Born Again (2)

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This means we have received a new life. You may ask what kind of life this is. In the original language of the New Testament, Greek, there are three words for "life." The first is "<I>bios</I>." This refers to our physical life, which we obtained at birth. The second is "<I>psuche</I>." This refers to the psychological life that develops and grows with our human life. The third is "<I>zoe</I>." This is the life we received when we were born again. It is the uncreated, eternal life of God given to all who believe in Jesus Christ. This life is both for our present enjoyment and for our assurance that we will live eternally. </div> <bR> <div> The Bible says, "<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>He who has the Son has the life</B></FONT>" (1 John 5:12). This verse tells us that we can be sure that now we have the eternal life of God. We do not need to wait to see if we will receive eternal life in the future. Since we have received the Son, we have the life. </div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" >Jesus Christ proclaimed, "</FONT><B>I have come that they may have life (</B><I><B>zoe</B></I><B>) and may have it abundantly</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" >." (John 10:10) </FONT><B>Christ is life</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" > (John 14:6), and He came to give us life. However, the people to whom Christ came rejected Him and crucified the Prince of life (Acts 3:15). Yet Christ arose from among the dead, and in resurrection </FONT><B>became a life-giving Spirit</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" > (1 Corinthians 15:45). Now, as the life-giving Spirit, He is living and available to anyone and everyone. When we believe in Jesus Christ, He comes into us as the Spirit of life. Whoever believes in Him is born again with this new life. </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>A New Heart and a New Spirit</B></I><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I><B> </B></I></FONT></div> <bR> <div> In the Old Testament before the birth of Jesus, God promised to give mankind a new spirit and a new heart. "<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh</B></FONT>" (Ezekiel 36:26). </div> <bR> <div> When a person is born again, he not only receives a new life, but he also obtains a new heart and a new spirit. After experiencing a new birth, our heart is no longer of stone, but it becomes soft and tender - "a heart of flesh." We become sensitive and affectionate toward God and He fills our heart with many of His feelings. In life manner, our spirit has been renewed so that we can contact God and fellowship with Him. </div> <bR> <div> Formerly, our spirit was in a deadened condition and "numb" in its feelings toward God. We had no sense of or interest in the things of God. Whenever we heard about Jesus, we could not respond. Some of us even denied God's existence. </div> <bR> <div> All this shows that a man's spirit is dead in its relationship with God. Once we are born again, however, we realize we have a new spirit within us. We like to contact God. We enjoy saying, "Lord Jesus, I love you." This proves that our spirit has been enlivened. Try it and see. </div> <bR> <div> <I><B>The Spirit of God Regenerates Our Human Spirit</B></I><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> How are be born again? We are born again when the Spirit of God regenerates our human spirit. This means our spirit has been enlivened. How is it enlivened? It is by the divine Spirit, the Spirit of God. The Bible calls this regeneration. It is the result of being born again. This new birth occurs when the Spirit of God enters into our human spirit. The Scripture states this plainly: "<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>That which is born of the Spirit is spirit</B></FONT>" (John 3:6). Because our human spirit is born of the divine Spirit, the Bible also says, "<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God</B></FONT>" (Romans 8:16). We are born again as children of God when God's Spirit regenerates our human spirit. </div> <bR> <div> <I>We Now Belong to God- God Seals Us with the Holy Spirit </I></div> <bR> <div> The Bible tells us that upon believing we are "<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise</B></FONT>" (Ephesians 1:13). Immediately upon opening our heart to the Lord, God seals us with the Holy Spirit. His seal testifies that we belong to God. We now bear His image. We are His possession! No one, not even Satan, can alter this fact because the seal of the Spirit affirms that we belong to God eternally. </div> <bR> <div> <I><B>God Also Belongs to Us - He is Our Inheritance </B></I></div> <bR> <div> The Bible further informs us that the Holy Spirit who sealed us in "<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>the pledge of our inheritance</B></FONT>" (Ephesians 1:14). Since God is our inheritance, the Holy Spirit Himself is the earnest, the pledge, the "down payment," of God as our inheritance. In this verse, the Bible used an ancient Greek word for "earnest." It represented a sample of earth contained in a vase or jar that was given by the seller of a plot of land to its purchaser. This jar of earth served both to express legal transfer of ownership and the proof the purchaser needed that his land would be bountiful in the future. The purchaser would "taste," feel, and handle the sample to discover the earth's richness and potential. </div> <bR> <div> God gives us His Holy Spirit, not only as a guarantee, which secures our legal birthright to God, but also as a foretaste of that enjoyment which will be ours in the future. The earnest, the pledge, is a taste of our full inheritance that is coming. This foretaste is our sampling today of the happiness, joy and satisfaction we will experience in full in the future. </div> <bR> <div> <I><B>God Has Given Us the Anointing of the Spirit - The Moving of the Spirit Within Us</B></I><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I> </I></FONT></div> <bR> <div> Through being born again we also receive the anointing of the Spirit. The Bible tells us that we have received an anointing from Him which abides in us (1 John 1:20, 27). The word, "Anointing," is a gerund, meaning it is an noun in action. Therefore, the anointing we have received is the action of the Spirit, the moving of the Spirit within us. </div> <bR> <div> Have you not realized that from the time you were born again something has been continually moving in you? This is the anointing. This action of the Spirit is similar to the process by which we would rub ointment or lotion into our skin. The anointing "rubs" the essence of God into us. </div> <bR> <div> How wonderful it is to be born again! We have received a new life, a new heart, and a new spirit. We possess the Spirit of life, the seal of the Spirit, the pledge of the Spirit, and the anointing of the Spirit. </div> <bR> <div> <I>[This article was taken from messages given by Titus Chu of Cleveland, Ohio in 2000]</I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Return to:</div> <div> <A HREF="id149.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Harvest"><U><B>The Harvest</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id150.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Testimonies"><U><B>Testimonies</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id154.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gospel Tracts"><U><B>Gospel Tracts</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id633.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gospel Tracts by CTR"><U><B>Gospel Tracts by CTR</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id765.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Streams In The Desert"><U><B>Streams In The Desert</B></U></A></div> <div> see also:  <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.gospelgreeting.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.gospelgreeting.com"><U>www.gospelgreeting.com</U></A></FONT></div> </td> </tr></table></body>