John 3:3
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
As simple as this verse is, many of us find it challenging as did Nicodemus, to fully grasp what it means to be “born again.” This Pharisee finds the courage to come to Jesus at night, perhaps making sure that the other Pharisees don’t see him talking with the master
Jesus had to step down from his throne and He had to partake of our nature, He had to be born into this world so He could be human. He was fully God, yet fully man and this was the only way that the price could be paid in full, when He was man plus God. There is also no way that we can enter through those gates unless we have lived a life, that is partly man yet partly Spirit. This is not possible unless we enter into a second birth and through this birth our nature no longer controls us but we now cling and draw power from a source that’s from above, the Devine Spirit of God. Daily we should let our old nature die so that his Spirit in us can keep leading us to live a life of holiness, daily growing in our faith. Daily self needs to die as His Spirit overtakes us and causes us to walk as he walked.
1 Corinthians 15:31
I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
It’s not just us that needs to go through a birth but the Son of God, the Creator of all things humbled himself to a level that is beyond our mortal comprehension and left the courts of heaven, allowing himself be born into a world that would fail to see his endless love and effort.
There Is also no way that we with our sinful natures can see the kingdom of God unless we go through an adoption and are adopted into this family that walks in the Spirit, the ones that have died, been laid to rest in the grave and now have a supernatural power that assists them in conquering the enemy. Now we have the power to do things that we couldn’t do without the Indwelling of this same power that won the victory over sin and death. That almighty power that put the enemy in his place and breaks our chains.
Roman’s 8
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
No longer do we let the world and our nature lead us but we allow ourselves to be led by his Spirit. Because we have been born again clothed with His Spirit we are adopted into the family of God. No longer are we sons of men but we are sons of the most high. In Ecclesiastes it shows who the sons of men are. Those that live in the flesh. Sons of God are those that are led by His Spirit, as Roman’s 8:14 says.
Ecclesiastes 8:11
“Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.”
Being born again is not just a feeling that we experience yet this is what many of us are seeking for. It is a divine life transformation from above. Yes, if He dwells within us we will at times feel his overwhelming love and presence but this is not evidence that we have been born again. To walk as He walked is evidence that we have His Spirit.
Many hearts seek for signs and wonders, for emotional feelings rather then allow the Spirit to do a work within them, to cleanse them from all unrighteousness and to let go of self. It’s not about us, it’s about HIM. He did not think about himself as he walked through this world and we were constantly on his mind. So we will also, we will think only of him and others as we walk through this world not focusing on ourselves for this is what His Spirit will cause us to do.
Jeremiah 13:23
“Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.”
It’s impossible that the Ethiopian can change his skin. The leopard can surely not change his spots and neither can we do good for our nature is accustomed to do evil and this is why God’s perfect plan for us is that we are born again, born from above this time, so that we can do those things that are pleasing to Him, for His Spirit within us is accustomed to do good.
Ever since the fall, mans nature has been leaning towards evil and while he still has the power of choice, he cannot in his own strength part with sin, change his nature, or live a Godly life. This he cannot do and this is why God has given us the honor to take hold of his strength, to be partakers of his spirit. There is only one who can deliver man from sin. We shall call His name Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins. He will save us by paying for our redemption, then He cloths us with his Spirit so we can have the strength to turn away from sin.
Matthew 1:21
And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.
2 Corinthians 7:9
Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.
What’s missing in this world is the sorrow for our sins. We fail to be sorrowful for the heart wrenching agony that we cause our Redeemer. Many of us rather sorrow for the consequences that we have to endure for our sins instead of sorrow for what we have caused him to endure. This sorrow is worldly and leads to death for it is a sorrow that focuses on self rather then on the One who shed sweat, tears and blood for us. It is a sorrow that will cause us to keep looking back, having no power to escape sin for we have the wrong intentions, worldly intentions, worldly repentance.
2 Corinthians 7:10
For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
John 1:12
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
John 1:13
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
But as man cannot in his own strength rid himself of sin, his only hope is to let Christ take charge of his life. When Christ dwells in our hearts by His Holy Spirit, He changes our likes, and our dislikes. Sinful habits, which we in vain have tried to break, fall off as the leaves of autumn.
Romans 8
8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
Colossians 1:29
To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.
