The question I like to ask people is where "born again" is found in the Old Testament. Jesus said he expected Nicodemus should know about it. That tells me it is Old Testament material. If someone knows what it is, he should be able to find it somewhere in the Old Testament.
Considering...OT was a Beginning Teaching...
Newly Created men, Likened to Teaching BABES.
We mimic Gods Beginning Teaching...
BABES (little immature children) to a BASIC INTRODUCTION ... BEFORE attempting to introduce UNDERSTANDING.
OT was about the Basic INTRODUCTION.
OT was ALSO hinged ON TRUSTING the Knowledge.
Parents of Children are charged with INTRODUCING their Children TO the TRUTH.
Children WILL TRUST the TRUTH from the Parents.........UNTIL such time, they Discover Parents Lie, Cheat, Steal, Swingle, Deceive...etc. Then will Children begin to NOT Trust a Parent....(and we hear all the time, a Parent say, they did NOT raise their Child LIKE "THAT". Yes they DID, by Example).
BORN AGAIN, (the words) are not in the OT.
However the INTRODUCTION to "BORN AGAIN" IS in the OT.
After reading the MEANING of "BORN AGAIN"....we can THEN LOOK BACK into the OT, and see what OT men WERE INTRODUCED TO.
The UNDERSTANDING of BORN AGAIN IS:
The precise moment a Human man, is the Recipient of Gods SEED, that BIRTHS the mans Natural spirit, to a Spiritual spirit.
The INTRODUCTION of BORN AGAIN IS:
Seen in:
Numerous OT Scriptures...
Beginning with ... men of God
Deut. 33:1
Judges 13:6
1 Sam 2:27
1 Kings 12:22
2 Kings 4:9
2 Chr 8:14
Ezra 3:2
Neh 12:24
Jer 35:4
The OT Scriptures reveal WHAT SET men APART, and they BEING seen and called "men of God".
In the OT, It was NOT about them having BEEN "BORN AGAIN", (recipients of Gods SEED), but rather "THOSE" men, TRUSTING God, that THEY were being SET APART, being PREPARED, and God was "WITH" them, as long as THEIR "TRUST" in Him....HIS WAY...
Even when they YET did not "UNDERSTAND".
God created man...
Gen 1
[
26] And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:
God Began Teaching Adam...ONLY Gods TRUTH.
Then revealed IS; Adam LISTENING to something OTHER, than Gods TRUTH...
And from Adam forward, mankind BECAME "LIKE" Adam.
Gen 5
[
3] And Adam ...begat a son in his own likeness, after his image;
Mankinds "LIKENESS" and "IMAGE" changed from Gods Truth...to Something Opposite of Gods TRUTH.
And the WHOLE purpose of Gods WORD, is to REVEAL to mankind... God has provided a WAY for mankind to be RECONCILLED BACK into Gods LIKENESS and IMAGE.
Human men HAVE NOT SEEN Gods LIKENESS or Gods IMAGE...thus it IS a difficult teaching to TEACH men HOW TO BE something, THEY can NOT Hear or See.
God began by Teaching men...
THIS or THAT WILL HAPPEN.
And men would WAIT TO SEE IF that Happened or not.
Over 100 times in the OT men were told... something "SHALL COME TO PASS".
Numbers 11:23 is the LORD teaching men...
Wait and See for things to COME TO PASS.
(And BTW Jesus repeated the SAME inference for men to wait and see)
John 10:
[
37] If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
[
38] But if I do, though
ye believe not me, believe the works:
OT IS the KNOWLEDGE of mankinds Creation...in Gods LIKENESS and IMAGE and TRUTH.
OT IS the KNOWLEDGE of mankinds FALL from Gods LIKENESS and IMAGE and TRUST IN God.
OT IS the INTRODUCTION...of GODS "WAY" of reconcillation of mankind unto God.
Gen 3
[
12] And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his
way upon the earth.
Gods "WAY" is always His TRUTH.
Gods "WAY" is always "SETTING APART" mankind...who TRUST God, from...mankind who DOES NOT TRUST God.
The "setting APART", is accomplished BY...
DIVISION...and ultimately SEPARATION.
God SENT "HIS WAY", to earth in the LIKENESS...as a "FAITHFUL" man...
Expressly, for ALL of mankinds EXAMPLE to Hear "AND" See "AND" Do as He did.
(Because Remember, men ONLY Hearing was not BY a mans standard...sufficient enough...
MEN wanted to SEE God...and God retorted, that men who were NOT satisfied with ONLY Hearing...were stiffnecked.)
Ex:32:9
Ex 33: 3 & 5
Ex 34: 9
Deut. 9:6
Deut. 9:13
Deut 10:16
1 Chron 30:8
Acts 7:51
OT Teaching...of Knowledge...WITHOUT Understandning.
Daniel 12:2
[
2] And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Ezek 36
[
26]
A new heart also will I give you, and
a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
NT Teaching of KNOWLEDGE, with some understanding.
Romans 8
[
6] For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
[
7] Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
[
8] So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
[
9] But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
[
10] And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Righteousness...goodness..friend of God...beloved of God....
DID Apply to some OT MEN....whom God was WITH THEM...and them "prepared" to be "BORN AGAIN".
Righteousness...goodness...friend of God...beloved of God....
DID APPLY to some NT MEN...whom God was "IN" THEM...
Scriptural Teaching is clear...
OT men WHOM God remained "WITH" because of a mans TRUST IN GOD...
Such a man was PREPARED to Receive a Quickened Spirit....
Scriptural Teaching is clear...
NO MAN, could Receive a Quickened Spirit...
(Via the SEED of God)...UNTIL...
AFTER Jesus, (the WAY, TRUTH, LIFE, SPIRIT, WISDOM, SEED of God)...
was Manifested on Earth To mankind, in the likeness as a man...Any man has the Option to follow His Example, and Receive the INDWELLING of Gods Spirit....BEFORE their physical Death...
And ^^ THAT gift was expressly revealed Available to All of mankind......AFTER Jesus Left the Earth.
Jesus IS FIRST in ALL things...
OT men had to Wait for Jesus' earthly manifestation.
NT men had to Wait for Jesus' manifestation AND Return to Heaven.
Glory to God,
Taken