To Be Born Again is To Be Transformed Into a New Creation
To have a new life In Christ Jesus
Greetings from Portugal! I hope you are all keeping well. It has been on my mind for a while to get to know the newcomers to my newsletter. I want to welcome you properly, so I will send you individual e-mails in the next week, but please don’t be shy, tell me what you are looking for and if you have any questions. I’d be happy to answer them.
This post explains what Jesus meant when He said ‘You must be born again.’ This is not some made-up thing. They are the words of Jesus. To be a Christian is to have a radical spiritual transformation.
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
Many people go to church or mass every Sunday but have not been transformed. So, I hope this will help you to understand what it means to be born again.
You will be transformed into a New Creation once you believe and accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour.
“Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun.”
Explaining the gospel to nonbelievers is tricky as I know how skeptical people can be. I can’t blame you, looking at the state of the world today.
But, if you can suspend your judgment and bear with me, I will do my best to explain it to you.
The first step is to recognize that you are in need of a Saviour.
You need to come to a point in your life where you can honestly admit that you have sinned and probably more than once.
Where did sin originate?
The fall of man, the fall of Adam, or simply the Fall (Wikipedia).
“Scripture says that God created humans good and without a sinful nature: “God created man in His own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). However, Genesis 3 records the disobedience of Adam and Eve. By that one action, sin entered into their nature. They were immediately stricken with a sense of shame and unfitness, and they hid from God’s presence (Genesis 3:8). When they had children, Adam’s image and likeness was passed along to his offspring (Genesis 5:3). The sin nature manifested itself early in the genealogy: the very first child born to Adam and Eve, Cain, became the very first murderer (Genesis 4:8).”
What is sin?
According to the Collins Dictionary:
“Sin or a sin is an action or type of behavior which is believed to break the laws of God.”
The Law of God in The Old Testament was given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai and is referred to as the 10 commandments:
You shall have no other Gods before me
You shall make no idols
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain
Keep the sabbath day holy
Honor your father and mother
You shall not murder
You shall not commit adultery
You shall not steal
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
You shall not covet
Have you broken any of these laws? Maybe even one? Well, if you have, you are a sinner. But, don’t worry, we all are. We were all sinners and fell short of the glory of God.
None of us are perfect and the more we try, the more we fail. It is better to surrender and accept that no one is perfect, but God.
So, now you know you are a sinner. What now? It doesn’t feel very nice being a sinner, does it? If you had a choice, would you like that sin and guilt to be taken away?
If your answer is yes, you would like to be free from the guilt and shame of your sin and be transformed, then God is for you. You are ready.
Becoming a Christian is a choice. God does not take prisoners, so you don’t have to worry. God is kind, gentle, and patient. You are only invited into the Kingdom of God, never forced. The door is always open and the decision is yours. It’s between you and God. So, no pressure!
The 10 Commandments act as a mirror so that we can see our sin. As St Paul says in the Book of Romans, it was the law that showed him his sin. He said, ‘I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.”
The Law of Moses is still valid and good to live our life by, but God knows that because of our weakness, we can’t keep it.
So, God made a new way through Jesus, His Son.
“The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. So, he sent his only Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sins control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.”
Love – The Greatest Commandment
One of the Pharisees, an expert in the law, tested Jesus with a question:
“Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?” Jesus declared, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. “This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
So, because God sent Jesus as an atonement for our sin, we are no longer tied to the Law, but we still obey it, but this time through grace that is given to us by the Holy Spirit
How do I become a Christian?
It’s quite simple to become a Christian, you just have to believe and repent.
The first step is to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and He was sent by God to save you—to wash away your sins, set you free, and give you eternal life.
Jesus died on a cross, rose from the dead, and is alive today.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Steps to salvation
Believe
Repent of your sins and ask for forgiveness
Turn away from your old life
What is salvation?
It’s to be saved from your sinful life and transformed into a new person who is no longer dominated by the sinful nature but instead controlled by the Holy Spirit to live a righteous life.
It all seems too simple, right? There must be a catch. Why then does the church look so complicated?
Because some people are practicing a religion full of rules, regulations, and rituals. Jesus hated all that and the more you read the Bible, the more you will see this.
You would be shocked at some of the things Jesus said to the Pharisees in the Bible. The Pharisees were the Jewish religious leaders at the time when Jesus was living here on Earth.
The church leaders wanted to kill Jesus! Need I say more?
In Matthew 23:1-3, we see Jesus talking about the Scribes and Pharisees. It’s a warning against hypocrisy. Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.”
I was lost but now I am found
These are the words of the famous hymn “Amazing Grace.”
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.
Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.
Lost
We are all lost until God finds us, and although we do have to search for God, He is the one that chooses us. He knows you and knows your heart.
God is seeking a broken and contrite heart because it is only with a heart like that, that He can mold us and transform us into the likeness of His being.
As St Augustine said, “Our hearts are restless until we find our rest in Him.”
We must first understand that our deepest longings come from our spirit that hungers and thirsts for reconciliation with God.
While we turn to everything in the world to satisfy this deepest longing, we will not be satisfied until we are right with God, because God is the source of all love, truth, and peace.
Without God, none of these things exist, for God is Love, Truth, and Peace. God is all good for there is no bad thing in Him.
God is Love: “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable and keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”—1 Corinthians 13:6-7
God is Truth: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”—John 14:6
God is Peace: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”—Isaiah 9:6-7
The Goodness of God
God is good and only wants the best for you. He is your Creator, so why would He want to do you any harm? God is always for you, not against you. You can put your trust in Him, He will not fail you.
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is the 3rd person in God. There’s:
The Father
The Son – Jesus
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth that is given to all believers. Before Jesus was crucified, He promised His disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit and that they would do even greater things than He had done.
The promise of the Holy Spirit
“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
Walk in the light
Now that you understand the facts, you’re probably wondering, what happens next? Well, you have just begun the greatest journey of your life!
It’s a pure joy to serve the Lord and as soon as you get to know what it’s all about, believe me, you will never want to go back to that old life. Nothing compares.
New Creation – you receive a new spirit
As you are now a new creation, you will learn about this new life in Christ. You will learn in a few different ways, one is by attending a good Christian church where the pastor will preach the Word of God, you’ll also learn from other believers who will share their journey with you.
The kingdom of God is within you
You can learn from your own study of the Scriptures, but the most powerful way, especially for a new believer is to ask God in prayer to help you. The Holy Spirit will speak to your spirit and you will gain new insights and wisdom.
It might seem strange to believe this, but it is an act of faith to believe without seeing. In time, things become clearer. It’s about trusting in God.
In the book of Galatians (New Testament), St. Paul teaches the church about the new life in Christ and how the sinful nature is still there, but not to give power to it. He recommends that they let the Holy Spirit lead them.
“So, I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.”
The desires of the sinful nature result in, “sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these.’”—Gal. 5:19-21
“But, the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”—Gal. 5:22
Called for a purpose
Becoming a new creation is your miracle story, your story of redemption. God has won you back and the angels in heaven are rejoicing!! It’s a glorious day, the day you say yes to Christ. Welcome to your new family.
You have been called for a purpose and God will reveal it to you as you walk daily in the glorious light of His Presence.
Thank you for reading.
I wish you a blessed week in Christ.
If you have any questions, please leave a comment in the comments box below.
Until next week,
Love & blessings!
Orla
Image by Paolo-Gregotti on Unsplash