The Tremendous Advantages of an Early New Birth
(F. T. Wright)
No one should have any difficulty recognizing and accepting the general principle that the earlier a person is blessed with the new birth experience, the greater the advantages he enjoys. A person who becomes truly converted at the age of fourteen for instance, will not have cultivated the same evil habits that, through years of practice, will have gripped an unconverted, aged or middle-aged person. For the latter, the struggle will be much more difficult, and the heights to which he might attain in this life are greatly limited. Still more significant is the fact that the spiritual and mental capacities have become so impaired through a life of sin that the person will not be able to see the truth as he would have if he had experienced conversion at an early date.
If this principle is considered more carefully until parents were able to realize the fullness of the advantages that are available to those who are born again at conception, they would certainly make every effort to ensure that this wonderful blessing belonged to their children from their earliest moments.
There is only one way by which it can be known to what heights of physical, mental, and spiritual excellence a person may rise in this life and that is by looking at the model life, Christ Jesus. What He was, every child may in turn become, and will become, if he is served with the same blessings that attended Christ from the moment of His conception.
"Jesus is the perfect pattern, and it is the duty and privilege of every child and youth to copy the pattern. Let children bear in mind that the child Jesus had taken upon Himself human nature, and was in the likeness of sinful flesh, and was tempted of Satan as all children are tempted. He was able to resist the temptation of Satan through His dependence upon the divine power of His heavenly Father, as He was subject to His will, and obedient to all His commands. He kept His Father's statutes, precepts, and laws. He was continually seeking counsel of God, and was obedient to His will.
"It is the duty and privilege of every child to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.... It will please the Lord Jesus to have the children ask Him for every spiritual grace, to bring all their perplexities and trials to the Saviour; for He knows how to help the children and youth, because He was a child Himself, and was once subject to all the trials, disappointments, and perplexities to which children and youth are subject. God's promise is given as much to children and youth as to those of more mature age. Whenever God has given a promise, let the children and youth turn it into a petition, and beg the Lord to do those things for them in their experience, that He did for Jesus, His only begotten Son, when in human necessity He looked to God, asking for the things which He needed. Every blessing the Father has provided for those of more mature experience, has been provided for children and youth through Jesus Christ." Sons and Daughters of God, 128.
It is essential to the understanding that we are seeking, to know that "Jesus revealed no qualities, and exercised no powers, that men may not have through faith in Him. His perfect humanity is that which all His followers may possess, if they will be in subjection to God as He was." The Desire of Ages, 664.
Jesus came to this earth as a real human being. He was made in the likeness of humanity and in that position possessed no advantages that cannot be possessed by any human being. The level of attainment in the effort to copy the pattern will depend, among other things, on how early the individual begins the life with God. Reasons for this will be advanced later in this study.
For the moment let consideration be given to the incredible capacities possessed by Jesus even as a child. At an early age, He outclassed every other person, mentally, socially, physically, and spiritually. When He was twelve, His parents took Him for the first time to attend the Passover in Jerusalem. There He joined the school conducted by the learned rabbis who were considered to be the best scholars in Israel at the time.
Jesus listened to them with great courtesy and was soon proposing questions. Those were not the questions one would expect to hear from a lad of twelve. They were not simple, but profound. They were such as could only come from a mind with a deep and comprehensive grasp of truth such as not one of those wise men who listened to Him possessed. "And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers." Luke 2:47.
"His questions were suggestive of deep truths which had long been obscured, yet which were vital to the salvation of souls. While showing how narrow and superficial was the wisdom of the wise men, every question put before them a divine lesson, and placed truth in a new aspect. The rabbis spoke of the wonderful elevation which the Messiah's coming would bring to the Jewish nation; but Jesus presented the prophecy of Isaiah, and asked them the meaning of those scriptures that point to the suffering and death of the Lamb of God.
"The doctors turned upon Him with questions, and they were amazed at His answers. With the humility of a child He repeated the words of Scripture, giving them a depth of meaning that the wise men had not conceived of. If followed, the lines of truth He pointed out would have worked a reformation in the religion of the day. A deep interest in spiritual things would have been awakened; and when Jesus began His ministry, many would have been prepared to receive Him." The Desire of Ages, 78, 79.
Let parents carefully consider this wonderful scene and then picture their own children enacting an identical role in the presence of today's most highly educated and experienced religious leaders. If it seems too much for our little ones to achieve if they were ever placed in similar circumstances, let it be remembered that Jesus "...exercised no powers, that men may not have through faith in Him," and that "every blessing the Father has provided for those of more mature experience, has been provided for children and youth through Jesus Christ." The Desire of Ages, 664, Sons and Daughters of God, 128.
