I’M BORN AGAIN
Chapter 2
A. What’s That?
When you ask Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins, He gives spiritual birth to you, new life.
You may hear Christians and the Bible describe this experience in the following terms: salvation or being saved, born again, converted.
Just as each baby’s birth is different and unique, so is your spiritual birth. Some people feel highly emotional and cry while others feel such joy and peace and are very exhilarated. Others feel nothing....no flashing lights, no thunder, no joy or peace at the moment. Feelings are important, but you do not have to have feelings to be born. Neither does your spiritual birth require you to have an emotional experience. The most important thing to focus on is obeying God’s Word. As you obey His Word, HE makes the changes....we cannot. Read the scriptures listed and write in your own words what the scripture says happened to you when you received Christ.
1. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children
of God, to those who believe in His name.” (John 1:12)
2. “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who
sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed
from death into life.” (John 5:24)
3. “And Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall
never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you
that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me
will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”
(John 6:35-37)
4. “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in
His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does
not have life.” (I John 5:11-12)
5. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)
So, you see, something did happen to you. This same experience has happened to millions and yet you are unique and special to God....one of a kind, and you bring great delight to God’s heart because He loves His kids.
Write down on a piece of paper what God means to you and how you feel about Him.
B. Facts About Your Birth
Your continued growth and spiritual maturity will rest on some fundamental foundation stones. The spiritual battleground where victory or defeat occurs is your mind, so God will renew or change your mind.
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing
of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect
will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
The natural mind (before you were born again) wanted to do its own thing and to only serve the body or flesh. It was influenced by feelings and emotions and reasoning; but God’s Word tells us that the carnal, fleshly mind is at war against your spirit man.
“For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of
God, nor indeed can be.
So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his.
And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because
of righteousness.
But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised
up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwells
in you.
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
For if you live after the flesh, you shall die: but if by the Spirit you put to death the
deeds of the body, you shall live.” (Romans 8:6-13)
We are not BORN AGAIN by works (fleshly deeds) but by His Spirit and faith in God’s Word.
“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith in
Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by
the faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law
no flesh shall be justified.” (Galatians 2:16)
Your new power is contained in having faith in God’s Word that makes your new spirit man work. NEVER will you find your power in feelings. Feelings are fickle fellows that flit and flirt and often frustrate and fail. But God’s Word works wonders, so put your faith in His Word and what His Word says you are, even though you don’t feel anything. Faith in God can be defined as trusting or relying on what God’s Word says. How do you know you are saved? You rely on God’s promise in His Word.
“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
You and I called on the name of Jesus to give us eternal life. God promised if we would call on His name we would be saved! Now we live our lives totally relying on that promise. That is faith!
This story shows us faith; when someone jumps from an airplane with a parachute, they totally trust that their parachute will open correctly. They rely on that parachute. God and His Word is our parachute. We totally rely on God’s promise for salvation, healing, etc.
“You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you.
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides
in the vine; neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much
fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
If you abide in Me, and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it
shall be done for you.
By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
As the Father has loved me, I also have loved you; abide in my love.
If you keep My commandments, you will abide in my love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love.
These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your
joy might be full.
This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you.”
(John 15:3-12)
The feeling may come the moment you receive Christ or it may come days later. Suddenly you will sense His peace and joy, but just keep walking by faith in His Word.
Since feelings can change from day to day, they are not a solid foundation to build on. God’s Word is fact and won’t be shifting from day to day or with moods. His Word will be there forever, the same yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) So we build on God’s Word, which is stable.
Feelings aren’t bad. They are good and wonderful, but they fluctuate; so our faith must be placed in the unmoveable, unchangeable Word of God.
C. How to Survive
Remember the laws you must live by to survive physically? You must eat, relax or rest and exercise. If a baby doesn’t eat he will starve to death. If you eat and don’t exercise, you soon look like a balloon. If you don’t exercise or work, your power wastes away and life becomes boring and dull. So the thing to do is be sure you do all three to survive. These three laws apply to your new spirit man also.
EATING – Your spiritual food will be God’s Word, the Bible. Take time to read it every day, just like you take time to feed your physical body. If you don’t, your spirit man will soon die. Keep a notebook of things that God teaches you. Try to concentrate on one verse and think about it all day. That way you have something to meditate on (chew on) all day long.
Make eating for the spirit man a habit. Just as you make time to eat physically, you must make time to eat spiritually. Don’t just leave it for a convenient time or chances are days will go by before you eat for the spirit man. Start building good eating habits today.
When you read, pray that God will help you understand what you read. God’s Holy Spirit lives inside you and He inspired the writing of the Bible, so He understands it. Ask Him to read the Word with you. Praying is like drink is to a good meal. Praying is talking to God and listening.
If you can talk, you can pray. TRY IT!
RELAXING – When you have eaten properly, then you need to learn to relax. Pressure and tension on a full stomach are not good. Your food always digests better when you are relaxed.
So don’t worry! Let God “worry” for you. He tells us to cast all our cares on Him because He cares for us. (I Peter 5:7) You do this “relaxing” when you pray and remember God understands your frustrations and struggles and even your temptations. He experienced what you have to go through while He lived on earth and has made provisions for you to succeed as an overcomer.
“For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of the joints and
marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and
opened to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
For we have not an High Priest which cannot sympathize with our weaknesses;
but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Let us therefore come boldly into the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy
and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:12-16)
So just relax and rest in Him. We weren’t good enough to be His children in the first place, but He loved us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8) and provided His grace (unmerited favor) so we could be His children. He did it all at Calvary so we rest in His finished work. When you relax through prayer, don’t pick up your cares and worries again....leave them with God, our burden bearer. Don’t forget to pray or relax every day.
EXERCISE – Physically you need to exercise to stay “fit” and “trim”. Too much eating and
not enough exercise can make you unbalanced and fat. The Bible says we should not only be hearers, but doers of the Word. Many people know what God’s Word says and even how to do what He says, but they just don’t do it.
Your exercise program begins with careful instruction. Not knowing how to exercise could hurt you. You could pull a muscle, injure a back, etc. Instructions are given in God’s Word and are made clear through Apostles, Pastors, Teachers, Prophets and Evangelists (Ephesians 4:11-30), who perfect the saints for the work of the ministry.
Listen carefully to their teaching and preaching. Listen carefully to other teachers and preachers. They will inspire you and instruct you and help to refine your gifts and talents so God will be pleased with you. Your faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17), so don’t miss Church and your exercise periods.
Why all this exercise? Is it just to look good? NO! The devil and unbelievers will try to destroy your spirit man. In our own strength we would fail. But through proper diet, rest and exercise we become more than conquerors (Romans 8:37) through Jesus Christ who lives inside us.
So remember to eat (read the Word), rest or relax (pray) and exercise (apply Biblical principles to your daily living) every day. It really works!
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