The New Birth Spanish Tract, part 5

Es en ésta manera que vemos a Dios en Su santidad y caemos ante Sus pies clamando, "Culpable, culpable, vil y lleno de pecado estoy." Por qué? Porque el entendimiento nos ha sido iluminado para ver a Dios en Su Santidad y verme a mí en toda mi impureza por causa del pecado. Según me presento ante Dios tres veces santo con la luz del trono brillando sobre Su santidad, ésa misma luz me demuestra mi pecaminosidad y lo distanciado que me encuentro de Dios. Recordemos que la facultad de nuestro entendiemiento no se nos quita en el nuevo nacimiento, pero es iluminada redirigiéndonos hacia Dios, su Cristo, santidad y cosas eternas. A la luz del trono, me he visto a mí mismo y a la santidad de Dios.

It is in this way that we see God in His holiness and we fall before His feet crying, "Guilty, guilty, vile and full of sin am I!" Why? Because our understanding has been illuminated to see God in His Holiness and I see myself in all my impurity because of sin. According to my light I demonstrate my sinnership and the distance that I am found from God. We remember that the faculty of our understanding is not taken from us in the new birth, but is enlightened turning us toward God, His Christ, holiness and eternal things. In the light of the throne, I have seen myself and the holiness of God.

De la misma manera, el Espíritu Santo le otorga poder a las afecciones. Las afecciones del hombre se prostituyeron en la caída (Isaías 53:2), de manera que ya no se veía belleza ó gloria en santidad ó en Dios Santo, pero tan sólo podía ver placer en el pecado y en todas sus formas. Pero según obra el Espíritu Santo en nuestro entendimiento, las afecciones del hombre pecador se ejercitan de manera diferente. En vez de tenerlas en cosas temporales y de los sentidos, ahora se proyectan en cosas espirituales y eternas según vemos la gloria y la belleza de Dios según en Él en Cristo Jesús. Las afecciones ahora van tras el bendito eterno Hijo de Dios. Se vé en Él, en Su muerte, resurrección y ascención una belleza, una gloria, y un sentido de apropiación que antes tan sólo se consideraba como locura ó tontería por estar sus ojos cegados y sus afecciones prostituídas por el dios de éste mundo, Satanás mismo (2 Corintios 4:4).

In the same way, the Holy Spirit grants power to the affections. The affections of man were prostituted in the fall (Isaiah 53:2), in this way he no longer saw beauty or glory in holiness or in a Holy God, but only could see pleasure in sin and in all its forms. But according to the work of the Holy Spirit in the understanding, the affections of the sinful man were exercised in a different way. Instead of having them in sensual and temporary things, now were they put into spiritual and eternal things according to the glory and beauty of God as we see Him in Christ Jesus. The affections now go after the blessed eternal Son of God. He saw in Him, in His death, resurrection and ascension a beauty, a glory, and a sense of approbation that before was only considered as craziness or foolishness for his eyes were blind and his affections prostituted by the god of this world, Satan himself (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Entonces con el entendimiento iluminado y las afecciones llendo tras Cristo, la voluntad, la cual se encontraba cautiva (Rom 7:14,15), es libertada (Rom 6:18). En vez de seguir tras el pecado y la injusticia, nos rendimos a Dios y a Su juicios, diciendo en nuestros corazones, "No se haga mi voluntad sino la tuya." Clamamos como Saulo de Tarso caído en tierra en el camino hacia Damasco, "Señor, que quieres que yo haga?" (Hechos 9:6). Sí, cuando el entendimiento es ilumindado por el Espíritu Santo en el nuevo nacimiento, y las afecciones ven belleza y una gloria en Cristo, entonces la voluntad dice "sí" a Jesucristo porque el pecador ha sido hecho voluntario en el día de Su poder (Salmo 110:3).

Then with the understanding enlightened and the affections going after Christ, the will, which was found captive (Rom 7:14,15), is freed (Rom 6:18). Instead of following after sin and unrighteousness, we surrender to God and to His judgments, saying in our hearts, "Not my will be done but yours." We cry as Saul of Tarsus fallen to the ground on the way to Damascus, "Lord, what do you want me to do?" (Acts 9:6). Yes, when the understanding is enlightened by the Holy Spirit in the new birth, and the affections see beauty and a glory in Christ, then the will says "yes" to Jesus Christ because the sinner has been made willing in the day of His power (Psalm 110:3).

