The Absolute Necessity of The New Birth/The Will of Man
The Absolute Necessity of The New Birth/The Will of Man
I am fully-aware that the title of this treatise will immediately cause some people to have no interest in it--because they think they have heard enough about this subject already. Since you have chosen to read it, I will do my best to make it worth your while; and we will, Lord-willing, have some intriguing discussion regarding the will (especially of man).
Most of us are probably very familiar with the words of our blessed and beloved Messiah, to Nicodemus, as they are recorded for us in Jn. 3:3. Here is that verse: "Jesus answered him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God,' " (ESV).
Not "seeing" the Kingdom of God is analogous to not knowing the King of that Kingdom, Jesus Christ our Lord. And not knowing Jesus in a salvific way, through faith in His blood atonement, is to be remaining in spiritual death.
But the "problem" with religion, especially the Christian religion, is that it is possible to do just about anything in an outward way that imitates and somewhat harmonizes with the truth of the Christian religion--and yet be utterly lost, and dead in trespasses and sins. But this truth notwithstanding, the chasm between those who are truly born again in Jesus Christ, and those who are not is as vast and infinite as the east is from the west.
So, if the new birth is absolutely vitally important, then how is it missed, skipped, and/or overlooked? There are undoubtedly a lot of reasons for this, but probably none more than ignorance. Sinners simply do not know what the new birth is, and they have no conception of what it means to actually experience it.
Part of the problem is in preaching; and part of the problem is in hearing. If the gospel is not preached clearly, then sinners will not understand that a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit is necessary, if anyone is to be saved (in Jesus' blood). If the gospel is faithfully preached, but the hearers automatic response is, "Oh, enough of this 'Jesus talk' already, get on with telling me what to do"--then, unregeneracy remains, even as a false security may, as well.
The fact that the Holy Spirit must do the work of the new birth; and the fact that God elects and predestines His true children is so well-established in the Holy Scriptures, that I do not see any need to "defend" this wonderful truth.
. . . Instead, I wish to address some real issues that I think some people have regarding the new birth, and the sovereignty of God. So, let us get going on that. . . .
First of all, someone might say, "Well, you Calvinists insist that God chooses His own people. Therefore, what could I ever do, to undergo the new birth in Jesus Christ?" I think this is a legitimate question; but it also exposes a dishonesty. If we are told that we must be born again; that we are to believe in Jesus Christ, and repent of our sins; that we are to embrace the Messiah in His gospel of grace--then this is precisely what we must do.
If a sinner refuses to do this, it is because he *wills* not to do this. No one is compelling his will; no one is forcing his will; no one is usurping his will. The fallen human will is the problem.
If a crafty sinner says to us, "Yes; but I cannot believe in the gospel, because God has not chosen me from before all eternity"--then, what this sinner is really saying is, "I will not to believe in the gospel; and I also will not (in truth) to believe in this alleged-election that you Calvinists speak of."
On the Judgment Day no one will be able to say, "God, you did not choose me; and therefore I am doomed to hell." This will especially be acutely true of any and all who have been presented with a clear gospel message. Let us never be fooled: the will is the problem.
Someone might say, "Yes, but do you Calvinists not insist that God must resurrect the fallen and dead will; and that we cannot do this on our own?" And the answer is, "Yes, we do say that, because the Word of God teaches that, (and all experience confirms it)--but this does not relieve you of your responsibility to believe the gospel of grace as it is preached to you."
The conversation may continue; and the unbeliever may say, "Yes; but I do not want to believe this gospel; I do not like it; and I wish to find some other way to satisfy/please God." If the chat gets to this level, then the problem (and real truth) is now revealed. The person did say, "I do not want to believe this gospel, etc." That is the problem; it is the problem of the fallen and rebellious will.
Let us never be deceived by pretenses, excuses, distractions, distortions, and efforts to "cloud over" the real truth. The problem is the will.
Can sinners be "born again" to a living hope in Jesus Christ? Yes; they can be--but this requires faith in the gospel of grace. To exercise this faith is (indeed) an act of the will. If this occurs, it is (indeed) because God had already resurrected the fallen will through the Holy Spirit's work of regeneration. But does this truth preclude any lost sinner from embracing Jesus Christ by faith? No; it does not.
The gospel is before us. Let us wholeheartedly believe in our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us be born again. No one who experiences the new birth in the Redeemer of God's elect ever regrets it. In fact, these words only apply to them: "I came that they may have life and have it abundantly," (Jn. 10:10b/ESV).
Rev. Mark J. Henninger
Treatise #39
18 November 2025
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