This is the second blog in a series of blogs that speaks to The Faith and the process in light of the faith we hold. Yesterday I shared about the very root of our Faith, which is the Word of God. Today I will discuss the Life Change that takes place when we exercise our faith and the change that takes place. Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus a wonderful truth that ties everything together for those who believe in God and believe in the Bible. In Ephesians 2:8 where Paul writes 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. This verse blows anything of us in this life change out of the water and describes that our salvation is a result of faith. Jesus said in John 3:16 that whoever believes in Jesus will be saved.
Our modern-day religion will try to "hedge" on the importance of our faith, but we cannot let that happen, because it is the basis for the life change that is possible in this born-again experience. Why do I say "born-again" experience? Short answer: That is what Jesus said in John 3:1-3 where the scripture says 1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; 2 this man came to Jesus at night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus responded and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” This the scripture I assigned for "homework" from yesterday, and I believe it is very evident that there are some non-negotiables Jesus shares with this "religious" leader. Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin, a very powerful group of hyper-religious leaders whom Jesus and John the Baptist both accused of being hypocrites. But Nicodemus was searching for truth and Jesus threw a "truth bomb" his way when he said the following in verse “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Today you may be searching for the "truth" of what it means to be a child of God and what it takes to live this life we call The Christian Life. The truth bomb Jesus lobbed at Nicodemus still explodes today and we can rely on the truth that we "must" be born again in the Spirit to be "saved" from the penalty of our sin. When Nicodemus came to Jesus to find the answers that only The Messiah could give, He did not plan on Jesus, who is the Word of God answering him, and Jesus knowing what Jeremiah 17:9 says 9 “The heart is more deceitful than all else. And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? Jesus immediately changed the conversation to deal with the heart and not just the head. Nicodemus was trying to understand born-again from His mind and relying on all of the "study" he had done as a student of the Law of Moses. His mind could not grasp this eternal truth the Son of God had just shared with him. Born Again? Jesus said the following in verse 6 That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit.
This all comes back to the initial faith experience and the dependence we have on the Holy Spirit to cause this life change. It is realized when believe in Jesus and receive Him by faith. Repentance is a result that happens at the time of believing and repentance drives us to quit looking for what we want and it bows to what God offers through Jesus. Look at the process and see it: Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seems right to a person, But its end is the way of death. The Word of God reveals The Way and it is only God's way. John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. The Holy Spirit convicts. There are some that teach that the Holy Spirit is irresistible, but that is wrong as seen when Stephen was being stoned in Acts 7:51 “You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. The problem was they were rejecting the Holy Spirit and in rejecting the Holy Spirit they were "lost." As a person who rejects the filling of the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote this to the church at Ephesus in Ephesians 3:16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
The inner self is where the change takes place when we receive Jesus by faith and where that place is located is the "will." Billy Graham in one of His crusades stated that the human will is powerful and strong. When we bow our will to the will of God He takes over and we are no longer in control. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to empower us and give us the means to live a growing Spiritual life that is a life of continued faith and growth. With the Holy Spirit in our lives, anything is possible and God responds to His "children of faith" when we pray in the Spirit. We fight the battles of life with the help of the Holy Spirit, so do not deny Him control and let Him lead you.
This is the power of the process and a changed life is the result. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Tomorrow I will explain where we go from here and I need you to look at verses 16 and 17 in the book of 2 Corinthians and we will continue to learn the process. It is my desire for you to be firm and encouraged in your faith and grow the seed in your heart to full growth. Share this with someone you feel a burden for and hopefully, they will seek God's Word for the answers to the questions in their life.
Vesselogical Out,
David Warren