The Disappearance of a Pied Piper

What Must I Do to Be Born Again?

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Myrtle," Bud said. "Now, I need to find my wife. I have more things I need to discuss with her."

"I saw her headed to the parsonage," Myrtle said. "It's late morning. Could be about time to fix some lunch, wouldn't you say?"

"Right on the money, Mrs. Myrtle," Bud said. "I'll look for her there."

A brisk walk later, Bud found his lovely wife at the stove making some bread, "And did I tell you that the foragers found about a dozen free-range chickens?" Cynthia said. "We're finding a few eggs every day, now, too."

"That's great!" Bud said. "Are you far enough along for me to request an egg sunnyside up on a slice of bread?"

"An egg I can cook right, now, but the bread's going to take a little while," she said. "It needs to rise."

"That's fine, Cyni," Bud said. "May we talk, while you cook? By the way, I can cook some, too, if you need help. I don't want you to have to do all the work for our lunch."

"Sure, Best Man. Don't worry about it. I like to talk, while I work with my hands. What's on your mind?" she asked.

"What must I do to be born again?" Bud asked.

Cynthia looked him in the eyes, and lovingly said, "My dearest Bud, that's the wrong question. You should be asking, 'What did I do to be born into this world?' That would get at the meaning behind Jesus' statement, 'Ye must be born again.'"

"But Jesus told Nicodemus his focus was misplaced," Bud said, "Apparently, it's not about the physical birth."

"True," Cynthia said, "The spiritual birth is not about being born a second time the exact same way you were born the first time, but that doesn't mean, that the first birth has nothing to teach us about being born the second time."

"What are you getting at, Cyni?" Bud asked.

"What did you have to do to be born the first time in order to enter this earthly life?" Cynthia spoke slowly, smiling.

"I don't remember doing anything," Bud said. "I don't remember much, if anything about that first physical birth. Just snatches of things, really. I still have a fear of close places. When I'm in one, I feel like I'm suffocating. Do you think there could be any connection with my birth?"

"I'm not sure, but it is possible," she said. "I can tell you from the experience of three times, that the baby being born cannot do anything to birth himself or herself."

"Yeah, Sweetheart, you really do have experience," Bud said. "I was there to give moral support, but I didn't really do anything to help our children to be born."

"You got that right, Wimpy Boy. As I recall, you hit the deck when Jeff came out, bloody all over."

"I did do that, didn't I?" Bud said. "I'm sorry, Cyni."

"Nothing to apologize about, Bud," she said. "I was simply making the point, that the one, who gives birth is the one, who makes all the effort."

"Please, help me understand more," Bud said.

"Bud, do you have any idea how painful childbirth is?" Cynthia asked.

Bud shook his head, "No."

"I think the closest experience, that you or any other man could have to the pain of childbirth would be that of living through, check that, surviving a kidney stone. Multiple stones is an experience, that is even closer."

Bud nodded "Yes" for "I'm trying to understand."

"Take it from me, I have never been as close to death in my lifetime as I was when I was giving birth," she assured him. "That gives me a taste, but only a taste of what Jesus must have experienced when He died on that rugged old Roman cross. The level of pain beyond a man's comprehension, that childbirth is must be the level of pain beyond a human's comprehension, that Jesus' sacrifice was, that Friday in the first century, A.D."

"WOW! Great illustration, Cyni," Bud paused. "I don't know what to say."

"I was in labor with Jeff for twelve hours," she said. "The contractions came on me, like uncontrollable seizures or spasms. They took me. I had no choice. When I was finally dilated enough to birth our son, I had to push to the last ounce of my strength. I now understand why some women die in childbirth, like Rachel giving birth to her second son, Benjamin. She died, calling him Benoni, 'the son of my sorrow.' (Genesis 35:18) If I hadn't been in good health when I gave birth to Jeff, I could have died. That is how intense the pain of childbirth is."

"I'm sorry I put you through that pain, Cyni," Bud said.

