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 messages. 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 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 which 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 messages, 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 two says, “...every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.” Here the matter of the divine birth is brought in. Then in chapter three, the first verse is, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” From here to the end of chapter five, this thought of divine birth is mentioned repeatedly, and the phrase “born 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 born 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 born 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 born of God.
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