Born of the Spirit

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free,[fn] and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1(NKJV)

by Alexandra Copeland

In John 3:3 (NKJV), Jesus Christ told Nicodemus, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus was a smart person, but these words from Jesus Christ were uncommon; unlike any he had heard before. Our Lord and Savior spoke of a way of operating that defied the logic of which Nicodemus was no doubt accustomed. It exceeded the teachings he had heard all his life, and he must have had a great deal of difficulty reconciling all that he knew with the explosive revelation that Jesus Christ had laid before him. In verse six, Jesus followed it up with a truth that drew the proverbial line in the sand for every human being living thereafter. He said, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

In all of eternity, there is no way that we, as humans, can weigh the heft of what Jesus Christ has accomplished for us by making salvation available. Salvation occurs not because we deserve it, or because we have earned it. It is God’s gift to all who will accept it when they trust Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, and repent of their sins. Jesus becomes the Lord of our lives the moment we ask him to come into our hearts and transform us through his love. Through him, God will forgive us and our spiritual journey in Christ begins. 

Many people make the mistake of thinking that after they receive Jesus Christ into their hearts, they will never have to deal with the sin issue again, but this is not the truth. Salvation is the beginning of soul work. In 1Corinthians 15:57, God tells us that we have victory over sin, so we know that sin is defeated; but this does not mean that we will not struggle with it. Even after we are saved by God’s grace, we will come up against some temptations that can really throw us for a loop. Also, there are strongholds in our lives. These are entrenched habit patterns that we’ve learned over time, and sometimes there is quite a bit of wrestling that we must do to overcome them.

Yes, there are times when we are instantly delivered from things. There are areas where our faith is very strong in the power of the Holy Spirit, and because of it we receive God’s overwhelming deliverance. It is important to understand that this isn’t the case for everyone. Some who are saved and receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit may still have challenges with addictions, phobias, and other things that cause them to live beneath their privilege. God doesn’t love us any less when this happens, and He doesn’t leave us defenseless.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of Christians that find themselves in the same predicament year after year, and God never intended our lives to be continually ensnared by a negative cycle. God admonishes us through the Apostle Paul in Galatians 5:1(NKJV), “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free,[fn] and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” God’s plan is that the more knowledgeable we become about our Lord and Savior, the more we will grow in spiritual strength. As time progresses, we will increase in our service, gifts, and love; and our relationship with Him will become tighter. We do not see this evidenced in every Christian’s life.

One of the major reasons why many Christians lose their passion for the things of God, and find themselves not growing in Christ, but just going through the motion, is because they are unaware of the incredibly vital ministry of God’s gift, the indwelling Holy Spirit. 

Most of us have a fondness for babies. They are so cute and precious, yet it is crystal clear to us that no matter how adorable they are as infants, they will grow into adults who may not be quite as adorable. We know the path of human development so well, because it is one that each of us is on. We didn’t do it all on our own. We had lots of help through our parents or caretakers. It would be a serious abnormality to expect a child to mature and develop adequately without the guidance and leadership of loving parents and/or caretakers. They help us and steer us in the right direction. Good parents and guardians are wonderful, but even so, it isn’t possible for them to love us more than our 

Heavenly Father. As a demonstration of His enormous love, He has given us the family unit to help us continually grow into productive people. They assist our physical, intellectual, and emotional well-being. When it comes to our spiritual new birth, we can’t possibly think that He would do less.

In Luke 24:49 (NLT), Jesus Christ told the disciples, “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”  The Holy Spirit is a member of the Godhead. He is co-equal with God the Father and God the Son. It was always God’s plan that we would be filled with His Spirit, because it was always His plan to have a family. We are His sons and daughters. Just as biological children look like their biological parents, and take on many of their characteristics; we have God’s seed, the Holy Spirit. We are joint heirs with Christ! (Romans 8:17) We are a part of God; therefore, we have His nature because of the Holy Spirit abiding within. 

If you expect that you can make yourself holy or righteous, if you thought that you could clean yourself up on your own, then you will be disappointed in the results. If we could be all that God wants us to be without His help, Christ would not have had to die. The truth is that we can’t live a life of holiness without the Holy Spirit’s help. He has the very crucial job of helping and counseling us. We don’t have to earn his help, he is a gift from God to guide and strengthen us; and to keep our feet from falling into danger. John 16:13 tells us that the Holy Spirit that indwells us will guide us into all truth. 

Our new birth reality is a spiritual transformation. 2Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) affirms, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Nicodemus expected to see this new creation with physical eyes, but Jesus Christ was speaking of a higher, eternal transformation; one too phenomenal for physical sight to behold. 2Corinthians 5:7 tells us that as God’s sons and daughters, we walk by faith and not by sight. God requires that we walk by faith, because this is how He operates. 

Jesus Christ came so that all of us could experience a meaningful and full life, and maintain a beautiful relationship with Heavenly Father. If you are finding that your life isn’t more than abundant or that your passion for the faith has waned, consider seeking God for a greater understanding of the Holy Spirit, and learn to pray and move in alignment with the Spirit’s promptings. He makes his home inside of us, and if we will turn over the reign of our lives to him, we will not be disappointed.■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.