How Does the Bible Describe Those That are not Born Again?

Being “born again” is the process in which God places his Spirit inside a person making them a new spiritual creature.  So what are some of the characteristics of someone that is unregenerate or not born again?

Isaiah 26:10

• ·         No amount of favor will persuade him to learn righteousness
• ·         He will do unjustly
• ·         Will not behold the majesty of the Lord

·         Psalms 10

• ·         Persecutes the poor
• ·         Brags about his desires
• ·         Does not seek after God
• ·         God is not in his thoughts
• ·         His ways are grievous
• ·         God’s judgments are beyond his sight
• ·         He is full of cursing, deceit, fraud, mischief, and vanity

Psalms 14 & 53

• ·         They say there is no God
• ·         Corrupt – Ruined, cast off
• ·         Do abominable (detestable, abhorred) works
• ·         Do no good
• ·         Don’t understand or seek God
• ·         Gone aside
• ·         Filthy
• ·         Do not call upon the Lord

Psalms 55:19

• ·         Because they have no changes they don’t fear God

1 Corinthians 1:18

• ·         Preaching of the cross is foolishness to them

1 Corinthians 2:14

• ·         Do not accept/take things from the Spirit of God
• ·         Things of God are foolishness to him
• ·         Cannot know or discern spiritual things

John 8:43, 47

• ·         Cannot understand Christ's speech
• ·         Do not hear God’s words

John 10:26

• ·         Do not believe

So how does a person that is described as not fearing God, not understanding or seeking him, not able to be persuaded to do right, does not think about God, doesn’t call on God, thinks the preaching of the cross is foolishness, doesn’t accept things from God, doesn’t hear God’s words and doesn’t believe...how does that person ever change?  What instrument does man have that can make that person see the importance of surrendering to God?  What can we do to change him?  What can he do to change himself?  Is there something that can break through to him and get him to accept Christ, to embrace the gospel, or to believe?

Some would say he just has to get willing to believe…but the bible says those that aren't born again won’t believe.

Some would say share the gospel with him.  But the bible tells us that he will think it’s foolish and not receive it.

Is there any tactic or level of persuasion that can open his eyes to the glorious Lord?

Based on what the bible says about him, there is no instrument or method of man that can reach this person, not even the gospel itself will prick his heart in the condition that he is in.  So then according to the bible, it is impossible for man to not only persuade him to change his heart, but it is also impossible for this man to change his own heart.  “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.” Jer. 13:23.

You may ask the question the disciples asked in Mathew 19:25, “Who then can be saved?”  Praise the Lord that he answered them with this glorious truth, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”

The things that limit man in this life are not binding to the Lord.  Neither death, disease, weather, nor man himself can prevent the Lord from doing his will (Isa. 46:10).  Jesus commanded death to loose Lazarus…and death obeyed.  Jesus commanded the paralytic man’s legs to work again…and they obeyed.  Jesus told the winds and waves to be still…and they obeyed.  All these things were beyond the limits of man’s abilities, but the Lord is not limited by anything, including man’s wicked, unregenerate heart.  If the Lord himself knocked on the door of this man’s wicked heart he would reject the Lord every time. So the Lord doesn’t knock, he simply busts the door down and comes on in, as he does with all his people at some point in their life.  The Lord can send his Spirit inside of this man (Gal. 4:6), making him a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17).  Making him one that, while once alienated from God and pursued only the pleasures of this life, is now filled with the Spirit of God and desires to follow him.  We call this being born again, and that is the sole work of the Lord. Consider Saul of Tarsus and the thief on the cross, spewing out hatred and slaughter towards the Lord and his people one minute, and humbly surrendering to him the next.  What happened?  The door had been knocked down!  They didn't surrender in order to get his Spirit, they surrendered because they already had it.

What about your own experience?  Do you remember a time that you started having thoughts of the Lord?  Maybe you heard a sermon preached and you felt a shamefulness inside you.  Maybe you felt a desire to hang your head and cling to the cross.  Maybe you have always loved the Lord for as long as you can remember.  What a vastly different picture than the man listed above.  What you need to know is you were showing the evidence that the Lord had already placed his Spirit inside of you, overcoming the natural man in its sin corrupted state.  You were showing evidences of already being born again.  It was not because the preacher was good or because you had your head screwed on right that day.  It was because the Lord saw fit to do a work in your life.  You have no cause to boast (Eph. 2:8, 9).  Praise the Lord that with him all things are possible.