I’m a detail person so I worry about the little things, like the mechanics of how we’re reborn. I know we’re reborn spiritually and it isn’t necessary I know how that’s achieved. Still, inquiring minds want to know. Does God just scrub off the old spirit to remove the stain of sin handed down to us from Adam or does God give us a brand new spirit? Is the new spirit identical to the old one or a new totally different spirit? My problem was always looking at it from a human perspective and not from God’s point of view. Each of us is born twice. We have our physical birth but before that we have our spiritual birth. We are born of God when he gives us a part of himself, an eternal spirit, at the moment of conception.
Titus 3:5 – Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.
John 3:3 – (Jesus speaking) – Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
John 1:12-13 – But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God.
Over 385,000 babies are born every day so God is a very busy spiritual midwife. Over 108 billion people have lived on this planet since the beginning of human history so God has plenty of experience handing out eternal spirits. God can do anything so why would he do anything the hard way? God always chooses the easiest and most logical path to get things done. God accomplishes his will with a thought, a word or the lifting of a finger. Everything for God is easy as pie. In the Bible God usually uses very precise and literal language to get his point across. Where God does use symbolism it’s obvious like in the book of Revelation.
John 3:6-7 – (Jesus speaking) – 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.
Galatians 4:4-5 – But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
In Scripture God doesn’t say he cleans up our old spirit. God says we’re reborn; born again a second time. That means we’ll get the exact same spirit we now have but without the stain of sin on it. The only difference is we receive our sinless spirit not at conception but at the exact moment we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Our spiritual birth is a do-over like in the movie, “Groundhog Day.” We’re born again! Regeneration, our rebirth, is spiritual and not physical and it happens in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, so we don’t feel a thing. We know it’s the truth because God’s Word confirms it and God cannot lie. Believers are actually born three times in their lives, their first spiritual birth is at conception, then their physical birth nine months later, and finally their spiritual rebirth when they accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. Unbelievers are only born twice and are therefore condemned to hell for eternity.
1 Corinthians 14-15 – But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But He who is spiritual judges all things, yet He himself is rightly judged by no one.
Romans 4:8 – Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.
Our regeneration (rebirth) is necessary to remove the sin from our spirit which all men have inherited from Adam after his fall from grace. As the first man, Adam was our patriarch and head of our household. Through the spiritual law of imputation Adam’s sin was imparted to all men. Jesus existed before Adam, Jesus has always existed, so when Jesus came to earth in the form of a man he automatically became our new patriarch and head of our household. Jesus replaced Adam. Jesus is the second Adam. By his sacrificial death on the cross in our place Jesus took our sins upon himself and imparted his righteousness to us by the same spiritual law of imputation. Jesus healed the breach between God and man which restored our fellowship with God. Each of us as individuals still have to accept God’s grace by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It’s a two part deal. God died for our sins and now we must accept Christ or face spiritual death.
Romans 5:12 – Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.
Galatians 4:19 – My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you.
We all have to pass through metal detectors at airports or we don’t get on the plane. We don’t get into heaven unless we can pass through the sin detector at the pearly gates. God won’t abide sin so God won’t let sin enter heaven where he dwells. Belief in Jesus is the only way to remove our sin, by the grace of God. No sinner after Adam has ever been saved apart from the threefold work of God’s Word, the Spirit of God and the man of God. Jesus is that man of God and the essential element of our salvation. Eternal life runs through Christ alone. The free will choice is ours to make, Jesus or sin, life or death, heaven or hell.
Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
James 1:18 – Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
Jesus is the judge of our eternal soul, the only judge, because only Jesus can decide to let you into heaven or keep you out. That’s what judges do, they let you in or keep you out. There are only two eternal destinations, heaven or hell. If Jesus keeps you out heaven that means you’re going to hell and vice versa. It’s one place or the other. It’s that simple. For those who have ears, let them hear and understand. If you’re reading this blog and you still haven’t accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior there’s still time for you to change your eternal destination. The Bible says now is the day of your salvation. Believe what God is telling you. Take action now.
1 Corinthians 4:15 – For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.
1 Peter 1:23 – Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.