Born Again, Part 2

02 Aug

Born Again, Part 2

Part of Jesus’ explanation of the term “born again” to Nicodemus included “He that believes on Him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). Paul forcefully reiterates this in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh [i.e. their sin nature], but after the Spirit.”

To be born again is to be spiritually born, by faith, into the family of God, into the presence of God through the Holy Spirit. Other biblical metaphors for this relationship include being risen from the dead (Rom. 6:4), a married couple bound together by the law so long as they both live (Rom 7:2-4), and adopted children of God (Rom. 8:14-16). The faith required to walk according to our new life in Christ, through the Holy Spirit, is the same as the faith required to accept the free gift of salvation, thereby becoming born again. As Ephesians 2:8-9 states,

“…by grace you are saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. [It is] not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.”

That faith, based on the grace of God, persists into our life after salvation in the form of Holy Spirit-enabled determination to live righteous, God-honoring lives:

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).

The challenge is that we are saved souls still living in bodies that continue to betray us with the lust of the flesh and pride of life. Even Paul found this difficult. In Romans 7 he wrote:

Verses 18-19 – “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwells no good thing. For to will is present in me but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not, but the evil which I would not, that I do”

Verses 22-24 – “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man, but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”

At the end of this declaration, Paul then thanks God “through Christ Jesus our Lord”, proceeding to encourage us that there is now no condemnation to all who are in Christ Jesus and walking according to the Spirit (Rom. 8:1). We are indeed made “free from the law of sin and death” by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:2). Furthermore, we have peace with God as a result:

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we also have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also glory in tribulations knowing that tribulation works patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope. And hope makes us not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us” (Romans 5:1-5)

If you find yourself struggling with willful sin, go to Jesus in prayer, confess to him, ask forgiveness, and pray for strength to stand against the enemy of our souls. Read, memorize, and meditate on God’s Word, the Bible, daily. Worship God during your private times with Him. Ask mature Christians to pray for you as well. When you ask someone to pray for you, they don’t need to know all the details; a simple explanation of “unspoken prayer request” would be understood by most Christians. I guarantee they are also dealing with the same issues. The older I grow, the more I understand the dichotomy between my life with Christ in the Spirit and the persistent pull of worldliness and sin on my life. If you wish to send me a private message or email about it, I do understand your struggle and will pray confidentially for you.