*John 3:8
"The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
Birth is the beginning of life; to be born again is to begin anew, as those who had been living amiss or to little purpose.
We need a new nature, new principles, new affections & new aims.
By our first birth, we are corrupt, shaped in sin & iniquity; we need to become new creations.
This new birth comes from heaven. A major change takes place by the power of the Holy Spirit in the heart of the sinner - this means that something happens inside us & in our favor, something that would be impossible to bring about ourselves.
The wind blows wherever it pleases & God directs it. The Spirit dispenses His influences where & when, on whom & in what measure & degree He pleases.
*1 Corinthians 15:45
So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.
Paul was speaking about the nature that must die in us & the nature that needs to come to life in our old nature's place.
When Jesus rose from the grave, He was given the right to give life to all who believe in Him.
Given that His Spirit gave us life & He is the One who lives in us, we too have His power to release life through the Word of God. We are called to be like Him in this world.
Just as a child picks up habits & expressions from their parents, we also acquire the nature of our heavenly Father, Jesus & the Holy Spirit.
*1 Corinthians 15:49
And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.
*Matthew 26:73
After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, "Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away."
*Acts 9:4
He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"
Jesus was identifying Himself with those who had decided to serve Him & who were being persecuted.
*1 Corinthians 15:53-54
For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
The process of sanctification is made possible when we understand the power of the cross, because it is through the cross that the Lord has given us complete victory over our human nature.
When we are able to die to the flesh & truly feel what Jesus felt on the cross, we will be able to live a renewed life.
God has given us the victory over death because His life absorbs the power of death, first spiritually & then physically.
*John 3:5-8
Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
Being born again means that you are no longer the one directing your own life & you depend completely on the direction of the Holy Spirit instead. I will continue to pray to the Lord & will continue to read His Word & to listen to the Holy Spirit.
REMEMBER:
THE SPIRIT GIVES BIRTH TO SPIRIT.
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