"Every child may gain knowledge as Jesus did." The Desire of Ages, 70.
Picture: All children may gain knowledge as Jesus did, especially if they have wise and understanding parents.
These words are not empty promises. They are living truths to be believed, claimed, acted upon, and aspired to. It is the truth that Jesus exercised no powers as a baby, a child, a boy, a youth, and a man, that are not available to our children at the same age levels. Each child may gain the knowledge that Jesus had, exactly as He gained it. If their parents understand and apply the principles of child salvation, their offspring too may be better informed than the wisest men of this earth. They may be those who will teach the teachers. Let the parents aspire to these heights of excellence for the glory of God and His kingdom.
In doing so the greatest care must be taken to ensure that the motives are right. Worldly parents seek the highest advancement for their children as a matter of pride and selfish ambition, but the child of God aspires to the highest attainments as a means of better serving the Lord and his needy fellowmen. The King of the universe is much displeased when His people rest content with a low level of spiritual, mental, and physical development, for He is thereby robbed of His glory. He expects us to aim high and achieve great things for Him. It was with this in mind that He said to Israel:
"And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them." Deuteronomy 28:13.
In Christ, that promise was fulfilled. In every way, He was always above and never beneath, the head and not the tail. There never was a single instance when the cavilling Pharisees or the doctors of the law could better Him in matters of truth and righteousness. They and not He were the ones who, again and again, had to retire in confusion. This happened, not through any deliberate intent on Christ's part to entangle and humiliate them, but because they placed themselves in positions wherein He was left no option but to present the truth with such power and clarity that they were embarrassed and shamed as their perfidy was exposed.
"From His earliest years He was possessed of one purpose; He lived to bless others. For this He found resources in nature; new ideas of ways and means flashed into His mind as He studied plant life and animal life. Continually He was seeking to draw from things seen illustrations by which to present the living oracles of God. The parables by which, during His ministry, He loved to teach His lessons of truth show how open His spirit was to the influences of nature, and how He had gathered the spiritual teaching from the surroundings of His daily life." The Desire of Ages, 70.
It is no honor to God or glory to the power of His truth when His people are the tail and not the head. This is no recommendation for Christianity. It does not help the Lord's work or add precious souls to the church. Let it then be understood by every parent that it is their responsibility to ensure that every advantage which Jesus had is also given to the children from their earliest moments.
Yet He was not a child prodigy. Such are exceptionally talented youngsters who are gifted in certain areas as very few of their contemporaries are. Parents must not make the mistake of looking upon the child Jesus as a special case, as one who attained where and as their children never could. Instead, they must grasp and believe the truth that every child may gain knowledge as Jesus did.
Christ was far ahead of His contemporaries in more than intellectual brilliance. He was blessed with every grace that parents would be pleased to see in their little ones.
"As a child, Jesus manifested a peculiar loveliness of disposition. His willing hands were ever ready to serve others. He manifested a patience that nothing could disturb, and a truthfulness that would never sacrifice integrity. In principle firm as a rock, His life revealed the grace of unselfish courtesy." The Desire of Ages, 68, 69.
Picture: Jesus was not a child prodigy--a youngster unusually gifted in one particular field. He was well balanced and had nothing not available to any other child.
By nature, the average child is selfish. Their hands are not devoted to selfless service to others. This is a sore trial to many parents, especially those who are earnestly desirous of their boys and girls growing up to manifest the active Christian graces. Nor are children usually blessed with a patience that nothing can disturb, or truthful irrespective of the consequences to themselves.
All these attributes and more were actually built into the Saviour. His beautiful and attractive behavior was the expression of what He was. He did not have to fight against a perverse disposition in order to do that which was right. It was as natural for Him to manifest the gifts of the Holy Spirit as it is for the rosebush to yield roses or the fig tree to bear figs.
One of the very important capacities which the Christian must possess is the capacity to discern the true nature of a situation. There was scarcely a person in Israel, if there were any at all, who were able to see the true state of Israel's spiritual destitution. In typical Laodicean fashion, they saw themselves as rich and increased with goods when in fact they were wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. But it was not so with the boy Jesus. With startling clarity, He perceived the real condition of Israel, and recognized how desperately the people needed the healing balm of God's grace.
