Whose word will you take? #bornagain #baptism #jesus #newbirth #speakingintongues

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@TheSpiritistheWitness
Any place, any time, and in a variety of circumstances, people may receive the experience which Jesus described to Nicodemus as being “born again” (Jn. 3:3). Jesus also told that Jewish elder that a definite sign would accompany each new birth: a sound produced by the Spirit. He said, “The wind blows wherever it will, and you hear its sound. . . . So is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (Jn. 3:8).

Jesus said to the Jews, “In your law it is written that the testimony of two men is true. I’m one who bears witness of myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness of me” (Jn. 8:17–18). Two witnesses have always been required in order to establish the most important matters among the saints (e.g., Dt. 17:6), and surely, knowing who is a member of the body of Christ and who is not is one of life’s most important issues. Man’s confession of faith, being only one witness, cannot settle that issue. Jesus even said of himself, “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. There’s another who testifies about me, and I know that the witness that He bears of me is true” (Jn. 5:31–32). If Jesus insisted that even his testimony was worthless if it was the only one he had, then surely we should humble ourselves to confess the same about ours.

What anyone claims about his standing with God counts for nothing. A second witness is required: the sound of the Spirit. And when the Spirit comes in and moves a person to make that sound, we may know with certainty that God has adopted that person into His holy family. The precious testimony of the Spirit, purchased for us by the blood of Christ, together with the voice of the person into whom the Spirit has come, make up the two witnesses required by God for the great matter of the new birth to be confirmed.

Now, it is not as important to know that a sound is heard when a person is born again as it is to know that it is the Spirit that is producing the sound. The Spirit’s sound is not that of a person claiming to be born again. Man’s testimony concerning himself is worthless. Moreover, God has never ordained a minister, or the Bible, or even an angel from heaven to declare someone to be born again. He has reserved that honor to Himself. The Lord Jesus said that the Spirit would produce the sound. In every case, he said, “You hear its voice.” A good question for all of us to ask ourselves is, “Who told me that I was born again?” Jesus said that whenever anyone is truly born again, it is the voice of the Spirit that proves it to be so. “So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

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