Josh Benner

Category: Christian living

  • Being “born again” and why it’s so important

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    In John 3, a Pharisee named Nicodemus has seen the ministry of Jesus and he’s intrigued by this man. He approaches the Lord and Jesus tells this respected Jewish leader, who had dedicated his life to knowing the Bible and following God’s laws, that he must be “born again.”
    Being born again is also called regeneration and it is new life given by God through the Holy Spirit.
    In John 3, Jesus says that a person cannot see the kingdom of God without being born again (John 3:3).
    Jesus words on the subject matter. He is the authority.
    He’s telling Nicodemus, but he’s also telling all of us what must be done.
    The one who died and rose and lives today died that death so we could have life.
    There’s nothing else that counts. You can’t be good enough. You must have faith. The Spirit isn’t given to everyone, only to those who are born again. And you can have that if you believe in Jesus by faith.
    People like to believe in false gospels, because they hate the idea that Jesus is the only way.
    But Jesus was lifted up so that everyone who believes can have eternal life.
    Without that, you don’t have eternal life.
    Jesus died once so those who are born twice only have to die once.
    Everyone else will die twice. There will be their physical, earthly death, and also the eternal death and torment apart from God.
    Unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.
    It’s not up for debate in the same way that the laws of gravity aren’t up for a debate. They’re what they are regardless of if you like them.
    Born once, die twice. Born twice, die once.
    Have you been born again? Have you come to faith in Jesus?
    We don’t get to walk into heaven on our terms.
    Jesus is the way.
    Because a Christian is born again, they are given this spiritual life, they are justified, which means they are in right legal standing with God. They are declared holy and righteous. A person is adopted into the family of God and is promised a heavenly inheritance. A person is sanctified which is the continual process of being made Holy and is equipped with Spiritual gifts.
    All of these things happen to a person who has been born again and has faith.
    Without being born again, a person doesn’t have the Spirit which means they’re not born again.
    If a person doesn’t have the Spirit, they’re not justified. Jesus’ grace does not apply to them if they haven’t responded in faith to the gospel.
    You must be born again.
    It all goes together.
    You don’t have an inheritance if you’re not born again because you haven’t been adopted if you haven’t been born again.
    They have nothing to do with how nice we are, how moral you are. This entire system flies in the face of a person’s ability to earn salvation.

    Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear what you think, and don’t forget to subscribe! 

    Josh Benner is the associate pastor at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He enjoys writing about faith and culture. He lives with his wife Kari in Minnesota.

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  • Proverbs: A wise way and a foolish way

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    There is a way that seems right to a man,
    but its end is the way to death.

    -Proverbs 14:12

    The Book of Proverbs is one of the most beloved books of the Bible. Hundreds of Proverbs covering topics ranging from finance, to time management, to interpersonal relationships, to raising children, the words we use, and the importance of hard work.

    I think it’s easy to take Proverbs as pithy statements. They are that but they’re also so much more. Proverbs are profound statements that point us to the wisdom of God and the reality of the world he has made and the best way to live is in accordance with God’s creation. Proverbs are meant to be internalized.

    Trying to view the world with Godly wisdom should be the pursuit of our lives. There is a way that seems right to man, but its end is the way to death.

    There are two ways to go. There is a way that is in accordance with the wisdom of men, there’s a way that’s what we want to do, there’s a way that’s enticing. In the end, that way leads to death, to destruction, to ruin, to sin.

    Which way are you going?

    Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear what you think, and don’t forget to subscribe! 

    Josh Benner is the associate pastor at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He enjoys writing about faith and culture. He lives with his wife Kari in Minnesota.

    Let’s connect!
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Instagram

     

  • There’s no such thing as a Christian who has not been born again

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    Originally published September 5, 2017

    Being born again is another word for the doctrine of “regeneration.” It is a supernatural work that God does within a person who comes to faith. All Christians are born again because all Christians have experienced regeneration. There’s no such thing as an unregenerate Christian. That’s not a Christian!

    Being born again is about coming to Christ, turning away from sin, and trusting in Jesus as your Lord and savior. And when we come to him, there is grace. There is forgiveness for our sins. (more…)

  • The worst of sinners

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    In a letter to his protege Timothy, the Apostle Paul calls himself the worst (1 Timothy 1:15).

    I think we all need to look at ourselves as among the worst of sinners, because all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). All of us have lied, have cheated, have harbored anger, have held ill will towards others, have acted selfishly, have manipulated. We sin.

    Our society likes to undermine sin, and call it freedom. We like to deny sin and blame other factors such as society and upbringing. We like to undermine the culpability for addictions and call them diseases.

    But we regularly, freely, reject to carry out the will of God.

    The higher the view we have of sin and of the cost of our sin, the greater the appreciation we can have for the grace of God. Because in the gospel, in spite of our sin and imperfection, we see Jesus dying so that we could be redeemed. We have a savior who died to save the worst of sinners. And on that cross, he shows that sin is costly. The cross makes no sense otherwise. Jesus died to make the ungodly, Godly.

    May we rejoice in that.

    Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear what you think, and don’t forget to subscribe! 

    Josh Benner is the associate pastor at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He enjoys writing about faith and culture. He lives with his wife Kari in Minnesota.

    Let’s connect!
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Instagram

  • A priest, two goats, and salvation

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    Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons @fir0002

    Originally published September 29, 2017

    For observant Jews all over the world, this evening, the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur in Hebrew) is celebrated. The Day of Atonement is the most holy of days in the Jewish calendar. It’s an annual picture of forgiveness that people could have. While Christians don’t celebrate this day, it’s one worth studying because everything about it points to Christ and the gospel.

    Atonement refers to God’s work of dealing with our sin. Because of sin, the relationship between man and God has been broken. (more…)