"HUSH YOUR MOUTH, Dear Heart," Cynthia was never more serious about anything in her life. "Yes, it was too painful for words, but I would not trade away a moment of the pain for the joy of seeing three amazing children fill out lives with such joy and happiness. If I had to go through the valley of the shadow of death to get three beautiful children, I would do it all over, again, in a heartbeat. You didn't cause my pain. You were there to support me through it."

"Thank you for doing that for us," Bud teared up.

"Bud Best, you are such a precious man," Cynthia smiled. "That old joke about why the bride always cries at the wedding because she doesn't marry the best man doesn't apply to us. I definitely married the Best man."

"You've got a great perspective, Cyni," Bud said. "Please, bring this conversation home showing me how human childbirth compares to spiritual childbirth."

"I'll do my best, Bud," she smiled. "In human childbirth, it is the mother, who bore the child for nine months, who gives the child birth without any effort on the part of the child. Birth pangs came on me without any effort on my part. I couldn't choose when to have a contraction, but when the contraction began bringing the child into the world, I had to add my efforts to the contractions in order to complete the transaction. In the case of Jesus and spiritual childbirth, I see this happening when He prayed because of the sweat drops of blood since the pain of anticipation was so intense. On the cross, He was in spiritual childbirth for the six hours, that He endured the cross. Were there contractions? I don't know, but I do know, that the Father crushed His Son to the level, that He didn't initiate the 'contractions.' He had to endure them. At the last when He gave up the Ghost, Jesus said, 'It is finished.' The debt was paid for Salvation. The birth was in force for every chosen saint of God. Jesus endured greater pain in spiritual childbirth than I will ever know."

"That's a lot to take in, Cyni," Bud said, "but thank you for bringing it home to me."

"When I was a teenage girl, the seniors in my family used to say things, that I didn't really comprehend at the time, but I remember, that so many of them loved God, and embraced 'the Gospel of Jesus Christ' as they expressed it," Cynthia said. "One of the most amazing sayings they said in my hearing was 'The Rose of Sharon placed His Greatest Gift of Salvation in the five beautiful petals of the T.U.L.I.P.'"

"Wait a second," Bud said, "You mean, that now I have to learn botany to understand how to 'be saved'?"

"Not hardly, my Dear," she said. "T.U.L.I.P. is an acrostic, that keeps the five tenets of Salvation for people, like my grandparents, who were strong Calvinists. John Calvin is the namesake for this system of beliefs. Would you like me to recall the concepts, that are housed in the T.U.L.I.P.?"

"I would, but please go slow," Bud said. "This is a whole lot to take in."

"Don't worry, my Dear," Cynthia said, "If the Lord has chosen for us to be saved as I believe He has, then we will understand Truth in good time. (John 14:6, KJV). Let's begin. The T of TULIP stands for Total Depravity."

"Does that mean, that every human is a terrible killing machine?" Bud asked.

"Not every human is a 'killing machine,' but we are completely without comprehension spiritually. Therefore, the concept, 'Total Depravity' could also be expressed as being 'totally dead in the spiritual part of the human.' A child can't will himself or herself to be alive physically. A child becomes alive physically when God gives life to that child at conception. The mother pushes the child out at birth to begin to live the life of a separate human being. The Lord has to operate on the spirit of a human being to convert (or birth,) that human being into a spiritually alive spirit."

"Birth is received by the person being born physically and spiritually," Bud comprehends. "That person can do nothing to bring himself or herself to life."

"That's right," she smiled. "The U of TULIP stands for Unconditional Election."

"Does this mean, that Salvation is somehow political, now?" Bud asked.

"No, my Dear. It isn't," she said. "It simply means, that God is the One, Who chooses, who will be saved. The rest will be left alone to live as they choose."

"That seems a bit unfair, doesn't it," Bud asked.

"From a purely human perspective, it definitely does, but God would be completely in His Right not to save anyone," she said. "We're all sinners from Adam to us. That means we have violated God's Holiness. His Justice requires punishment for the breaking of the Law. You know something about that, don't you, Sweetheart?"

"I definitely do," Bud smiled. "So, what you're telling me is that all of Humanity, including me, is on Death Row. The Law calls for capital punishment for all of us, and the Law can't do anything to save us from Justice. We are all condemned."

