Jesus answered Nicodemus, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—regenerated, spiritually transformed, a spiritual rebirth, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3 AMP)
“He (God) saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we have done, but because of His own compassion and mercy, by the cleansing of the new birth (spiritual transformation, regeneration) and the renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out richly upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we would be justified [made free of the guilt of sin] by His [compassionate, undeserved] grace, and that we would be [acknowledged as acceptable to Him and] made heirs of eternal life [actually experiencing it] according to our hope (His guarantee).” (Titus 3:5-7 AMP)
“And anyone whose name was not found written in the book [scroll] of life was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15 EXB)
Only the names of those who have been born again (born “twice”) are in the Lamb’s Book of Life. When you accept Christ as your Savior and receive Him as the Lord and Master of your life, you are no longer the enemy of God, but “saved,” a Christian, a born-again believer, a follower of Jesus Christ, a child of the one true and only living, Creator God and an heir to eternal life.
You must be “born again” because you are spiritually “dead” in your sins. This spiritual rebirth is made possible by God Himself through His Holy Spirit who accomplishes the miracle of your regeneration.
When you are born again you are transformed into a new creation in Christ. It is no longer you who lives, but Christ who lives in you. You are made righteous and acceptable in God’s sight because of what Christ did for you, and are justified by faith in Christ, with a new heart filled with His Holy Spirit. The “old” you no longer exists. You have been made “new!” Everything about you is new because of Jesus.
The human heart is more than just a pump. The Bible considers the heart to be, metaphorically speaking, the hub of your personality, your soul, producing the things such as attitudes, behavior, emotions, character, identity. When you are born again, the Holy Spirit does not just fill the “God-shaped hole” (void or vacuum) in your sin-diseased heart, but the old heart is completely discarded and replaced with a brand new heart; not a new blood pumping heart, but the hub of your soul, from which everything you say and do flows from.
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything (actions, reactions, attitudes, character, identity) you (say and) do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23; emphasis added)
Not only are you a new creation with a new heart, you also have been transformed by the renewal of your mind with a new way of thinking. Your thoughts are now either Christ-like or they’re not, easy to filter and easy to choose which thoughts to act on and which ones to dismiss. You have a new way of acting and reacting; your behavior changes. Acting is what you choose to say and do and reacting is what you choose to say and do in response to someone or something that happens. Now you say and do things as a Christian, a born-again believer. Christ-like and Godly behavior in words and deeds is the model for you as a new creation in Christ.
You also have a new attitude toward sin and learn to hate it as much as God does. You have a new attitude about obeying God and a new attitude about the world you live in. You are still “in” this sinful world, but you are no longer “of” the world. There are now things that you will do and things that you simply will not do just because you are a Christian. To be a true Christian you have to live like one. This new attitude shapes and defines the content of your new “Christ-like” character which reveals your new and true identity, where you are no longer defined by who you are or what you are, but by whose you are in Jesus Christ. This is the “new” you; no longer that person living without Christ, but now with the Spirit of Christ living in you. Your old self has been crucified with Christ and your new self is made possible by His resurrection. Your identity is now finally complete and whole and the Holy Spirit is with you every single step of the way.
“I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; (He died in your place and your old sinful self died with Him); it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20; emphasis added)
When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, the Bible says the “love of God has been poured out within our hearts” (Romans 5:5), you already have all His love; when Jesus says that the grace He has given you is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9), you already have all His grace; when the Bible says that you “can do (endure) all things” through Christ who gives you the strength (Philippians 4:13), you already have strength from THE source of strength. When you need Him to guide you, has already given you His all-sufficient Word to light your path. He continuously guides you. (Psalms 119:105).
“God’s divine power has granted us everything pertaining to life and godliness. (2 Peter 1:3) He does not give anything in portions. You have all you need and lack nothing!
It must be noted that as a Christian you must rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to help you avoid sin and turn away from it. The devil and his henchmen, including some of your “friends,” perhaps, are still lurking with those same lies, deceptions and confusion, working overtime to turn you away from God. And even though you are no longer living under the penalty of sin, the power of sin still exists because you are still living in your human body, in “the flesh.” But all sin, past, present and future, has been forgiven and the penalty of that sin has been cancelled because of what Christ has done for you on the cross and that should always be your focus.
Now when you sin, it is simply because you choose to, because you give into it, because you fall for the lies and deceptions again, ignoring or quenching (stifling, suppressing or ignoring) the Holy Spirit as He convicts you to avoid it or turn from it. And when you do choose to sin, it is you, the born again believer, who is turning your back on the Holy Spirit and your commitment to Christ; it’s never the other way around.
Again, quick and true repentance is a must. Catch yourself in the act of sin and do a 180 degree turn away from it. It is on-going and never-ending, until God calls you to Glory where there will be no more sin.
And you also have a new way of living your earthly life, a new way of talking and a new way of walking. But most importantly, you have the promise of eternal life in God’s perfect world in Heaven where only those who accept God’s grace through faith in Christ will enjoy forever and this promise is sealed by the Holy Spirit.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.“ (1 Peter 1:3-4 NIV)
Justification and regeneration occur simultaneously and never one without the other.
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