"As the condition of the people began to open to His mind, He saw that the requirements of society and the requirements of God were in constant collision. Men were departing from the word of God, and exalting theories of their own invention. They were observing traditional rites that possessed no virtue. Their service was a mere round of ceremonies; the sacred truths it was designed to teach were hidden from the worshipers. He saw that in their faithless services they found no peace. They did not know the freedom of spirit that would come to them by serving God in truth. Jesus had come to teach the meaning of the worship of God, and He could not sanction the mingling of human requirements with the divine precepts. He did not attack the precepts or practices of the learned teachers; but when reproved for His own simple habits, He presented the word of God in justification of His conduct." The Desire of Ages, 84, 85.
A careful study of this paragraph reveals the remarkable perception which Jesus had when still but a lad. He could see things as they really were. He was not deceived by appearances or counterfeits, but was able to separate the genuine from the spurious. Where even the spiritual leaders were quite unable to discern the signs of the times, He was acutely aware of the true situation in Israel and the world. Generally speaking, children are not even expected to understand the conditions prevailing in the society surrounding them, and their parents are usually unable to. In Christ, the lad, this normal situation was reversed, the boy being far more capable than those who should have known these things and been the guide of the younger. Therefore, this capacity made Him unique among His contemporaries. This may appear to be a marvelous thing, until it is realized that Christ was not the picture of an abnormal person, but rather was a revelation of what God intended every one of His followers to be. He was the normal, not the abnormal, while the rest were all below normal.
This perceptivity gave Him the tremendous advantage in the battle against sin that every one else who is blessed with the same facility will have. Naturally, the enemy was determined to break down His resistance to evil so that He would be induced to transgress His Father's commandments. Those who lack perceptivity, are confused by the many voices in circulation and are in grave danger of accepting darkness as if it were the light of heaven. But with unfailing accuracy and certainty, Christ ever recognized temptation for what it was and was quick to resist it in the power given Him from above.
Satan's foremost agents in this desperate struggle were the learned religious leaders of the day. These men made great professions of sanctity and required the people to recognize them as an authority so absolute that to disregard their directives was to disobey God Himself. But the child Jesus instantly recognized that they held no such position in God's sight. He saw that their claims were based on human tradition, not on the infallible word of God, and He calmly declared that His loyalty was to the God of heaven as His will was revealed in the Scriptures of truth. Only when the rabbis could come to Him with requirements that found full support in God's word would He obey them.
It required tremendous spiritual and moral power to resist these pretentious men, and they were most surprised that they could not bend His mind to theirs.
"In every gentle and submissive way, Jesus tried to please those with whom He came in contact. Because He was so gentle and unobtrusive, the scribes and elders supposed that He would be easily influenced by their teaching. They urged Him to receive the maxims and traditions that had been handed down from the ancient rabbis, but He asked for their authority in Holy Writ. He would hear every word that proceeds from the mouth of God; but He could not obey the inventions of men. Jesus seemed to know the Scriptures from beginning to end, and He presented them in their true import. The rabbis were ashamed to be instructed by a child. They claimed that it was their office to explain the Scriptures, and that it was His place to accept their interpretation. They were indignant that He should stand in opposition to their word.
"They knew that no authority could be found in Scripture for their traditions. They realized that in spiritual understanding Jesus was far in advance of them. Yet they were angry because He did not obey their dictates." The Desire of Ages, 85, 86.
What an awesome pressure was brought to bear on the child Jesus to compromise the divine principles in favor of those wicked but seemingly righteous men! To appreciate something of what the experience must have been like, let parents imagine their own children having to stand alone against the leading religious leaders of today, against men with powerful minds highly developed in the skills of unscrupulous persuasion. One would find it difficult today to name a child who would have the capacity to stand as Jesus did, if one could be found at all. Yet, once again it must be stated that Jesus was but demonstrating what God intended every child could also do.
If the pressure on the growing lad could have been confined to these agencies, it would have been bad enough, but, when they failed to achieve their objectives through direct confrontation, they turned to Joseph and Mary and informed them in positive language that they expected their cooperation in achieving Christ's submission to them.
"Failing to convince Him, they sought Joseph and Mary, and set before them His course of non-compliance. Thus He suffered rebuke and censure." The Desire of Ages, 86.
If there is one thing that a child has by right, it is the protection and wise guidance of his parents. In Christ's situation, Joseph and Mary should have been fully aware that the rabbis were not servants of God but agents of the devil and that to respect and obey them was positive disloyalty to God. Had they comprehended the true condition of their society and taken a solid stand in support of Jesus, it would have made His lot much easier by greatly reducing the pressure of temptation and by giving Him encouragement and confidence.
