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EIGHT
Rebirth
I wonder if the drab caterpillar, as he spins his cocoon, understands
what is about to happen to him. Does he labor instinctively, uncomprehending,
or is he looking forward with excitement to becoming a new and improved creature?
Is it because he envisions himself as a beautiful butterfly that he toils so
hard? Of course, no one knows what the caterpillar might be thinking.
Regardless, the caterpillar is a prime example of God’s power to change
something mundane into something exquisitely beautiful. Once limited to slowly
crawling down one plant and up another, now the butterfly can fly to exotic
destinations and do it in style. Once unnoticed and uncomplimented, he is now
praised by onlookers for his delicate beauty as he flutters by. Once at risk
of being squashed by uncaring children, now he has become their elusive prize.
Once disdained, he now competes with flowers.
Is it possible for God to re-create a human being, change him from a guilt-ridden,
sin-sick, selfish creature, into one who radiates love, who lives in harmony
with his fellowman, who finds his greatest joy in serving others?
Not only is it possible, but God has already begun that process in you.
Your metamorphosis is one that begins on the inside and manifests itself on
the outside. Jesus unveiled the marvels of that potential human transformation
in one of His conversations with a man named Nicodemus:
Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;
this man came to Him by night, and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You
have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless
God is with Him.”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one
is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot
enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water
and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born
of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not
marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows
where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes
from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John
3:1-8).
Notice Jesus said that it is impossible to enter the kingdom of God without
being born again. He went on to explain to Nicodemus that one is born again when
he places his faith in Jesus and what He did on the cross (see John 3:14-16).
If you have done that, then you, my dear reader, have been born again!
Jesus originally coined the term, born again, but, unfortunately, it has
been worn out from overuse in our society. The pure meaning of the phrase has
now become polluted as everyone talks about his “born-again experience”-whether
it be because of finding a new wife or tasting a new breakfast cereal.
Jesus, however, was talking about a rebirth that is significant-no one can enter
heaven unless they’ve experienced it. This rebirth is one that is spiritual.
We who have believed in Jesus have literally experienced a spiritual rebirth.
Let’s examine this truth.
The Hidden You
The Bible teaches that every person is more than just a body containing a brain,
bones, and muscle. According to the Word of God, we are tripartite in nature-spirit,
soul, and body. The apostle Paul made this clear in his benediction to the Christians
of Thessalonica:
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit
and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:23; emphasis added).
Obviously your body is what you can see in the mirror. Your soul is your mind,
emotions, and intellect. But modern man has only faint visages of the human spirit,
labeling it the “subconscious.” It remains largely hidden from human
understanding. God’s Word, however, unveils exactly what the human spirit
is.
Jesus said that God is spirit (see John 4:24). That doesn’t mean He is just
an impersonal force or some nebulous cloud. Jesus said that God has a form (see
John 5:37), and we have been created in His image. God, however, is not comprised
of flesh and blood but of “spiritual material.” Of course, we can only
comprehend that to a certain degree.
We, too, are spiritual beings and, just like God, our spirits have a shape or
form. The Bible refers to the human spirit as “the inward man.” For example, the apostle Paul states:
Though our outer
man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day (2 Corinthians
4:16; emphasis added).
So there is an outer man and an inner man. The outer man is the
body, which is decaying or getting older, and the inner man is our spirit. Again,
notice that the spirit is referred to as a man. The inner man is not getting
any older because he is eternal. He will live forever, and is, therefore, as Paul
says, being “renewed day by day.”
The apostle Peter refers to the spirit as “the hidden person of the heart”
(1 Pet. 3:4). Again, the spirit is called a “person” who is hidden.
Your spirit is a person. Your spirit is the real you. In one sense, your
body is only a container in which your spirit is now living. When your body dies,
your spirit lives on, traveling to one of two places: heaven or hell.
The Rebirth of the Spirit
When Jesus had His conversation with Nicodemus and told him that he needed to
be born again, Nicodemus immediately thought of a physical rebirth: “How
can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s
womb and be born, can he?” (John 3:4)
Jesus cleared up Nicodemus’ thinking by saying that it isn’t a physical
rebirth that is required for entrance into heaven but a spiritual rebirth: “That
which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6).
When we repent and believe the gospel, it is our spirits that are reborn by the
direct action of God’s Spirit. The amazing changes that take place at salvation
are internal rather than external. But those inward changes will manifest themselves
outwardly, just as Jesus went on to say: “The wind blows where it wishes
and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it
is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).
Although the wind can’t be seen, it’s obvious when it arrives because
leaves rustle and branches bend. The same is true of the rebirth of the human
spirit. When a person is reborn, you can’t see with your physical eyes what
has transpired in his invisible spirit. But you can see the evidence of it in
his lifestyle. His life will begin to be characterized by supreme love for God
and others.
In fact, that’s the reason one of those born-again people gave you this book!
He or she loves you and is more concerned with your eternal destiny than with
his or her own reputation.
One of the preeminent ways to determine if a person has been truly reborn by God’s
Spirit is if he displays a concern for the eternal destiny of others. You probably
have already sensed the urge to share what you have recently learned with those
who don’t know it yet. But before you give this book away, make sure you
finish the remaining chapters!
Being Born Into God’s Family
Amazingly, when our spirits are reborn by God’s Spirit, we actually become
children of God Himself. Our spirits are literally born of God, and He becomes
our Heavenly Father. There is no more wonderful truth than this!:
For you are all
sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus....See how great a love the
Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God;
and such we are....Beloved, now we are children of God (Galatians 3:26,
1 John 3:1-2; emphasis added).
Furthermore, when we are born again, God’s Spirit comes to live inside us:
Or do you not
know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have
from God...? (1 Corinthians 6:19).
God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit, is the third divine Person of the Trinity.
Therefore, we can say that God Himself, by the Holy Spirit, has come to live in
us! I know that sounds amazing, and it is! But we shouldn’t be surprised
because Jesus Himself promised us:
“And I will
ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you
forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world [those who are unsaved]
cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him
because He abides with you, and will be in you” (John 14:16-17;
emphasis added).
Notice that the Holy Spirit is not an “it” but is referred to by using
the personal pronoun Him. He is a person. He is God. And He lives in you.
But this is only true for those who have placed their faith in Jesus. No one else
has God’s Spirit living on the inside of them.
Naturally, if God comes to live inside you, then there is going to be a change
in your life. If God is love, then it would be impossible for God to live inside
you apart from His love. Therefore, we can say with assurance that God’s
love has been deposited within your spirit. This concurs with Scripture:
The love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit
who was given to us (Romans 5:5).
So you see that if you’ve repented and believed in Jesus, God has done
much more for you than simply forgiven your sins! He’s declared you righteous
and treats you as if you’ve never sinned. In addition, He has caused you
to be spiritually reborn so that you are now His child. God has given you His
Holy Spirit so that He Himself lives within you and has deposited a new nature
of unselfish love in your spirit! You belong to God and He belongs to you!
You know, I think this is the beginning of a wonderful relationship!
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“Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things
passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
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