The Prophets Spoke of Being “Born Again”
Jeremiah and Ezekiel both prophesied about being “born again.” It was not a new invention under Jesus Christ — the scripture described being “born again” long before. This is why Jesus Christ was so amazed that a “teacher of Israel” did not understand these things in John, chapter three.
Jesus to Nicodemus: “Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus:“How can a man be born when he is old?”
Jesus: “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘you must be born again.’”
Nicodemus: “How can the things be?”
Jesus:
“You are a teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?”
Jesus Christ clearly expected Nicodemus to know what he was talking about. Why? Because Jeremiah and Ezekiel talked about being born again:
Behold, days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. This is the covenant I will make with them, “I will put My Law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God and they shall be my people. Jeremiah 31:33
We see this in Hebrews 10:16.
Here is Ezekiel:
And I will give them one heart and put a new spirit in them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.
Ezekiel 11:19-20
And again:
Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit with in you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and. You will be careful to observe all my ordinances.
Ezekiel 36:26-27
And this ties in directly with Jesus Christ’s insistence that He came not to abolish the Law, but rather establish it. The New Birth causes those Ten Commandments to be engraved in our heart, so that after we are baptized (cutting off the sin-loving nature) and filled with the Spirit (being born again) we are inclined toward obedience to God.
This is the New Covenant.
FB