From Death to Life.

If you are reading this now, you exist. You’ve been brought up, you’ve eaten, you’ve drank, you’ve matured and grown… You have life! You did not ask for it. You could not ask for it. You did nothing to earn it or deserve it, you simply received it and here you are! Life was given to you freely. It’s not to be wasted or regarded lightly. It is precious and to be studied, explored and experienced!

But the bible says in John 3 that we must born again! Again??

John 3
3 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.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

So… There needs to be another birth. A new life. A birthing of a new spiritual being. A spiritual child. Completely newborn, helpless by it’s own account, fragile, weak, beautiful… The picture is very much what we can imagine. Exactly the same principals apply to this spiritual life as the physical. This child must be brought up, it must eat, drink, mature and grow… It has life! It did not ask for it. It could not ask for it. It did nothing to earn it or deserve it, it simply received it! Life was freely given to it. It’s not to be wasted or regarded lightly. It is precious and to be studied and experienced!

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DEATH

So why the new birth? The bible explains that without this new birth we are spiritually dead! No hope of ever knowing the one, true, living God. No hope of eternal life. No hope of Heaven. No hope in life, no hope in death. No hope at all. There is no hope for a dead man…

So how can we be born of the spirit?

Well there are many passages in the bible that explain the way to that new life, that new birth. All require and point to an imminent and immediate death. In the same why that a flower must die to reproduce; in the same way that a seed must die to germinate, we must die before we can experience this new life. Here are just 3 passages for now:

Matthew 16
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Luke 14
27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
…
33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

John 12
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

Jesus died that in order to offer us life. We must die in order to receive it! We must die to our own desires, our own wants, plans, logic and understanding. We must submit wholly to the word of God and the Saviour Jesus! Putting your own ways and plans to death is not an easy thing but oh the rewards are so much better!!! :)

Colossians 5
5 Put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

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LIFE

Genesis 1
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

We were created in God’s own image. God’s soul desire, His love and hope is that we would come into relationship with Him. He offers us life! A life that we do not deserve! A life that we could never afford, never earn… Jesus offers us eternal, abundant life! Life full of peace, joy, assurance, hope, comfort…. A life where the creator God himself is our father, our Shepherd, our defender and friend!

Romans 6
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:

What a life we are offered. What a life we are promised! A life without worry, a life without fear, without stress… Hallelujah! What a Saviour!! :D We are given the power to become sons of God! The creator God himself has promised to live in us and with us! He has promised us a heavenly treasure, an eternal reward!! Why would we not want to die for such a life?? As the bible says everything else is dung compared to knowing Jesus! Everything!!

1 Peter 1
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,
5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

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Any questions? Leave a comment! :)
Much love, in Jesus name and only by His blood.