Everyone must be born again”. Everyone is everyone, not just Jews! (Nope! Bad doctrine!)

SOCIAL MEDIA STATEMENT AND QUESTION:

John 3:7 paraphrased - “… I said unto you that everyone must be born again”. Everyone is everyone - not just Jews being born again. Remember what Jesus said in John 3:3?

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Here Jesus is talking about the “kingdom of God”. So, is this a Jewish kingdom or a heavenly and eternal kingdom of God message?

MY REPLY:

Everyone must be saved, yes. But we must understand the different plans of salvation in the Bible. The earthly ministry of Jesus was only to the Jews. In the KJV the word “Ye” is not a reference to 'everyone' (as you suggest), but a reference to Israel exclusively. Jesus never addressed Gentiles, Matt.15:24. Prophecy even dictates that it is Israel first that must be saved so that they would be a light unto the Gentiles. This is the reason why Jesus said to that woman, Matt.15:26 “But he answered and said, it is not meet to take the children's [Israel’s] bread, and to cast it to dogs [Gentiles].” So, it is Israel who must be born again, and this will occur when Jesus comes again at the second coming to ratify the new covenant and pour out His Spirit upon Israel in that day their salvation. 

Something else that is interesting to note is that Paul never uses the phrase, “born again”. This is aptly descriptive of Israel, who was born the first time through the Red Sea, hence referring to born ‘again’. We, as the Body of Christ, more aptly are, ‘regenerated’, Tit.3:5. Our dead spirit is made alive when we hear, believe, and receive the grace gospel.

Rightly dividing the Word will bring the correct context and interpretation to scripture. For 40-years I laboured under the Kingdom doctrine, believing that the church was spiritual Israel, believing that I could claim the promises of God for Israel, believing that I was under covenant of God and that prophecy was for me. Why did that doctrine never work? Why was I in such a hole concerning my faith? It's because I was living the wrong doctrine. I was operating in the wrong dispensation. It was only when I learned that the Body of Christ was under a different dispensation and doctrine that I was liberated through a new understanding of the scriptures. Now the Bible made more sense, and I could fully appreciate the grace of God under the principles of doctrine addressed to us and about us, the Body of Christ. God is good.