davidbowerkingwood

Two Distinct Types of Humanity!

As I mentioned previously, humanity is divided into two distinct groups, the spiritually alive and the spiritually dead; while this has absolutely nothing to do with race, it has everything to do with whether the individual has a living or a dead spirit!

Although all humanity, born of two human parents, are born spiritually dead and are in desperate need of help; there is absolutely nothing they can do to deliver themselves from the bonds of death. Help must come from the outside and that is exactly what God did by sending his son to die for the sins of all humanity.

A new life, resulting from a new birth, is available to all, regardless of race or nationality, who will receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. The new birth changes everything. In 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 where it is written:

¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. ¹⁸ Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹ that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

The impact of that change transcends time and is eternal in scope; long after this present world system is gone, the reality of our position in Christ will still be sustained by the power of almighty God!

Now, as a born-again Christian, God is in you and has given you the ministry of reconciliation to the world, not imputing their trespasses to them as we proclaim God’s word of reconciliation! Please understand that this ministry is of God, not of you; God has committed to you the word of reconciliation!

Exactly What Happens When a Person is Born-Again?

Being born-again is a work of God, the Holy Spirit; the individual who is born-again has no power in this matter other than to receive Jesus Christ as Savior! The new birth is a gift that is given to the individual by God and once given, can never be reversed; it is not possible to become unborn once the Holy Spirit has provided the new birth and taken up residence in the new Christian!

The newly born-again believer did not earn the new birth by anything they could ever do on their own and cannot reverse the work of God in their lives by anything they might ever do in the future! God’s love for that individual has been established and will never change. In Romans 8:38-39 it is written:

³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

It seems to me that pretty well covers all the bases!

Some Details on the Change

There are a number of significant things that happen to the individual at the spiritual level for those who are born-again. The dead spirit of that individual is brought back to life; the spiritual life that died when Adam disobeyed God is fully restored by the power of God, the Holy Spirit, and results in the new birth for the individual!

In addition, God, the Holy Spirit comes into that individual to live with them forever; they have become a Temple of God, the Holy Spirit! In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 it is written:

“¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? ²⁰ For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

The sin nature which mankind inherited from Adam, although not removed, is counted as crucified with Christ on the cross and the born-again Christian becomes free to serve God! In Galatians 2:20 it is written:

“²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

God is Now in Christians Reconciling the World to Himself, not Imputing their Trespasses to Them!

Jesus Christ now lives in you and is busy reconciling the world to God; you no longer live but Christ lives in you! In Ephesians 2:8-10 it is written:

“⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

By Way of Summary

As God’s ministers of reconciliation, we are God’s messengers to the world, the same world which God so loved he gave his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross as payment for the sins of the world!

The image of God has been restored in us at the spiritual level; we have God, the Holy Spirit living in us and by faith, leading and guiding our words and actions.

Let the Fruit of the Holy Spirit break forth in your life as described in Galatians 5:22-26 where it is written:

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. ²⁴ And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”

Remember, you just may be the closest thing to the image of God some of God’s greatly loved creatures will ever see; after all, you are God’s help from the outside, God’s minister of reconciliation to this fallen world!