Wondrous Love, and other Gospel addressesMoody, Dwight Lyman
Religion
Wondrous Love, and other Gospel addresses
Moody, Dwight Lyman
Sermons, American -- 19th century
A CHRISTIAN BECAUSE BAPTIZED.
Another class say, "Oh, yes, I am a Christian, because I was
baptized." Now, I want to say here that baptism is one thing, and
being born again is another. Because a person is baptized, you cannot
say that that is the new birth. Would you call that being born from
above? You cannot baptize a man into the kingdom of God. Now, bear
that in mind. If I could save men by baptizing them, you would not
catch me preaching. I would get water and baptize them; that would be
the quickest way. It would be no use to be praying and pleading for
men to flee from the wrath of God. But you can never get them into the
kingdom of God by baptism. Baptism is all right in its place. I am not
here crying down church ordinances; I am talking about the new birth:
and there are a great many, I believe, being deceived on this one
point, that because they have been baptized at some time in their life
they have become Christians. But that is not the new birth; that is
not being born from above and of the Spirit. Do not let Satan deceive
you, my friends, on that point, for it is a very important truth; and
we want to have every one here to understand, and I hope the Spirit of
God will make plain the difference between baptism and regeneration,
or being born of the Spirit.
JOINING THE CHURCH.
There is another class that say, "Oh, yes, I became a Christian when I
joined the church." That is not being born again. What has that to do
with the new birth, being united with the church on earth? There are a
great many united with the church who are on their way to death and
ruin. A great many have no hope of eternal life who are church
members. One of the twelve Christ chose to follow Him turned out a
hypocrite and a traitor; he was not loyal to Christ at heart. My
friends, don't build your hope of heaven upon some profession of your
faith, but bear in mind you must be born of God. Now just let me stop
a minute, and you think, and ask yourselves this question, "Have I
been born again?" It is the most solemn question that will ever come
before you down here, "Have I been born from above? Have I been born
of the Spirit?" It is not making some new resolutions. You have made
enough of them. I never met any one who had not made some good
resolutions in their life. It is not trying to do good. A great many
say, "I try to do the best I can, and I think it will come out all
right." What is that to do with the new birth and the new creation?
God does not promise salvation to him that tries to do the best he
can, but to him that believeth, or that is born of the Spirit; for
"except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
THE NEW BIRTH INSTANTANEOUS.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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