Born Of The Spirit

Born of the Spirit

Read: John 3:1-8

“I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

John 3:3

“The soul, like the body, lives by what it feeds on.”

—Josiah Gilbert Holland

IN WORD This saying was strange to Nicodemus, but for us it needs no explanation. We have already come to grips with the necessity of a spiritual birth in order to be in God’s kingdom. The relevant question for us is this: Are we living according to that birthright?

Those of us who have genuinely accepted Christ by faith know what it means to be born again. We have believed that God’s life has entered into us and have begun to see the world as a child of a different kingdom. His words have come alive to us, and we walk in newness of life. But we don’t always act like natural citizens of a new kingdom. We don’t always feel that life is new, or that our Father is God Himself. Why not?

There are two options for the believer—the way of the flesh and the way of the Spirit. It is entirely possible for us to be born of the Spirit and to walk according to the flesh. Paul’s pointed question to the Galatians is relevant to us: “After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” (Galatians 3:3).

IN DEED God did not birth us by His Spirit in order for us to live in the strength of our flesh. There is a supernatural source readily available to us for our decisions, our purity, our gifts and talents, our ministry to others, the unity of our relationships, our worship of God, and more. It must astonish Him that so many of us neglect that source and revert to the insufficiency of human ingenuity and resourcefulness. But we do. Frequently. We are so accustomed to our old nature—it is comfortable in spite of its weakness—that we forget to invite the power of God to live in us. We must learn the customs of the kingdom of God in order to see it. There, the all-sufficient Savior chooses to be our life rather than watch us struggle in our own strength. He inhabits His devotees, and if they will allow it, He’ll demonstrate His presence. Let Him. You were born for this.