Paul said Christ’s power mightily worked within him. Does Christ’s power mightily work within us? It can. It should within each of us. The apostle Paul, who wrote these words was flesh and blood, just like us. Perhaps if we’re spiritually powerless it’s because we’re living by our strength rather than Christ’s. There is abundant power available to all who will believe and accept it, so that there is no excuse for continuing in known sin. And sin brings us no happiness, for it always carries with it a trail of woe.
2Timothy 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
This Spirit does not know fear, but it is a Spirit of power and love, a sound mind. We would do well to claim this Spirit today but this won’t happen until self is forgotten and buried in the grave.
John 3:8
The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit.
The wind is heard among the branches of the trees, yet it is invisible, and no man knows where it comes or whither it goes. So it is when the Holy Spirit works upon the heart. The Spirit can no more be explained than can the movements of the wind. We can’t see the wind but we can sure see what it can do and so it is with the Holy Spirit. We can’t see it but people should be able to see just what it has done when it’s working in us. By an agency as unseen as the wind, Christ is constantly working upon the heart. Little by little, impressions are made that tend to draw the soul to Christ.
Often times the wind is only weak and you really can’t see anything that it has done. So it is with us when our faith is weak, we will also not see what He is doing in our life’s. Not because He is not powerful and able but because our weak faith is like a weak wind that will not give evidence of what it can do. A strong wind gives more evidence of what it is able to do and so it is with a strong faith, you see him working with greater power. If our faith is weak so will He be weak in showing himself to us and we will see little evidence that He is real. It is living faith, that moves that nailed scared hand to work mightily in our life’s.
When the Spirit of God takes possession of the heart, it transforms the life. Sinful thoughts are put away, evil deeds are renounced, love, humility, and peace take the place of anger, envy, and strife. Joy takes the place of sadness. No one sees the hand that lifts the burden and takes our load upon himself but we should be able to feel how light we feel and how happy this has made us.
I have never seen this God that loves me with a love stronger then death but my heart has gone ahead and believes in him anyway. My heart did not need to see him to fall in love with him and to believe in His existence, all it took was to see what He has done in my life. I do not see him but I see what His hand is doing and for me that’s just as good as seeing him face to face.
We are human and our nature is fallen, it cannot do anything good and even if we try with everything we have, we simply cannot please him with our fallen natures, for we really have nothing good that dwells within us. The only way that we can please him, the only way that we can be righteous, to be his saints, is when we go through a second birth.
With our first birth we lived only in the flesh, we lived a life that pleases only the enemy. This is why we need to again go through a new birth, this birth no longer being just a fleshly birth. We are adopted into his family and we become sons and daughters of our Father, He promised to be a our Father.
2 Corinthians 6:18
“And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”
Genesis 1:2
“And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”
This same Spirit, that at the beginning moved upon the face of the waters, will move on our hearts and create in us a new heart. In the beginning God said, let there be light and there was light. In this same way God will remove the darkness from within our hearts and he will say let there be light and there will then be a light in us that burns so bright that people around us will be drawn to it. This same hand that spoke everything into existence only needed to say let there be and so it was. Why do we doubt that He who made this world in 6 days can transform our heart? He did not grow weary as he created this earth and never will He grow weary as he works in us.
We are slow to believe that this same hand that created heaven and earth will place his Spirit within us and transform our minds, give us a brand new heart. We are slow to believe that there is a power given to us that will move upon our hearts and cause us to walk in his ways. Everything worldly, that used to give our hearts a temporary joy, now only finds joy in the things of this kingdom that our Lord has gone to prepare for his saints, his Sons and daughters.
Philippians 3:3
For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,
2 Peter 1:4
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
We are partakers of His Devine nature, having escaped the corruption of this world. God has redeemed us with his precious blood, he has died so that we may live. We glory in this but if we truly appreciate what he has done we would not allow self to live on and we would desire to also die as he has died. Self needs to go, it needs to die so that his Spirit can rise in us. We can claim his Holy name, we can run to and fro and seek a easy Christian walk, we can cry and say I love him BUT if self has not died and gone through another birth then it is all in vain that we claim his name. His death was for us in vain, if we ourselves do not die, for without the death of self we cannot enter into His kingdom.