Weekly Devotional 12-11-17 How is One Born Again Recently I was asked by a friend from Myanmar, “How is one born again?” The question of course establishes that my friend has at least heard this term. It also suggests that he is not born again. If he had been born again, the Holy Spirit would testify that his alienation toward God had ended. Alienation toward God is the predicament into which all persons are born. It is a spiritual predicament. When Adam, in disobedience to God’s one prohibitive command, tasted of the forbidden fruit, he brought alienation between God and His creation, man. Not only alienation, but immediate spiritual death, and the process of physical death. Spiritual death, also known as spiritual separation from God, is that which being born again overcomes. As to how one is born again, it is the work of God. Many passages of Scripture address this work, but none more clearly than John 3:1-8 and Ephesians 2:1-10.

John 3:1-8 NKJV

“1There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, ‘Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.’3Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ 4Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’ 5Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again’. 8The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.’”
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Ephesians 2:1-10 NKJV

“1And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Jesus said that a person’s spiritual rebirth is a work of God the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote that this spiritual rebirth takes place when a person is in a separated state from God or is spiritually dead toward God.

Seeing that being born again is the work of God the Holy Spirit, how does one know if he or she has been born again? Paul in his letter to the Romans and John in his first letter to Christians to whom he ministered wrote the following.

Romans 8:16 NKJB; “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”
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First John 3:1-10 NKJB; “1Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 4Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 5And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. 6Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. 7Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. 10In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.”

John earlier wrote that everyone sins (see First John 1:8-10). So, what he writes in the above passage has to do with habitually sinning, without remorse or with no repentance. The person who is born again will desire to repent, and will live righteously; righteously according to God’s word not according to self-determination.

Blessings

stevelampman@comcast.net stevelampman.com Transforming Power; The Work of God on Behalf of Man