The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If any man is in Christ he is a new creation, old things are passed away and all things have become new.” God does not reform the human spirit, He re-creates it! According to 1 Thessalonians 5:23, man is a tri-partite being, spirit, soul, and body. Paul says, “I pray God your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
When one is born again, his spirit is re-created. John 3:6 says, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit.” Eternal life, the zoe life of God, comes into the spirit of man. He who was spiritually dead now has life.
Ephesians 2:1 says, “You hath He quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins.” Ephesians 2:6 indicates that we have been raised up and made to sit with Jesus. This is our position in Christ. This is our new identity.
The truth of the new creation is the first and greatest of truths for the new convert. If one does not grasp it, he will be hindered in understanding the other redemptive truths. Believers are not sinners; they are children of God. They may sin, but if they do, there is a provision to deal with their sin (1 John 2:1). We need to see ourselves as no longer sinners, but children of God with a new nature – a nature that wants to please God, that wants to fellowship with Him.
If we can understand who we are in Christ, we will overcome intimidation by the world and the devil. We will overcome inferiority, insecurity, feelings of unworthiness, and low self-esteem. We will begin to recognize the greatness of Jesus’ redemption for us and the magnitude of His Kingdom. This truth properly understood creates a holy awe of God.
BLESSED WITH ALL SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS.
Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Notice that it says “hath.” This is past tense. We are already blessed. It happened at the Cross.
The word “blessed” is the Greek word enlogeo which means to “speak well of or invoke prosperity upon.” When Jesus took your sins and died for you in the Cross, He blessed you with all spiritual blessings. 2 Peter 1:3-4 indicates that we have been “given all things that pertain to life and godliness.” He has given us some great and precious promises that, through them, we become partakers of His divine nature. We have been given what it takes to live this life successfully and do so in godliness. The promises of God’s Word reveal His will for us. As we believe and act upon these promises, we become partakers of what they promise.
THINGS THAT CHANGE GRADUALLY
The new birth is instantaneous. Your sins are forgiven and your spirit re-created at a moment in time. However, the rest of the person- his soul and body- are changed gradually.
Romans 12:2 says, “Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The mind is part of the soul. It needs continual renewal. How do we do that? By reading, studying, memorizing, meditating, and declaring the Word of God. James 1:21 tells us to “receive the engrafted (implanted) Word which is able to save your souls.” John 15:3 says, “Now you are clean through the Word that I have spoken.” Ephesians 5:26 mentions the “washing of the water of the Word.” As we apply the Word, our mind is renewed, our emotions channeled, and our will is committed to follow God. 2 Corinthians 4:16 indicates that “though the outward man is perishing, the inward man is renewed day by day.” Pauls in Hebrews 10:39 says, “We are not of them that drawback to perdition; but of them who believe to the saving of the soul?” Also, 1 Peter 1:9 says, “For you are receiving the goal of your, the salvation of your souls.”
The Bible is full of commands that tell us to put off the old and put on the new (Ephesians 4:22-24, Colossians 3:5-10). As our soul is renewed in the Word, all of our life will be affected in a good way. 3 John 2 says, “Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.” We are told in 2 Corinthians 10:5 to, “cast down imagination and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.” We do this as our mind is renewed by the Word.
The Body needs to be controlled. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:27, “I buffet my body and keep it under control.” The body must be kept under the control of the re-created spirit. Your body is the same one you used to sin. Its desires are the same. They were not automatically changed at the new birth. Strength to control the body is released to the degree the mind is renewed. Romans 8:5 indicates that to obey the flesh is death, but to obey the spirit is life and peace. The human spirit is instantly re-created at the new birth, but the soul must be daily renewed to the Word and Will of God.
(This is an excerpt from my book BECOMING WHO YOU ARE. It can be purchased from Amazon.com)