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What do you mean “born again?” Part 2. How to understand the miracle of the “new birth.”. If you are alive today, you have been born of the water!. Jesus, the Christ, told Nicodemus that a person can neither “see” nor enter the Kingdom of God without being first born of the water!
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What do you mean “born again?” Part 2 How to understand the miracle of the “new birth.” Produced by KOG Unity PLUS Group
If you are alive today, you have been born of the water! • Jesus, the Christ, told Nicodemus that a person can neither “see” nor enter the Kingdom of God without being first born of the water! • This refers to human birth, following the unity of a sperm with an ovum, forming a new creation that ultimately becomes a baby human being! Produced by KOG Unity PLUS Group
A human being is, therefore . . . • A living entity, with a limited life span, awaiting invasion by an outside life force. • We are, therefore, walking, talking spiritual ova! • Sin lives naturally in the human being, from birth. The Bible refers to this as the sinful nature. Produced by KOG Unity PLUS Group
Sin resides in the soul! • The Bible says it is “ . . .the soul that sins that shall die.” (Ezek. 18:4, 20). • The sin-filled soul uses the human body as its instrument to act out its evil desires! • The Bible confirms that all of the world’s corruption is caused by evil desires. (2Peter 1:3-4). • Jesus, Himself, said that all unclean concepts come from inside people. (Mark 7:23). Produced by KOG Unity PLUS Group
The heart of the matter is the problem of the heart! • See Ezek. 17:1,5,9 • As long as it is resident in a person, the sinful nature controls that person! (see Rom. 8:5-8)! • Therefore, “self-help” is a farce! • Because deception is the overarching ability of the sinful nature, people often believe they’ve changed, even when the sinful nature continues to rule their lives. Produced by KOG Unity PLUS Group
Paul summarized human helplessness! • Turn to Rom. 7:14-25 and consider Paul’s conclusions: • The law is spiritual; humans are slaves to sin! • No one can do the good they desire because the sinful nature controls their life. • Sin lives in each of us (see Eph. 2:1-3) and causes us to do the sinful things we do! • We are prisoners to the law of sin! Produced by KOG Unity PLUS Group
Paul reveals human frustration! • Rom. 7:24 “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” • In this Paul pictured a particularly cruel form of Roman punishment. They would lash a dead body onto a prisoner and force the prisoner to carry it around. The dead body eventually kills the prisoner! Produced by KOG Unity PLUS Group
That’s what the sinful nature does to us! • The sinful nature is a body of death! • It’s hopelessly lashed to us, intrinsic in us, and we can’t rid ourselves of it! • We are wretched and lost unless someone rescues us from this body of death! • God rescues us by causing us to be born again! Produced by KOG Unity PLUS Group
Receiving Christ gives us the right to be born again! • John 1:12 “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the RIGHT to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision, or a husband’s will, but born of God!” Produced by KOG Unity PLUS Group
Being born again is a literal event! • God performs a process inside of you that creates this event referred to as being “born again,” or from above which is the literal meaning of the Greek word “anothen.” • Go back and read Eph. 2:1-2 and ask: “How can I be “dead” and “alive” simultaneously? Produced by KOG Unity PLUS Group
You were born with a “dead” human spirit! • Adam is the only human who has ever had an alive human spirit, living simultaneously with the sinful nature! • That’s why God said “In the day that you eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will surely die!” Adam’s human spirit died that day. • That death—the inheritance of a dead human spirit—is what we receive from our ancestor, Adam. Produced by KOG Unity PLUS Group
God enlivens the human spirit! • In due time, according to His timetable, God enlivens the human spirit of a person; already selected to be part of the Body of Christ! (see Rom. 4:17) • Paul explained the concept of election in Rom. 9:1-18 • The application of grace is not by human choice, or effort, but by God’s election! Produced by KOG Unity PLUS Group
Next, God positions you to hear the gospel! • The gospel is the good news of the kingdom of God. • For humans, the good news is that God, through Jesus Christ, made it possible for humans to live eternally in God’s kingdom! • That fact can only be believed by faith, but human naturally have no faith! • See Eph. 2:8! Produced by KOG Unity PLUS Group
Faith comes by hearing! • See Rom. 10:17 • As the gospel message travels through the air towards your ears, God attaches the faith required to believe the good news. • Thus faith comes by hearing the word of God! • At the very moment you believe, Jesus performs the world’ greatest, painless surgery! • See Eph. 1:13 Produced by KOG Unity PLUS Group
Jesus removes the sinful nature! • Turn to Col. 1:13—How did God rescue us from the dominion of darkness? He took away the “chains” that bound us there! • Turn to Col. 2:9-11—Circumcision means to cut away that which is useless! Jesus circumcised our sinful nature! • With the sinful nature gone, the soul died, as prophesied in Ezek. 18:4! Produced by KOG Unity PLUS Group
The Holy Spirit invades! • In the same instant that Jesus cuts away the sinful nature, thereby freeing us to become slaves to righteousness . . . • The Holy Spirit unites with our recently enlivened human spirit, and . . . • The person become s a NEW CREATION! Produced by KOG Unity PLUS Group
To be “born again” is to become a new creation! • 2Cor. 5:17—the old (the sinful nature) has gone! • The new (the Holy Spirit) has come! • The Holy Spirit, thereby, seals us in Christ (see Eph. 1:13) • This sealing is an “earnest” portion of the Spirit that guarantee FULL PAYMENT in due time! Produced by KOG Unity PLUS Group
Therefore, you are born again! • After God enlivens your human spirit . . . • And positions you to hear the Gospel . . . • And provides the faith to believe the good news . . . • And Jesus circumcises the sinful nature . . . • And the Holy Spirit unites with your human spirit; making you thereby a Child of Living God! Produced by KOG Unity PLUS Group
So how do you know when you become born again? • Turn to Rom. 10:9-10 “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved!” • That scripture does not mean that when you confess and believe that confessing and believing triggers the saving! • The Bible says no one can call Him Lord except by the Holy Spirit. Produced by KOG Unity PLUS Group
Therefore, by the time . . . • You call Him, Lord, you already have the Holy Spirit! • You believe in His resurrection, which is a matter of faith, you already have faith, which is a gift of God! • Therefore, by your belief and confession, you know that God has saved you, by causing you to be born again! Produced by KOG Unity PLUS Group