Walking in The Newness of Life - Part 1

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“Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised u from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” Rom 6:4

There is a new life in Christ. It is a life of righteousness and holiness. Salvation is not the end of Christianity; it is only the beginning of the Christian life. We are called as Christians to live the life of Christ. The aim of this post is to help you understand what the new birth in Christ is, what happens when you are saved and how you can have assurance of salvation. This is just the beginning of the series and you need to understand these basics first before we can talk about the identity of the Believer and dynamics of holiness. I need you to read though this post meditatively, praying in between the lines for the Spirit of God to give you understanding. It is my belief that after you are through with this post, you will know what it means to be born again and have unwavering conviction in your faith. Now let’s get started.

What is New Birth?

The new birth is a popular term used among Christians and it is the foundation on which the Christian life is built. A Christian is not someone who goes to church. Anyone can go to church without being a Christian. A Christian is not someone who speaks Christian or religious language. You can dress religiously without being a Christian. You can attend Christian meetings yet you are not a Christian. You are not a Christian because your name is Christian. You must first experience the new birth to become a Christian. That is how serious the new birth is. So what is the new birth?

The new birth is a spiritual experience or encounter where one is spiritually regenerated, recreated or born again. It happens when one receives Jesus Christ as Lord and personal Saviour. The new birth occurs after salvation or redemption is experienced in the life of a man or woman.

“Jesus answered and said unto him, verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again” John 3:3-7

Just like Nicodemus, many people don’t understand what it means to be born again. Nicodemus was a teacher of the law yet he didn’t understand what Jesus meant by being born again. I have come across some individuals who totally do not understand this spiritual concept. Now listen to this, to be born again is not water baptism. If you have done water baptism in your church but has not accepted Christ as Lord and personal Saviour, you are not yet born again. The new birth is not Holy Communion or confirmation as done in many churches. The new birth is a different spiritual experience and encounter with God. In the above scripture, we saw Jesus explaining the dynamics and mechanism of the new birth to Nicodemus. The same thing I want to explain to you right now. Normally every physical birth requires two parents, father and mother. When your father met your mother, you birth was conceived, and that’s how you were born physically into this world. In the same way, for the new birth to take place, it will require two parents- Water (the Word of God) and the Spirit of God. When the word of God meets with the Spirit of God in the heart of a man, the new birth takes place. The coming together of the Word of God and the Spirit of God is what creates the new birth in the life of a man. Apostle Peter puts it this way,

“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” 1 Peter 1:23

We are born again by the incorruptible seed of the word of God. The Word of God is the Sperm of the Spirit. It carries the life and nature of God. When the Word gains entrance into the heart of a man, it gives light- the new birth. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, but that which is born of the Spirit is not spiritual, he is a Spirit. The new birth is a Spirit. A goat gives birth to a goat, a lion gives birth to a lion, a bird gives birth to a bird and a monkey gives birth to a monkey. John 4:24 says that God is a Spirit; therefore a Spirit will give birth to a Spirit.

What role does the Holy Spirit play in the new birth?

We have established above that the new birth takes place when the word of God meets with the Holy Spirit in the heart of a man. The Holy Spirit plays a vital role in the new birth. His role in the new birth is to convict and convince the sinner of his sins and to give him an awareness of God’s righteousness and Judgment (John 16:8). Another thing the Holy Spirit does in the new birth is to perform a supernatural change in the heart of the sinner. The Bible says,

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh” Ezekiel 36:26

That’s another role the Holy Spirit plays in the new birth. He takes away the stony heart of sin from the sinner and gives him a new heart that is hungry to know God and do those things that will please Him. Literally, the Holy Spirit performs a spiritual heart surgery in the new birth. It is the new heart that makes a new man. Without the Holy Spirit, the new birth cannot take place.

STEPS TO NEW BIRTH

Having explained the meaning of the new birth and how it takes place. Let us now briefly look at the practical steps the new birth can happen.

1. The sinner hears the Word of God-(Rom 10:17). The new birth begins when the sinner hears the word of God. It is the first step to the new birth. And there are many ways a sinner can hear the word of God. It could be through preaching or teaching in the church, crusade; reading Christian Tracts or Christian books, listening to sermon on Television, radio or internet. One can also hear the audible voice of God in a trance or dream.

2. The Holy Spirit convicts and convinces the sinner by the word of God- (John 16:8). When the word of God enters the heart of the sinner, the Holy Spirit begins to work with the word to convict and convince the sinner unto repentance.

3. The sinner repents from his sins and evil ways-(Acts 3:19)
By the conviction of the Holy Spirit, the sinner repents and changes his mind, making a choice and decision to turn away from his sins and follow God’s way.

4. The sinner believes in his heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and confesses Him with his mouth as his lord and personal Saviour-(Rom 10:9). When this is done, the Lord forgives the sinner, washes him with His blood and makes him His child. At this point, automatically the sinner is saved.

Justification, sanctification and new birth.

As a new believer, you are likely to ask yourself after the new birth, “what really changed?” The truth is the new birth is a spiritual experience and encounter with God and not necessarily a physical change. After you are born again, you will discover that you still have your normal hair style, skin color stature and gender.  The new birth is a change that occurs in your human spirit. Man is a tripartite being, he is a spirit that has a soul and lives in a body. Man exists in three states. It is your human Spirit who gets new birth, not your mind or body. Two things happen after the new birth. They are Justification and sanctification.

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” Rom 5:1

After the new birth, we are justified in Christ by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. To be justified means to be declared not guilty, innocent and blameless. It doesn’t matter the sins you have committed before, once you are born again, God declares you innocent, blameless and not guilty.  This is the wonderful blessing that the new birth bestows on those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. By justification, we have peace with God though our faith in Jesus Christ. When you are justified by God, anyone condemning you based on your past sins is irrelevant. If God be for you, who can be against you? If God has justified you, anyone holding any charge against you based on your past way of life is doing so at his own detriment.

“And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” 1 Cor 6:11

To be sanctified means to be made clean, pure and righteous. When you are born again, the Spirit of God sanctifies you from those sins you cannot purge yourself from. Inner sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit. He purges and cleanses your heart and conscience from dead works. By the new birth, we are made clean, pure and right with God. I want you to understand that if you are born again, you have been justified and sanctified in Christ by the Spirit of God. So walk in the consciousness of this truth.

Conclusion: The new birth is not for some selected few, it is for everyone. It is not optional, it is compulsory. You can have assurance of your new birth through the promises of the scriptures and inner conviction of the Holy Spirit. Have you experienced the new birth? Are you saved? Remember until you are saved, you are not safe. Salvation is the greatest miracle. Be born again.

Were you blessed by this post? Please use the comment box below to ask questions if you have any. Feel free to share your own opinion on this subject. I like comments. Remain blessed.