Today’s passage says this: “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” (John 3:3). Many believers who have accepted Christ know they are born again. But do we really understand what it means? My brother, my sister, Jesus told Nicodemus how to become born again and by faith we indeed become born again when we accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Saviour. Yet, do we really understand what happens when we do so?
First, let’s recall that the real person in you is we are a spirit being, living in a body and that has a soul. Our bodies are the envelope or visible part we live in while we are here on earth. Our soul consists of our mind, will and emotions. Therefore, the real you is inside of you, it is your spirit. Now; the Bible says: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). In other words, the moment we accept Christ, our spirit become brand new. We are a completely new person (remember that the real person in us in inside of us)… so this means that it is this person in us who becomes born of God as this inner being is made alive with God, for he was death in the world. That is the reason why the Bible says that the old man in us has died with Christ, and that we are raised to new life through Christ’s resurrection (Romans 6:2-6). This said, it implies that only our spirit is in fact born again!
This now will explain why we still need to make efforts: indeed, my friend, even though we have died to sin and been raised to new life through Christ, our souls (that is, our minds, will and emotions) are not born again and still need to be transformed and purified by the washing of the Word: “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word” (Ephesians 5:26). This is exactly what stops the maturity of many believers, making them rebellious, stagnate in their faith, doubt, etc… that’s because they thought that accepting Christ would automatically change their character, remove weaknesses or take away their sinful natures… yet, they continue to struggle with sin.
You see, your spirit is made right with God and raised to new life the moment we accept Jesus, but your soul (your will, your emotions, your thoughts) can still carry much spiritual dirt from your past lifestyles that needs to be washed clean. And this can be done ONLY through the renewal of our minds which is the knowledge and the application of the Word of God (1 Peter 1:22-23; Romans 12:2). My friend, you will never experience the deliverance of God without having embraced His Word, for, even if He delivers you today and your mind has not been renewed or is not inclined to renewal, you will jump into the same sin or dirt the minute after your deliverance… and your life will continue being miserable. That’s not God’s plan for you… That is the reason why the devil urges ,any people to run after miracles above the knowledge of the Lord… it is another way of keeping them captive even within the Body of Christ. May that not be your case. You have heard the truth today, set your eyes on Jesus. Now you also understand why the Bible says: “But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 4:29). Yes, today you may have realised why you find it hard to read the Bible, pray regularly or seek the Lord as you should since your spirit is already equipped and willing to do so because it is born again (Matthew 26:41)… it is because your flesh is controlled by your soul and now your soul needs to learn to submit to God, by applying the Word of God. David did so: when his life was threatened to death, he often ordered his soul to praise the Lord instead of crying or whining (Psalm 103)… Stay blessed in Jesus’ name.