Para resumir todo lo concerniente al nuevo nacimiento, no es la remoción de nada del pecador, porque nuestro entendimiento, nuestras afecciones y nuestra voluntad aún se encuentran intactas. Pero sí es la comunicación de algo al pecador: EL NUEVO NACIMIENTO ES EL IMPARTIMIENTO DE LA NATURALEZA DIVINA DE DIOS (2 Pedro 1:4). ¡Alabado sea Dios por ésto! El nos dá VIDA en el Señor Jesús. Cuando yo nací por primera vez, yo recibí de mis padres su naturaleza, así que al nacer de nuevo, recibí de Dios, a través de Su Espíritu, Su naturaleza. Sí, el Espíritu de Dios engendra dentro de nosotros una naturaleza espiritual al salvarnos. Ya que ésta es la obra del Espíritu Santo, entonces ya no puede ser a través del bautismo, membresía en una iglesia, siendo religioso, haciendo lo mejor que podemos, ni haciendo una decisión una profesión. Es algo que Dios hace por Su gracia soberana y Su poder en los corazones de pobres pecadores. De hecho, ni tan siquiera nosotros lo pedimos; cierto es, Dios es quien lo hace. Entonces comenzamos a pedirle porque Él lo ha obrado en nuestros corazones.

To sum up everything concerning the new birth, it is not the removal of anything from the sinner, because our understanding, our affections and our will were found to be still intact. But it is the communication of something to the sinner: THE NEW BIRTH IS THE IMPARTING OF THE DIVINE NATURE OF GOD (2 Peter 1:4). Praise be to God for this! He gave us LIFE in the Lord Jesus. When I was born the first time, I received from my father his nature, so then when born again, I received from God, through His Spirit, His nature. Yes, the Spirit of God begets inside of us a spiritual nature when we are saved. That also is the work of the Holy Spirit, then no longer can it be through baptism, membership in a church, being religious, doing the best that we can, nor making a decision a profession. It is something that God does by His sovereign grace and His power in the hearts of poor sinners. In fact, we did not even ask for it; the truth is, it is God who does it. Then we begin to ask because He has worked it in our hearts.

Latin and other Tongues

Today I was looking at E-Sword and tried to read a verse from the Latin Vulgate translation. I could make out a few words, but not very many, so I searched for a free online tutorial for learning Latin. I found one that teaches right out of the Bible! So I read the first lesson which taught on how to interpret John 1:1 in Latin:

in principio erat Verbum et Verbum erat apud Deum et Deus erat Verbum

"In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and God was the Word."

This was easy, but the words and their forms, conjugations, tenses and persons all take some time to learn and understand. What is cool about Latin is that it is so closely related to Spanish. In is the same as en in Spanish and in in English, but it also can mean at or on as well. Principio means beginning in both Latin and Spanish. Erat means it was or he/she was, which is very similar to era in Spanish. Verbum is easy because it means Word in both Latin and Spanish, although in Spanish it is Verbo and I also noticed Palabra used more in contemporary Spanish. Deum and Deus are two forms of the same word for God. In Spanish it is simply Dios, but Portuguese I think uses Deus for God also. The lesson's author explained that Deum and Deus are different in the same way that we use Him and He differently: "and the Word was with Deum [Him] and Deus [He] was the Word", but only Deum and Deus both mean God.

Not only this, but I have also been doing some more translating from Greek today. Although I do not understand much Greek without the help of the website source I use for translating, it is another important Biblical language that I am very grateful to have access to. I posted my new translation of Romans 1:18-32 here in a blog post on Depravity. I also just found out I can read John 1:1-6 in Greek as well as Spanish, and now I'm learning it in Latin. :) Now that I think of it, it has been a long time since I studied a little bit of Hebrew. Not since over a year ago, but perhaps I will get fired up for that again as well? I don't know?

I must get back to my other work now. My Lord and Savior has been graciously teaching me more things than I deserve.

