother Hwang justify sneaking people into the park without paying? He did not question the preacher until later, when they had gotten home. Then he asked, “Brother Hwang, don’t you think it was a sin to slip people into the park without paying for them?” The preacher replied, “Oh no! That was not a sin. It was just a little weakness!” Whatever he wanted to call it, whether sin or weakness, it was undeniably a transgression, a sinful act.
You can see that this verse in 1 John 3:9 has stumbled many people. I was clear that our sinful nature is not eradicated, but in those days I did not know how to answer their challenge based on this verse. Gradually, the Lord made me clear that the key is in everything in 1 John 5:4. “Everything that has been begotten of God overcomes the world.” It is not a person here, but a part, that is begotten of God. By looking further into John’s writing in the Gospel and by considering Paul’s Epistles, I came to realize that regeneration only happened in our spirit; only one part of us was begotten of God. This part cannot sin, cannot be overcome by the world, and cannot be touched by the evil one. How we must praise the Lord for such a part within us!
Now that you have been begotten of God, it is in this part that you must remain. Do not try to do anything outside of this part. Do not attempt to do anything in your soulish life. Do not try to solve your problems by using your mind. Do not act in your emotions. Do not rely on your will, however strong it is. The only part within that really counts is your spirit, which has been begotten of God. This divine birth brings the divine life and nature into your spirit.
Keep coming back to this part. Do not take any action outside of here. Do not even think about loving or hating, about doing good or doing evil. Just be sure that you are in this part. When you would love someone, first say, “Lord, bring me to my spirit; then I can love.” When you need to go shopping, say, “Lord, keep me in my spirit.” Even as a student, when you read or study an assignment or attend class, stay in this part.
As long as we abide in our spirit, we overcome the world, we do not sin, we can do what the Father would do and love what He would love, and we can keep ourselves. Satan cannot cross this boundary to reach us. Abide here. Take refuge in this high tower!
