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The Amish Voice 8
the will of the flesh,
nor
of the will of
man,
but of God
(John 1:13).
Because God is the One who gives our inner
man (spirit) new birth, we can have assurance
of where we stand with Him. That’s why
Christianity is so exciting. We don't have to
struggle for our salvation, wondering whether
we have said enough prayers or done enough
good works in life. God did it for us, and it is
complete. All we have to do is accept the
payment that Jesus made for our sin when He
died on the cross; the very moment you and I
do that, God places His righteousness
(perfection and holiness) on us. From that
point on, whenever God looks at you and me,
He will see His righteousness and not ours.
For He (God) hath made Him (Jesus) to
be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we
might be made the righteousness of God
in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Why is the spiritual birth experience
necessary?
3. The New Man
The moment you and I are born again, the
Bible says we immediately experience change
within.
(God) Who hath
delivered us
from the
power of darkness, and hath
translated us
into the kingdom of His dear Son
(Colossians 1:13).
Therefore if any man be in Christ,
he is a
new creature
: old things are passed away;
behold,
all things are become new
(2
Corinthians 5:17).
With our new nature comes an intense desire
and longing for Jesus Christ and the things of
God. For the first time, we can fully appreciate
Jesus' statement:
Jesus saith unto him, I am
the way
,
the
truth
, and
the life
: no man cometh unto the
Father, but by me
(John 14:6).
Jesus is the only
doorway into heaven:
not the church, not the
culture we were born
into, not the clothes we
wear or type of
transportation we use.
Not even baptism is a
required for salvation
and entrance into
heaven. If it were,
Jesus would not have said to the thief on the
cross, “Today you will be with me in Paradise
(Luke 23:43).”
The moment we are born again, we know with
all our being that Jesus is the truth we have
been seeking all along. The more we get of
Him, the more we want of Him. Our desire for
Him feels right. It feels natural.
As we pursue an intimate and
living relationship with Jesus,
we experience a love unlike any
other.
As Christians, our outer man
(the flesh) still sins and wars
against the inner man (the new-
born
spirit)—please
read
Romans 7:18-25.
With our new life, we develop
new desires. We want to please
God out of love and not out of
fear. As members of his family,
we want to fit in with our Heavenly Father and
our Brother Jesus.
When we become a new person in Christ, we
also leave behind that choking burden of
trying to earn our way to God and heaven. We
finally grasp what Jesus has done for us and
accept the fact that He did all that God
required for the sin of mankind.
And ye shall
know
the truth, and
the truth
shall make you free
(John 8:32).
We must and will appreciate the change that
the new birth brings. Whoever you were
before your new birth experience, you no
longer are that same person.
Beloved,
now
are we the sons of God, and
it doth not yet appear what we shall be:
but we
know
that, when He shall appear,
we
shall
be like Him; for we
shall
see
Him as He is (1 John 3:2).
LIFE IN THE SPIRIT
A believer has a totally different lifestyle than
the world offers. Those who have never
experienced the new birth have only one
nature—the flesh nature. These people make
decisions and choices based on their own flesh
and desires. However, those who have
experienced the new birth have two natures—
flesh and Spirit. These people wake up in the
morning and have to choose which nature they
want to walk in. If they chose to walk in the
flesh nature, they will often appear to others as
ones who have never been born again. If they
chose to walk in the Spirit, they will appear as
ones who have experienced the new birth.
One of the greatest downfalls of Christians is
the failure to understand the great importance
of living life in the Spirit.
The Bible says: Now that you have been
spiritually born, walk in the Spirit (Gal 5:16-
25).
There is therefore now
no condemnation
to
them which are in Christ
Jesus, who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit
(Romans 8:1).
The central quality of life in the
spirit is walking in the Spirit.
This involves a decisive effort
to make the fruit of the Spirit
evident in our lifestyle.
How does the fruit of the Spirit
come into operation? Grab hold
of who you are in Christ.
Understand that you are a
spirit
who has a
soul
and lives in a
body
. The Bible says that we are children of
God, meaning that you have an everlasting
Father who cares for you. He is on your side
and is cheering you on in righteous living.
Have you ever talked to someone who
controlled the conversation and never let you
say one word? This is what it's like when we
pray “at” God and do not take time to listen to
Him. Think of prayer as sitting next to Jesus
on the couch; spend as much time listening as
you do talking.
Walking in the Spirit means walking in
harmony with God and others. Guard your
heart and tongue from bickering, bitterness,
and conflict. Learn to rest in Him, and He will
fight your battles. You need only to be still.
You must discover your weaknesses, because
the enemy knows them better than you do.
Understanding your weaknesses and yielding
them to the Holy Spirit will strengthen you
and help you discern and avoid temptations
and pressures. To the Christian, Paul writes:
This I say then,
Walk in the Spirit
, and ye
shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the
flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the
Spirit against the flesh: and these are
contrary the one to the other: so that ye
cannot do the things that ye would
(Galatians 5:16-17).
The Bible says we are led by the Spirit.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of
God
,
they are the sons (family) of God
(Romans 8:14).
Continued—next page
Holy Spirit, continued
Illustration by Lydia