I realize I am stating the obvious, but each of us was born on a particular day. Our birth date doesn’t span a lifetime of eighty years. We were born at a particular time and on a particular day.
The same is true regarding our spiritual birth. When a person believes in Jesus for eternal life, he receives it in a moment, on that day. It is not a process that takes a long time. The Lord told Nicodemus he would receive eternal life if he believed in Him for it. At that moment, he would be born from above (John 3:6-8). James also spoke of receiving eternal life as being born from above (Jas 1:17-18). And Peter refers to receiving eternal life as “a new birth” (1 Pet 1:23).
When the Lord spoke to the woman at the well about receiving eternal life, He did not use birth imagery. But He did speak of its once-for-all nature. It was not a process. She would receive it in a moment and would never thirst for it again. It would be her possession from the moment she believed (John 4:14).
Many words describe what the believer does after being born from above. Some call it Christian living. Others call it sanctification. Another word is discipleship. Whatever term we use, all describe a process that may continue over a long time. A faithful believer might be a disciple for eight decades.
Unfortunately, many conflate these terms with the new birth. They might say that if a person is to receive eternal life, he must persevere in good works until the end of his life. Eternal life is said to involve a lifetime of godly living. All those who believe will continue in discipleship.
But such phrases confuse the new birth with discipleship. Discipleship is a process. It can take years. Furthermore, a believer might be a disciple for ten years and then stop.
When the Bible describes what it means to be a disciple, it uses illustrations that take time. Once, the Lord used the example of building a tower. That does not happen in an instant, or even in a single day. Christ said the builder must first lay a foundation. Then he must build on top of that foundation. Especially in the first century, such an undertaking would take a long time. Christ pointed out that the difficulty in completing such a task might cause the builder to give up.
The Lord also compared the Christian life to war. Wars can drag on for years. There are ebbs and flows to such conflicts. Because they can last so long, one side can choose to give up and surrender (Luke 14:28-32).
The Bible uses different illustrations for believing and for living the Christian life. The first happens in a moment, on a particular day. The latter covers a long period of time. One is like birth. The other is like a long building project. A person can be a believer but not a disciple. He can experience the new birth but not live accordingly. The Lord did not confuse the two. We shouldn’t either.
