God. Before He deals with any of them they must take the following steps, as outlined in the Scriptures: gain knowledge of Jehovah God and his purposes and exercise faith in them. That means repenting from one’s selfish course, converting to a course of righteousness, dedicating oneself to do God’s will and being baptized. Stressing the importance of faith in this regard, the apostle John wrote: “As many as did receive [Christ], to them he gave authority to become God’s children, because they were exercising faith in his name.”—Col. 1:21; John 1:12.

By these preliminary steps an imperfect human creature puts himself in line to be born again. Then, if God chooses to bring forth such one as a spiritual son, He first declares him righteous by virtue of his faith in Christ’s blood. (Rom. 5:1, 9) Those whom God declares righteous he also brings forth as his sons—that being its purpose—by means of his holy spirit. To such Paul’s words apply: “You received a spirit of adoption as sons, by which spirit we cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’ The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children.”—Rom. 8:15, 16.

Thus we understand why “you people must be born again”: because it is God’s will for Christ to have Kingdom associates with him in the heavens and being born of the spirit is a condition precedent thereto. And we have seen what it takes to be born again: knowledge and faith in God’s Word and God’s bestowing his spirit or active force upon one to bring him forth as a spirit son. This is what Jesus meant when he spoke of being born “from water and spirit.” Not the literal water of baptism, for Cornelius and his family were born again by God’s spirit before being baptized with water. Rather, the water refers to the truth of God’s Word, which has a cleansing effect, even as we read that Christ sanctified the Christian congregation, “cleansing it with the bath of water by means of the word.” Yes, such are brought “forth by the word of truth.”—John 3:5; Acts 10:44-48; Eph. 5:26; Jas. 1:18.

To see the kingdom of God these must, as did Jesus, prove “faithful even with the danger of death.” Of the many, many truly dedicated Christians on earth today only a comparative few profess to have been born again; only a few have God’s spirit bearing witness with their spirit, or mental disposition, that they are “heirs indeed of God, but joint heirs with Christ.” This is to be expected, however, since their number is limited to 144,000, as we have seen, and Jehovah God began to choose them at Pentecost.—Rev. 2:10; Rom. 8:16, 17.

Particularly since 1931 have large numbers demonstrated their faith in God and Christ by dedicating themselves to do God’s will, yet do not claim to have been born again. Still these are able to say: “Salvation we owe to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb,” for they hope to enjoy everlasting life on earth in God’s new world as children of the King and subjects of his kingdom.—Rev. 7:9, 10; 2 Pet. 3:13.

Preaching Prescription

Noted clergyman-writer Walter Russell Bowie has observed: “The Christian church does not need more popular preaching, but more unpopular preaching.”