But they were confused as to the spiritual and moral state of Israel, and did not understand the character and objectives of the rabbis. All their lives they had been taught that the religious leaders were to be respected and obeyed as the infallible word of God until it was built into them to fear and obey these men. When Joseph and Mary observed Christ's independent and seemingly disrespectful attitude toward these men, they were deeply troubled and unable to give Him the support that He needed and which His heavenly Father expected of them.
"Mary often remonstrated with Jesus, and urged Him to conform to the usages of the rabbis." The Desire of Ages, 90.
This greatly increased the pressure upon Jesus, making His life one of trial and difficulty, yet He withstood the temptation so completely that not even by a thought did He make the slightest concession to the devil's proposals.
"But He could not be persuaded to change His habits of contemplating the works of God and seeking to alleviate the suffering of men or even of dumb animals. When the priests and teachers required Mary's aid in controlling Jesus, she was greatly troubled; but peace came to her heart as He presented the statements of Scripture upholding His practices." The Desire of Ages, 90.
When Satan saw that he was making no headway through the rabbis and the faltering Joseph and Mary, he found no difficulty in adding the influence of Christ's so-called brothers against Him. They were older then He, being the children of Joseph by a marriage prior to his union with Mary. Because they were older, they argued for themselves the right to direct Jesus in all that He did. They, being fully loyal to the religious leaders of the day, used all the arguments and powers at their command to make His life as miserable as possible so as to compel Him if they could to conform to theirs and the rabbis' procedures.
"His brothers, as the sons of Joseph were called, sided with the rabbis. They insisted that the traditions must be heeded, as if they were the requirements of God. They even regarded the precepts of men more highly than the word of God, and they were greatly annoyed at the clear penetration of Jesus in distinguishing between the false and the true. His strict obedience to the law of God they condemned as stubbornness. They were surprised at the knowledge and wisdom He showed in answering the rabbis. They knew that he had not received instruction from the wise men, yet they could not but see that He was an instructor to them. They recognized that His education was of a higher type than their own. But they did not discern that He had access to the tree of life, a source of knowledge of which they were ignorant." The Desire of Ages, 86.
Inevitably this conflict brought Him into confrontation with the most powerful men in Israel--the Pharisees. These men were particularly offended because Christ's work as a boy and later as a youth, exposed the cold heartlessness of their teaching. They believed that every case of sickness and suffering was due to God's meting out His personal chastisement on that person for the sins he had committed.
This could lead to only one conclusion. If God was at work punishing the sinner, then to do anything to relieve that person's suffering was to work against God. Therefore, the sick had to be left to suffer and die in hopeless despair.
But Jesus had come to give life and to give it more abundantly. He knew that it was sin and not His heavenly Father who punished the transgressor and so He "...worked to relieve every case of suffering that He saw. He had little money to give, but He often denied Himself of food in order to relieve those who appeared more needy than He. His brothers felt that His influence went far to counteract theirs. He possessed a tact which none of them had, or desired to have. When they spoke harshly to poor, degraded beings, Jesus sought out these very ones, and spoke to them words of encouragement. To those who were in need He would give a cup of cold water, and would quietly place His own meal in their hands. As He relieved their sufferings, the truths He taught were associated with His acts of mercy, and were thus riveted in the memory." The Desire of Ages, 87.
What was true of His brothers was likewise true of the Pharisees.
"Christ was not exclusive, and He had given special offense to the Pharisees by departing in this respect from their rigid rules." The Desire of Ages, 86.
"All this displeased His brothers. Being older than Jesus, they felt that He should be under their dictation. They charged Him with thinking Himself superior to them, and reproved Him for setting Himself above their teachers and the priests and rulers of the people. Often they threatened and tried to intimidate Him; but He passed on, making the Scriptures His guide." The Desire of Ages, 87.
Thus the devil marshaled every force that was available to harass, irritate, annoy, and tempt the Saviour. He had to stand alone, misunderstood and unsupported by any earthly helper. In the light of human weakness and the persistent failure of men and women even of mature years to remain perfectly loyal to God, His is an amazing achievement. But, that life was but a demonstration of what every believer may be even from his earliest moments.
"Of the bitterness that falls to the lot of humanity, there was no part which Christ did not taste. There were those who tried to cast contempt upon Him because of His birth, and even in His childhood He had to meet their scornful looks and evil whisperings. If He had responded by an impatient word or look, if He had conceded to His brothers by even one wrong act, He would have failed of being a perfect example. Thus He would have failed of carrying out the plan for our redemption. Had He even admitted that there could be an excuse for sin, Satan would have triumphed, and the world would have been lost. This is why the tempter worked to make His life as trying as possible, that He might be led to sin." The Desire of Ages, 88.
