New
Life in Christ
The most basic work of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life is the
new birth.
All of the powers and wonders of the Christian life are centered on
this essential miracle of Christianity. This miracle in the individual soul communicates
new life in the individual.
A religious leader asked Jesus, “How can a man be born
again?” (John 3:1-5) Jesus told him that he needed a spiritual birth. Yes, it was a
miracle of the Holy Spirit of God giving life to the spiritually dead. “As many as
received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those
who believe in His name” (John 1:12).
There are three ways a person cannot be born again. The
apostle John says those “who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor
of the will of man, but of God” (v. 13).
It is “not of blood,” i.e., it is not a process of nature.
It is not by descent from our parents, or after the human nature, or spiritual or
religious evolution. I am not a Christian because my parents were Christians. My children
are not Christians because I am a Christian. Your spiritual aristocracy means nothing to
God.
It is not “the will of the flesh.” It is not by a sincere
and passionate desire to be better as expressed in good religious works. You are not born
again by your efforts or determination to live a good life, or imitate the virtues of
Christ. You cannot enter into a new life in Christ by any natural power.
It is not accomplished by “the will of man.” No decision on
your part brings spiritual regeneration. It is an act of God alone. It is not by my will
that I am born again. It is not where there is a will there is a way. No individual can
bestow spiritual life on another person.
The central truth of Christianity is that a person must be “born
. . . of God.” God regenerates, not man. God is the Agent who brings spiritual life
to the soul of the sinner. God the Holy Spirit communicates the new life through a
spiritual birth. It is a mystery that cannot be explained. You cannot put it in a test
tube, or a mathematical formula or a computer chip. It is a miracle that can only be
experienced when God does it. This spiritual life is a new quality, a radically different
kind of life that is communicated to the soul.
The new birth is the communication to the soul of the believing
sinner the very life of Christ. It comes directly from God. The believing sinner can now
have fellowship with God. He is “a partaker of the divine nature.” It does not
come from our heredity, our intellectual abilities, human efforts, etc. It comes directly
and only from God.
This Christ-life is always a raising of the dead (Eph. 2:1-5). It is
always life bestowed on spiritually dead sinners. The new birth, new creation, or
spiritual regeneration is life out of death. God the Holy Spirit gives it, and it is as
powerful as raising the dead.
To the individual soul born of God is communicated the very life of
Christ. And when the Spirit of Christ comes into your life He cleanses, purges, renews,
energizes and enables you to live a new kind of life in Christ.
Who is born again? Any individual who receives Jesus Christ is born
again. The new birth is the reception of a person, Jesus Christ. Those individuals who
believe on Him are born of God. The apostle John tells us, “as many as received Him,
to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in
His name.” The very moment you realize you are a sinner, dead in your trespasses and
sins, and receive or believe on Christ, God the Holy Spirit imparts to you a new birth. To
believe on Christ is to receive Him into your life.
The dying thief on the cross near Jesus said, “Jesus, remember
me when You come into Your Kingdom.” Jesus, with majestic dignity, and divine
authority said, “Today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
That can be your experience today. Do you know Jesus Christ? I did
not ask do you know about Him, but do you know Him personally? Have you been born
again? Have you received Jesus Christ into your life? Have you received the new life that
Jesus Christ alone gives?
You are not a Christian if you have not received the new life that
God gives to the sinner who calls upon His Name. This
new life is for you, and God alone can give it to you. Will you believe on Him, even right
now as you read this?
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
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