<TITLE>04. Par 12-15</TITLE>L-12 As an old colored man was saying not long ago for me in a convention--or meeting, and he said something another, said, "I talked it over with the Lord a long time ago. And I told Him if there's anything wrong with me, let me get it right now, 'cause I don't want no trouble at the river." I like that. I think that well expresses what I'm trying to say, "Let's talk it over now so we won't have no trouble at the river, 'cause you can't backtrack then (See?); let's be more sure right now."
And so when Jesus said to this great ruler, "Ye must be borned- again." Then why, must I be borned again? That's what I want to know. If I am a minister of the Gospel, if I'm a good person, and I pay my debts, and I'm just, and honest, and walk upright before men, what more could God require of me? Why must I have some kind of an experience, as people tell me, that I must be borned again? Why did Jesus say to this ruler, who lived high and holy, and was requested that, or not requested, but commanded that he must be borned again...

L-13 So, not trying to squeeze in a Calvinistic belief now (You see?), I'm not. In saying this know that I'm talking to a--a legalist people. That's not it at all, because I'm a legalist too. But I believe this, that Calvin had something, and so did Arminian have something. And they both had something, but they run off on the deep ends of it. The Calvinist says, "Well, I'm saved and just--that settles it." His life proves that he isn't, then he isn't saved.
And the legalist says, "I've got to do this, and I must do this, and I must do that." Then if you're not borned again you're still not saved; so there you are. See? It's in between, in the middle of the road, is where we've got to stay.

L-14 What you are, what Calvinism is, what grace is, is what God did for you. But what works is, is what you do for God in appreciation of what He did for you through grace. That's the whole answer. Then if I am saved, then I live like I'm saved. But I could live like I was saved and not be saved. See? So it's the fact then brings it to this spot, that we must be borned again.
So the borned again experience tells what we are. It doesn't mean that we... I believe in shouting and all the manifestations and demonstrations of the Spirit, but yet that's not it yet. See? It's something different from that. It's a--it's a new creature, something in the heart. And I wonder if we ministers, both man and women, if many times we don't just say the word, "You must be born again," and take it over the head of the people like that. When we've got to come back to the spot and let them know what a birth means. See? It's got to come back to something more than words; it's got to come back to a--a fundamental fact, and that is this great experience of being borned again and what it produces for us. See?

L-15 Now, there's many times that we begin to think that, "Well, if we are borned again, and we got happy, and shouted, and spoke with tongues, or manifested God in some way, that's it. But brethren, you know, as ministers yourself, that that's not it. Now, we seen people jump, shout, dance, and steet, cheal, lie and everything else (See?), and we know that. So that isn't what He was talking about.
And when Martin Luther said, "The just shall live by faith," he said, "we got it." And John Wesley come along with something new, and--and Luther was... He was right so far as he said the just shall live by faith, they... It's right; they shall live by faith. And Luther said that--that the just shall live by faith, then we must do that. And he thought he had it, but he found out that he didn't.


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