Greg Wilson

Re: Mike Plunkett (8 Dec 2024)

 

Dear Mike:

 

Psalm 22:31 intrigued me regarding John 3:7, Psalm 78:6 and Isaiah 46:3.   Jesus/Yeshua was speaking in John 3:7 as the Hebrew Messiah to Nicodemus, a teacher of Israel. “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”  Born again as a nation?  Individual rebirth? National rebirth?  I would imagine that the context was Jewish salvation in the recognition of Israel’s Messiah circa A.D. 30.  I am thinking the context is fully Jewish here.  Salvation is first for the Jew.  Is this Psalm 22:31 a reference to a national rebirth of corporate Israel? 

 

Is Christ thinking of a pre-crucifixtion/resurrection form of Jewish salvation, if Christ had been recognized as Israel’s Messiah in the context of Him being the King of the kingdom of heaven (earthly kingdom) versus the Church as a new creation in the context of the kingdom of God (a spiritual kingdom).

 

With that in mind, Paul the apostle to the Gentiles never refers to being “born again” in any of his epistles.  Instead he speaks of the new creation of a new creature in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:17) Individual creation.  We do not fully know what that is because we are only at stage 1 in this age, the spiritual rebirth awaiting the bodily redemption at stage 2. (1 Thess. 4:17; 1 Cor. 15:52) Christ indwelt is stage 1.   I have always wondered about these distinctions “born again” vs. “new creation”.   Birth and creation are different concepts. 

 

I think these are interesting discussion topics.  These topics are interesting in the context of dispensations, ie. Jewish vs. church in Scriptures.  Who is the target audience, etc.  First birth=flesh, second birth=spirit.  Lo-ammi. (Hosea 2:1),

 

Interesting questions.

 

Blessings, Greg