"But there is Hope," she smiled. "That is the L of TULIP, Limited Atonement."

“You mean Jesus didn’t die on the cross enough to provide for everybody to be saved?” Bud asked. “That seems a bit unfair, doesn’t it?”

“How often have you seen a judge acquit a guilty party? How many pardons have you seen given in your lifetime?” Cynthia asked.

“None and few to answer both of your questions,” Bud said. “Judges don’t acquit the guilty, and only rarely do they pardon those, who deserve their punishment.”

“So, you’re saying a judge doesn’t write up a pardon document, unless he plans to use such a document, right?” she said.

“Right,” Bud answered.

“Then, why should God be considered unfair, if He does the same in the eternal court?” she asked.

“Oh. I see your point,” Bud said. “Atonement and acquittals are limited to those for whom they have been chosen to be given to.”

“Exactly,” she smiled. “The I of TULIP is Irresistible Grace.”

“Irresistible?” He said, “How is that even possible. In law enforcement you meet all types, some are very belligerent, resisting arrest at the beginning of a scene. Grace, that you can’t resist? Seriously?”

“Your example is right on par with human nature,” Cynthia said. “However, how many pianos have you seen resist the hands of a gifted tuner?”

“A piano is an inanimate object,” he said. “How can it resist. It’s not alive.”

“You might be surprised at how accurately you just described the human spirit before salvation,” she said. “We are just as dead. We are just as inanimate. Jesus said this in John 6:44, ‘No man can come to me, except the Father, which sent me draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day.’ Also, Paul wrote in Philippians 2:13, ‘For it is God, which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.’”

“You mean God manipulates us to do what He what He wants us to do? Where is free will in that?” Bud asked.

“Imagine for a moment, that the piano being tuned had a will of its own,” she said. “Do you think it would want to be in tune or out of tune?”

“I imagine it would want to be in tune, since that fulfills its purpose,” Bud said.

“So, the will of the piano would be in agreement with the will of the piano tuner,” Cynthia smiled. “Right? Did the piano tuner violate the free will of the piano?”

“No,” he smiled. “Its free will was affirmed by the tuner.”

“If God tunes us into His perfect will of being saved by His Grace will that violate our will or affirm our purpose and our will?” she asked.

“That would totally agree with our free will,” he nearly shouted.

“Do you like divinity, Bud?” she asked.

“You already know I love it, Cynthia,” he said.

“If I put a plateful of divinity on the dinner table, would it be resistible or irresistible?” she asked.

“Absolutely irresistible,” he smiled.

“But I would not be violating your free will in any way would I?” she asked.

“Of course, not,” he smiled.

“Then, the Lord would not be violating your free will by saving you, if that’s what you wanted,” she asked, "especially if He tuned your heart to want what He had chosen for you, would He?"

“He most certainly would not,” Bud agreed.

“That’s Irresistible Grace,” she smiled.

"And what is the P of TULIP?" Bud asked.

"That would be the Perseverance of the Saint," she smiled.

"But how are the saved supposed to 'hang on' until the end of life on Earth?" Bud shook his head in wonderment.

"That would be a difficult thing in our own strength, Sweetheart," Cynthia said, "As R. C. Sproul once said, 'If I could lose my salvation, I would.' The keptness of Salvation depends on the strength of Jesus, the Lord, not Saint, the reborn. The same One, Who goes through the labor required to birth His chosen, is the same One, Who keeps these gifts from Father to Son in order that 'none of them might be lost.'"

"Is there some sort of illustration, that could help me to understand better the way believers are kept?" Bud asked.

"Electricity constantly flows, until someone turns a switch to 'Off,'" she said. "That is an unnatural blockage in the flow. Becoming a believer, a saint, or a Christian means being made into the nature of Jesus, spiritually because of His merits, not our own merits. We don't become God, but we become once again able to fellowship with God like Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden before the Original Sin. Just as electricity can't be touched by human hands without protective gloves, humans can't touch the heart of God without the protective covering of Jesus' Precious Blood. What the Lord changes in accordance with His Will can never be changed back, again."