Jeremy L. Berg

I have enjoyed reading through many of Menno Simon’s writings this week. A great website has made them available to us at www.mennosimons.net. Here’s an excerpt from a letter called “A Kind Admonition” that spotlight’s a key focus of Menno’s teachings: the new birth that results in a new life shaped by the example of Christ and empowered by the regenerating Spirit. See also how Scripture-saturated are his writings!

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Dear Sincerely beloved children in Christ Jesus,

You are aware with what diligence, nay, how sincerely I have of late admonished most of you, according to the word of the Lord, by many Scriptures, flowing from a loving, inclined and moved Spirit, as you yourselves have witnessed, I, who seek nothing (of which God is my witness) but alone the salvation of your souls; teaching nothing, desiring nothing, admonishing you to nothing but alone that your most holy faith and works may be powerful and fruitful before God; and that your life and walk may be found before God, before his angels, and before all the world, holy, pure, sober, chaste, temperate, humble, gentle, kind, mild, merciful, righteous, unblamable, in conformity with, and obedient to the gospel of Christ, a shining light, that in all your doings you may express Christ Jesus whom you have put on, if you have rightly put him on, as I trust; and thus show in your life his divine and heavenly image after which you are created, Col. 3; Eph. 4.

I do not doubt, most beloved brethren, that you well know (if you be born with Christ, of God the Father of the heavenly seed of the divine word), that you must be conformed unto Christ in mind, spirit, courage and will, both in doctrine and life, as Christ Jesus is conformed unto the nature and image of his blessed, heavenly Father, to which he was so conformed that he did nothing but that his Father did, Jn. 5; that he taught nothing but the word of his Father. Jn. 7.

In the same manner with those who are begotten of the living, saving word of our beloved Lord Jesus Christ; they are, by virtue of their new birth, so conformed unto Christ, so like unto him, so really implanted into him, so converted into his heavenly nature, that they do not teach nor believe any doctrine but that which conforms unto the doctrine of Christ; do not make use of any religious ceremonies but Christ’s ceremonies, which he has taught and commanded in his holy gospel; for how can the natural branches bear fruit different from that of the vine itself of which they budded forth? Jn. 15.

As there is nothing found in Christ Jesus but solely the holiness, wisdom, brightness, righteousness, power, love, peace, mercy, and truth of the Almighty Father, thus you have in the same manner partaken of his being and goodness, because you with him are regenerated and renewed of the same Father.

Behold, brethren, such regenerated and godly minded, live unblamably, even according to the measure of the rule of the holy gospel of Jesus Christ and his apostles. Therefore he kisses them as his beloved, chosen ones, with the mouth of his peace, and calls them his church, his bride, flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bone, of which he begets, with inexpressible pleasure, by his powerful seed, his holy word, the children of God, the children of the promise, the children of righteousness, the children of truth, and the children of life eternal.

But of the Babylonian, Sodomitic, whoring, adulterous, idolatrous, bloody, unbelieving, blind and unclean whore with which they have, for centuries, lived in adultery by the use of wood, stone, gold, silver, bread, wine, false doctrine, and of the very vain, accursed works of their own hands, contrary to Jesus Christ and his holy word, he will never beget them, Rev. 17; 18.

Therefore I admonish all our beloved brethren and sisters in the Lord, so precious as is Christ Jesus to you, never to let it go out of your mind, but ever to remember for what purpose you are called, taught, and baptized. Remember the covenant of the most high God, that into which you voluntarily entered; into which you have voluntarily desired and accepted; being taught by the word of God, and operated upon by the Holy Spirit….

….If this good and perfect gift of the new birth be given us of the Father of light, by grace, then we become the chosen children of God, Jn. 1; Eph. 1; then we are the true sisters and brethren of Christ, Luke 8, then we are conformed unto Christ, Rom. 8; then we are created after the image of God, Col. 3; Eph. 4; then we have the sign of the cross on our foreheads; then the kingdom of God is ours, Luke 18; then we are the bride of Christ, Jn. 3, the church of Christ, Eph. 5, the body of Christ, 1 Cor. 12; Eph. 1. Col. 1; then Christ dwells in our hearts, Eph. 3; then we are led by the Holy Ghost, Rom. 8; we are the chosen generation, the royal priesthood, the holy, begotten people, which is God’s own, 1 Pet. 2; then we are the temple of the Lord, 1 Cor. 3; 6; 2 Cor. 6; the spiritual Mount Zion, and the new heavenly Jerusalem, Heb. 12; the spiritual Israel of God, Gal. 6; we are of divine mind and nature; we are delivered from the sentence of the law, Isa. 9; Gal. 5; 1 Tim. 3; yea from hell, sin, devil, and eternal death, Eph. 2; then we have Christ Jesus forever blessed; his word, life, flesh, blood, cross, suffering, bitter death, burial, resurrection, ascension, kingdom and eternal joy, with him, received as a gift from God the Father, Rom. 8. But in case we be not born again (understand, those of understanding age), then we have not such promises.

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Ponder, holy brethren, upon every word which I have written unto you; read it attentively; reflect upon it diligently, understand it rightly, judge spiritually, and live up to it divinely. O, brethren, then my admonition and writing, and your perusal and hearing shall be fruitful.

May grace and peace remain with all the true children of God, and fellow-laborers of the promise, in the kingdom of Christ.

MENNO SIMONS