|
What Is Spiritual Re-Birth?
by Annagail Lynes I'm sure you've heard it called by many names--being Born-again, coming to Christ, becoming a new creation, but it all means the same thing. It means to accept Christ as your Saviour. Why do you need to do that? Have you ever lied? Stolen? Even something small like a paper clip from your boss? Have you ever wanted something someone else had? Then you have broke the Ten Commandments, which is the law of the Old Testament. At the beginning, God put a man, Adam, and a woman, Eve, in a place called the Garden of Eden. He told them they could eat of all of the trees of the Garden expect one, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2). A serpent--satan, God's enemy, in disguise--deceived them into eating the fruit of that forbidden tree. He told them if they ate its fruit that they would become like God (Genesis 3). Through that one act of disobedience, sin entered the world (Romans 5:12). God's price for sin is death (Romans 6:23). At first, God required animals to be sacrificed to atone for sin. Unfortunately, these animal sacrifices had to be repeated every year. God had a plan, though. He sent His Son--His sinless Son--to earth. It took the death of one sinless, blameless human being who could fulfill every law, which you cannot, to forgive the sins of the world once and for all. Mary, a virgin, became impregnated by the Holy Spirit. If Jesus came out of a woman, He could then enter the earth legally. If He entered the world illegally, His death on the cross would not count. God gave Him the mission of being crucified on a cross for your sins (John 3:16). The soldiers beat Him, bruised Him, spit upon Him and mocked Him. They drove big stakes into His hands and feet.. They stuck a crown of thorns on His head. On the cross, God cursed Jesus for all your sins--past, present and future. He judged Jesus, so He wouldn't have to judge you once you accept Christ. Jesus' sacrifice overpaid your debt, and with the remainder of the payment, He took the effects of the curse--sickness, poverty, pain, sorrow, adultery and anything listed in Deuteronomy 28 as a result of curse. God judged His own Son for all your sins--past, present and future. He judged Him with the sins of everyone who has ever lived, is living and will ever live. Imagine that! God also laid on Jesus all your diabetes, heart disease, mental issues and every other disease or sickness you might encounter. All of them. Without exception. You couldn't fulfill all that the law requires. However Jesus could. He fulfilled the requirement of the law for you. Once you have accepted Christ, though, you are Born-again. You are covered by the blood Jesus shed on the Cross, which puts you in right-standing with God. Now when God sees you, you are not filthy, in the muck and mire of your sin. He instead sees His Son's shed blood that makes you righteous (II Corinthians 5:21). How do you become Born-again? It's simply really. Do you believe that Jesus died on the Cross for you? Do you believe He rose from the dead? Then you are ready. The Bible says in Romans 10:9-10, if you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth, then you are saved. If you believe, then just pray aloud, "Lord Jesus, I repent of all my sins. Come into my heart and be my Lord and Saviour." If you believed in your heart and confessed with your mouth, you are Born-again. It is that simple. Welcome to the family of God! You are now my brother or sister in Christ. When God sees you now, He doesn't see your sin. He sees Jesus' shed blood that is continually cleansing you of your sin (I John 1:7). After you are Born-again, what happens if you sin? Are you out of righteousness with God? No, because your righteousness is in Christ. You did nothing to earn it. Therefore you can do nothing to lose it. The blood of Jesus is continually cleansing you of all sin. Every one of your sins are covered. Are you only forgiven from your sins until you sin again? Most people believe this to be true. They believe that God only forgives you of the sins you have confessed and that until you confess them, you are not forgiven. They cite 1 John 1:9 as their text, which is written to unbelievers. A famous hymn writer used to be focused on sin, always confessing it. One day she realized that in the original Greek, I John 1:7 says that the blood that Jesus shed on the cross continually cleanses you. You don't have to beg and plead for God to forgive you because He already has. Once you have accept Christ, you are a new creature. Old things have passed away, and all things have become new (II Corinthians 5:17. He is your assurance that when you die, you are going to Heaven. Now the enemy will come to you one day soon and whisper, "You aren't really saved" in your ear. The devil is a liar (John 8:44). Whatever he says, the opposite is true. If he says you aren't saved, then you are. He wouldn't attack someone with that lie that wasn't. It would be a waste of his time. He isn't in the business of saving lives, only destroying them. If you have accepted Christ, you are a child of the Most High God. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. Just as with earthly royalty, you have rights and privileges that come with your crown, which you will receive in Heaven. You can enjoy the benefits of being God's child here on Earth though. Most Christians believe that you only reap these benefits in Heaven. You won't need the benefits in Heaven. You need them here on Earth, , and the Bible says that you already have all spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3). You have access to them now because this is where you need them. People say you will be healed in Heaven. No, because you won't have this body in heaven, and the Bible says God will quicken (heal) your mortal body (Romans 8:11). The one you receive in Heaven is immortal. This is the only mortal body you have. People say you won't be rich until you get to Heaven, but you don't need riches in Heaven. If you died after accepting Christ, even without a benefits package, you would still receive a new body and enjoy the riches of Heaven. However you do have a benefits package to use here on Earth. You have nothing to buy in Heaven. No, all our needs are here. Here you have to pay rent, mortgage, bills and for food. Here is where you need your benefits package, and here is where God intended it to be used. How can I say that? The Bible says that God has given you all things that pertain to life and godliness (II Peter 1:3). Life. That refers to here on Earth. Not in Heaven. You have the right to be healed every time (I Peter 2:24). You have a right to be prosperous (III John 2). You have a right to live in total peace (John 14:27). You have a right to accomplish God's dreams for your life. You have a right to accomplish your destiny (Jeremiah 29:11). You have a right to be used here on Earth to help bring people into the Kingdom of God. Your benefits package from your new birth is to serve as a testimony to others. Once they see what God has done for you, they will want to know Him too. Satan has convinced you that God wants you sick , poor and struggling in this world, which is not what God wants at all. God said in III John 2, "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." Dare to believe that you can have what the Bible says you can have. You receive it the same way you did salvation. Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth. It really is that simple. Annagail Lynes is a pharmacy technician, certified life coach and ordained minister. She is helping people move forward after trauma by helping them discover their purpose. Follow her blog at 316counseling.com Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |