John 3:3 (NKJV) Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
The born-again experience happens when we confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour. It doesn’t happen at water baptism, which is an outward expression of our inward conviction. Only God can transform us miraculously into new creations.
In the above Scripture, Jesus was not referring to being born again physically, as nobody can be born again through the mother’s womb, but a spiritual birth instead. We are a tripartite being: spirit, soul, and body. The born-again experience takes place in our hearts—not the physical heart, but the hidden man, or the spirit man.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
We are new creations in the spirit. Our spirit man is the eternal being—the real us who lives for eternity. It is the breath of air that God breathed into man, who was made from dust and became a living being. Therefore, we need to identify ourselves with the spirit being and feed the spirit man with the Word of God regularly. Meditating on the Word strengthens the spirit man. Hearing the Word and praying in the Spirit will make us much stronger on the inside.
While our bodies will still look the same, our minds, which are in the realm of the soul, need to be renewed with the word of God so that we can live lives that align with the word (Romans 12:2). The greatest hindrance to living out the new creation realities is in the realm of the soul. An unrenewed mind will be unable to overcome the work of the flesh because we are too used to our “old man” or old lifestyle, including how we speak and behave. The flesh is the sum of appetites that desire to live independently of God and refuse to submit to God. Having been our master for such a long time, it will fight the new Lordship of Jesus Christ in our hearts.
Ephesians 4:22-24 (NKJV) that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
Eternal life is in heaven, but abundant life begins after receiving Christ. The Apostle Paul encourages every believer to live out the new life in Christ. This new creation in Christ is found in the spirit of man, created according to God because God is Spirit.
Sermon Series: Faith in the New Creation Realities
活出你里面的新生命
约翰福音3:3 耶稣回答说：“我实实在在地告诉你，人若不重生，就不能见神的国 。”
重生的经历发生在我们口里承认耶稣基督为我们的主和救主，并且心里相信祂。它并不是通过水的洗礼发生的，水洗礼是我们内心信念的外在表达。唯有神能奇妙地将我们转变为新的创造。
在以上的经文中，耶稣所提到的并不是指身体上的重生，因为没有人能通过母腹再生，而是指属灵的重生。我们是由灵、魂、与身体三部分组成的存在。重生的经历发生在我们心里——并非身体里的心脏，而是指隐藏的内在的人，或者称为“灵人”。
哥林多后书 5:17 若有人在基督里，他就是新造的人，旧事已过，都变成新的了。
我们在灵里是新的创造。我们的灵人是永恒的存在——真实的我们，将活在永恒中。正是神把气息吹入由尘土造的人身上，使人活成了有灵的活人。因此，我们需要认同自己是属灵的存在，并且定期以神的话语喂养我们的灵人。默想神的话语能够坚固我们的灵人。听道与在圣灵里祷告会让我们内在更强大。
尽管我们的身体外观仍然一样，我们的思想却处于魂的领域，需要借着神的话语更新，这样我们才能活出与神话语相符合的生活（罗马书12:2）。活出新造现实最大的障碍就在于魂的领域。未得更新的心思无法战胜肉体的工作，因为我们太习惯于“旧人”或过去的生活方式，包括我们的言语和行为。肉体是那种渴望独立于神而不愿顺服神的欲望的总和。作为我们的主宰已久，它会抵挡耶稣基督新掌管我们心中的主权。
以弗所书 4:22-24 你们要脱去你们从前的行为，脱去那因私欲的迷惑而渐渐败坏的旧人， 要在你们心智的灵里得以更新，并且要穿上新人，这新人是照着神的形象创造的，有真理的义和圣洁。
永生在天国，而丰盛的生命是在接受基督之后开始的。使徒保罗鼓励每位信徒活出在基督里的新生命。这个在基督里的新创造存在于人的灵里，是照着神的形象创造的，因为神是灵。
讲章系列：信心与新造的现实
Image Source：pixabay.com