Every Christian parent would be delighted to have a family of children with such mental and spiritual powers, such sharp perception, moral fortitude, unfailing consistency, and infinite patience and love. Such a child could be trusted everywhere under any circumstances.
The circumstances under which Christ had to develop a righteous character were as unfavorable as could be imagined. There was no one to set Him the example, yet He Himself was the perfect standard for all people for all time. He achieved this because He made the Scriptures His only guide and educator.
From time to time we hear parents complaining about the lack of standards among the church members which sets a bad example that makes the task of the parents in their efforts to uphold "the standards" in dress and health reform much more difficult. Their children ask why they cannot wear the fashions when some of the sisters in the church do. This troubles some parents greatly and leads them to long for a church in which every member views and upholds the standards as they think they themselves do. Let such understand that there never will be a situation among God's people this side of probation's close, when the standards in the church will satisfy everybody. Nor is this necessary, as the childhood of Jesus proves, for the successful salvation of the children. When the children choose the world upon entering their teens, let no parent blame the church for the result.
If this is the cause of the children's defection to the world, then Christ would have done the same, for He had no one at all to be His example. What parents must learn is that it is not the world around their children, but the world in their children that is the problem. They need to understand too that if the "lack of standards in the church" is an insurmountable obstacle to their children's spiritual progress, then they are really admitting that they have failed to build into their children the righteousness that was in the child Jesus. What He had, every child may have and, if they have it, the lack of standards will be no problem, no inducement to sin, and no victory over them.
"Christ was the only sinless one who ever dwelt on earth; yet for nearly thirty years He lived among the wicked inhabitants of Nazareth. This fact is a rebuke to those who think themselves dependent upon place, fortune, or prosperity, in order to live a blameless life. Temptation, poverty, adversity, is the very discipline needed to develop purity and firmness." The Desire of Ages, 72.
Christ's mother never found any need to urge Him to study the holy Scriptures. They were to Him the most attractive literature in existence and He devoted every available minute to their study. The philosophies of men, either factual of fictitious held no attraction to Him whatsoever. Along with the written word, He found unending delight in the revelation of His heavenly Father written in God's created works. While others saw nature as a beautiful thing, Christ read therein the beauty and perfection of the divine heart of love and peace. Nature was an open book to Him.
"His hours of happiness were found when alone with nature and with God. Whenever it was His privilege, He turned aside from the scene of His labor, to go into the fields, to meditate in the green valleys, to hold communion with God on the mountainside or amid the trees of the forest.
As a child, Christ read the book of nature as a revelation of the Creator.
The early morning often found Him in some secluded place, meditating, searching the Scriptures, or in prayer. From these quiet hours He would return to His home to take up His duties again, and to give an example of patient toil." The Desire of Ages, 90.
There is no limit to the study of Christ's perfect life as a child. Regretfully, this is a neglected field. Preference has been given to consideration of His life as an adult with most students missing the point that the child Jesus was also an example of the levels of physical, mental, moral, and spiritual excellence to which children and, for that matter, adults can attain.
Parents should consistently devote time every day to the contemplation of what Christ was as a child, ever keeping in mind that what they behold is the assurance of what their children can become. This will be a most inspiring exercise. Parents will be enabled to reach higher and still higher for the divine provisions of grace and life and will praise God as with deep satisfaction, they behold the life of Christ being developed in their little ones.
Once they possess a glorious vision of what the child Jesus was as an assurance of what their children may in turn become, it will be necessary to enquire of God through His word by the ministry of the Spirit, how the child Jesus came to be what He was. This is essential knowledge, for no parent will see the same results in their children except they lead them in the same pathway of preparation as that which Christ followed.
What then was the way in which Christ was molded?
In brief, Christ grew in favor with God and man as He did because firstly, He was conceived with the divine nature resident in human flesh and blood. There never was a time when Satan was His father. Therefore, He never possessed the carnal mind; never was cursed with bondage to the sin-master. This in turn meant that Satan could never be His teacher, nor were His faculties impaired by the destructive presence of sin in His members. With God for His teacher through His dedicated mother, the written and created word, and direct communication, He was ever and only the recipient of the healing powers of the divine life ever flowing into and through Him.
These are some of the advantages of being born again from one's very conception. The results are seen in the life of Jesus as a baby, a child, a boy, a youth, and finally as a man. Those parents who, through diligent and prayerful study, catch a vision of what Jesus was, see in Him the same possibilities for their children, and understand how this ideal is attained, will be inspired to lead their children into this experience at the earliest possible age. Rich indeed will be the rewards to those who know and do these things.
