LIVING BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. (Part 3).
John 3. Verses 4-6 read:
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? 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. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Yesterday, we said that the new birth is the access way into life in the spirit. Nicodemus could see the glaring difference between the operation of the Pharisees and the life of Jesus. The difference between the two was that the Pharisees operated by the flesh whilst Jesus operated by the spirit. Today, we want to continue with the discourse between Jesus and Nicodemus.
The concept of the new birth is spiritual. It was, therefore, difficult for Nicodemus to comprehend it with his carnal mind. He asked Jesus, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Obviously, Nicodemus could not see the possibility of the rebirth of one who was already grown. Indeed, natural thoughts are so low that they are unable to appreciate spiritual operations.
To further buttress his earlier point, Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” This time, Jesus clarifies the fact that the new birth is a birth of water and spirit. Water in this context refers to the word of God whilst spirit refers to the Holy Spirit. In the operation of the new birth, the word and spirit of God regenerate the heart of man and impart to it the life of God. Drilling further, this operation involves cleansing of a man by the water of God’s word, the removal of man’s rebellious heart of stone, and the receiving of the obedient heart of flesh into which the spirit of God is put. This is beautifully captured in Ezekiel 36 verses 25-27. When this is done, a man is inwardly driven to do God’s bidding. Refer to Philippians 2 verse 13.
Jesus then made a very emphatic statement to Nicodemus. He said, “What is born of the flesh is flesh and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.” In other words, the nature of one’s birth determines his identity. Thus, it takes a birth by the Holy Spirit to be spiritual and to begin life in the spirit. Like Nicodemus, all who are born of the flesh have the privilege of being born of the Spirit by receiving Jesus as their personal Saviour and Lord. This is where living by the power of the spirit begins.
SHALOM 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