The New Birth Spanish Tract, part 4

Continuing with the translation... I am only posting a few paragraphs at a time, so to read the whole thing, one has to start at part 1, and read on. The Spanish is in red while the English is in blue following:

También en Juan 1:13 nos dice que la regeneración ó el nuevo nacimiento es de acuerdo a  la voluntad de Dios. ¡Escuchen! "Los cuales no son engendrados de sangre, ni de voluntad de carne, ni de voluntad de varón, sino de Dios."  Nuevamente en Juan 3:5-8 leemos que la regeneración ó el nuevo nacimiento es llevado a cabo en nosotros por el Espíritu Santo, y 1 Pedro 1:23 nos dice que el instrumento que Él usa es la Palabra de Dios: "Siendo renacidos, no de simiente corruptible, sino de incorruptible, por la palabra de Dios que vive y permanece para siempre."

Also in John 1:13, it tells us that the regeneration or the new birth is according to the will of God. Listen! "Those which are not born of blood, nor of the will of flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." Again in John 3:5-8 we read that the regeneration or the new birth is brought about in us by the Holy Spirit, and 1 Peter 1:23 tells us that the instrument that He uses is the Word of God: "Being reborn, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God that lives and endures for ever."

Según unimos éstos versos, vemos que a través de Su poder sobrenatural, el Espíritu Santo renueva al hombre interior, dándanos un nuevo corazón y haciéndonos partícipes de la naturaleza divina de Dios, preparándonos para Su reino, el cual es un reino espiritual.

As we join these verses, we see that through His supernatural power, the Holy Spirit renews the inner man, giving us a new heart and making us participants of the divine nature of God, preparing us for His kingdom, which is a spiritual kingdom.

Nos hacemos la pregunta, "¿cómo Él hace ésto?" A Dios le ha complacido hacernos en nuestro ser moral y carácter, un ser tri-partito: entendimiento, afección y voluntad. El hombre debe cambiar éstos tres aspectos si ha de buscar de la justicia y santidad de Dios. En la caída de Adán todos perdimos nuestra justicia y santidad y pasamos a estar muertos en pecados y transgresiones (Efesios 2:1-3). Así que en el nuevo nacimiento El nos ilumina el entendimiento que había sido obscuresido (Efesios 4:18). ¿Por qué? Porque "el hombre natural (el hombre carnal) no percibe las cosas que son del Espíritu de Dios, porque para el son locura, y no las puede entender, porque se han de discernir espiritualmente" (1 Corintios 2:14). Ese es nuestro corazón apartado de la gracia de Dios. Entonces teniendo nuestro entendimiento iluminado por el Espíritu Santo, vemos nosotros mismos, a Cristo y al mundo, y todo lo demás bajo una luz diferente a la anterior. De acuerdo a 2 Corintios 4:6, El causa que la luz brille en la obscuridad de nuestro entendimiento, "para iluminación del conocimiento de la glroria de Dios en la faz de Jesucristo." Entonces y tan sólo entonces el pecador clama como Isaías en Isaías 6:5 al ver la gloria de Dios en Su santidad, "¡Ay de mí! que soy muerto; porque siendo hombre inmundo de labios... han visto mis ojos al Rey, Jehová de los ejércitos."

We ask the question, "How does He do this?" It has pleased God to make us be in our morals and character, a three-part being: understanding, affection and will. Man must change these three aspects if he is to seek the righteousness and holiness of God. In the fall of Adam everyone lost our righteousness and holiness and we became dead in sins and transgressions (Ephesians 2:1-3). So that in the new birth He illuminates our understanding that had been darkened (Ephesians 4:18). Why? Because "the natural man (the carnal man) does not perceive the things that are from the Spirit of God, because they are folly, and they cannot understand, because it has to be spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14). This is our heart apart from the grace of God. Then having our understanding illuminated by the Holy Spirit, we see ourselves, to Christ and to the world, and everyone else under a different light than before. According to 2 Corinthians 4:6, He causes the light to shine in the darkness of our understanding, "for illumination of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." So then and only then the sinner cries as Isaiah in Isaiah 6:5 to see the glory of God in His holiness, "Woe is me! I am dead; because being a man of impure lips... my eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of hosts."