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New
Life For You! - by Charles Gilmore
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New Life for You by Charles GilmoreCopyright © 1997 by Charles Gilmore All rights reserved This book contains material taken from Copyright © 1993 by Charles Gilmore Published by Light for Living PUBLICATIONS No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in an electronic system, translated into another language or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise — without prior permission of the copyright owner. Except where noted, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984; International Bible Society. Used by permission. Scripture quotations where noted are from the following: The Living Bible, Copyright © 1971; Tyndale House Publishers. The Amplified Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964; The Lockman Foundation and Zondervan Publishing House. Used by permission. ______________________________________ You may copy and paste this Bible
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INTRODUCTION God wanted an intimate, loving relationship with man, so he created within him a human spirit specifically designed as a dwelling place for the Spirit of God. Man was given freedom of choice, so he could grow and mature into a responsible being. Thus, man is free to accept or reject God and his love. With this freedom, he is responsible for his own choices and actions. The result of the first man’s choices are found in Genesis chapter three. When Adam and Eve deliberately disobeyed God’s command, they entered into a new dimension of life — spiritual death. This had a devastating effect for Adam and Eve and we inherited this spiritual death which separates us from God. "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned . . ." (Romans 5:12). The way out of spiritual death is spiritual birth. This book explains how you can receive new life through spiritual birth. At the end you will find a spiritual birth certificate where you can record your spiritual birth. Many Scriptures are given to back up the truth presented. You will benefit greatly by reading these passages in your Bible along with the text of this book. It is my prayer that if you have not yet experienced new life through spiritual birth, you will do so before completing this study. WHY YOU NEED A SPIRITUAL BIRTH Deep within the soul of man is a void — a vacant space that only God can fill. The history of man proves that he is not adequate without God. Seventy years of godless Russian Communism proved that only God can fill that vacant space and satisfy man’s deepest need. When the walls of communism crumbled and fell, the people of Russia and Eastern Europe stampeded to buy Bibles and find God. The Bible declares, "The man who finds life will find it through trusting God" (Romans 1:17b TLB). Man’s own efforts to fill that vacant space has left a trail of failure scattered with discarded idols and religious philosophies. Did God create man, then abandon him to despair and darkness? Nothing could be further from the truth. "For truth about God is known to them instinctively; God has put this knowledge in their hearts. Since earliest times men have seen the earth and sky and all God made, and have known of his existence and great eternal power. . . . Yes, they knew about him all right, but they wouldn’t admit it or worship him or even thank him for all his daily care. And after awhile they began to think up silly ideas of what God was like and what he wanted them to do. The result was that their foolish minds became dark and confused. Claiming themselves to be wise without God, they became utter fools instead. And then, instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they took wood and stone and made idols for themselves, carving them to look like mere birds, and animals and snakes and puny men. "So God let them go ahead into every sort of sex sin, and do whatever they wanted to — yes, vile and sinful things with each other’s bodies. Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So they prayed to the things God made, but wouldn’t obey the blessed God who made these things. "That is why God let go of them and let them do all these evil things, so that even their women turned against God’s natural plan for them and indulged in sex sin with each other. And the men, instead of having a normal sex relationship with women, burned with lust for each other, men doing shameful things with other men and, as a result, getting paid within their own souls with the penalty they so richly deserved. "So it was that when they gave God up and would not even acknowledge him, God gave them up to doing everything their evil minds could think of. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness and sin, of greed and hate, envy, murder, fighting, lying, bitterness, and gossip. They were backbiters, haters of God, insolent, proud braggarts, always thinking of new ways of sinning and continually being disobedient to their parents. They tried [were determined] to misunderstand, broke their promises, and were heartless — without pity. They were fully aware of God’s death penalty for these crimes, yet they went right ahead and did them anyway, and encouraged others to do them, too" (Romans 1:19-32 TLB). Although this was written nearly 2,000 years ago, it pictures precisely the conditions that exist in our generation. Morality has become so distorted that perverted sexual activities have become the accepted norm for many. Murder, rape, incest, corruption, hatred, greed and the breakdown of the family threatens the very structure of our society. God did not create man this way! MAN'S CREATION AND FALL God created man in his own image (Genesis 1:26) — a spiritual, moral, rational being with whom he could have fellowship (Genesis 1:26). For a time, Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, enjoyed intimate fellowship with God their creator. That fellowship was broken when they sinned by deliberately disobeying God’s command. Through this act of disobedience, they lost their innocence. Since they no longer enjoyed the presence of God, they were afraid and tried to hide. They became aware of their own nakedness and had to accept divine discipline. God drove them from paradise into a hostile environment which had been cursed because of their sin. Pain, sweat, and tears replaced the pleasure of paradise. No longer did they enjoy mastery over God’s creation (See Genesis chapter 3). But God did not abandon them. Immediately, he began to reveal his plan by which man could be restored to fellowship and again enjoy life in God’s presence. This is what the Bible is all about. Let us begin by getting better acquainted with God. GOD IS A GOD OF LOVE God expressed his love in the creation of man. When we return that love, "His love is made complete in us" (I John 4:12). God created man with the ability to give and receive love. True love cannot be forced upon a person, so God gave man the freedom to accept or reject it. Freedom demands responsibility. Therefore, man became responsible for the way he reacted to God’s expressions of love. If God had made man like a puppet to respond only when he pulled the strings, God would have been responsible for man’s actions. Then, man could have blamed God for his sin. But we cannot blame God. We must accept responsibility for our failure to respond to His love. Man is not a civilized animal motivated by fears and instincts. Unlike animals, he was created with a spirit which gave him a capacity for God, and the ability to respond with love. True love originated with God, not man. Love comes from God "because GOD IS LOVE" declared the Apostle John (I John 4:8-10). The true meaning of love has been badly distorted by our generation. It views sex as love and self-satisfaction as life’s highest goal. We must explore the characteristics of God’s love to get the correct understanding. Notice how the Bible describes love: "Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices wherever truth wins out. If you love someone you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him" (I Corinthians 13:4-7 TLB). Galatians 5:22, declares love to be the "fruit of the Spirit." The next eight words in this verse describe the characteristics of this love — "joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." For some insight into the nature of God, let us observe the following: "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). God is loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful and gentle."Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" (I John 4:8-10). "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).THE NATURE OF GOD Because God is spirit, it is difficult to find simple words to describe his nature. Notice how Jesus answered some questions by a Samaritan woman. He explained, "God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). We are accustomed to seeing objects in three dimensions — height, depth and width. But there is another dimension called spirit. Although beyond the realm of human sight, spirit is as real as the material things we can see with our eyes. To help us better understand what he is like, God reveals himself as FATHER, SON and HOLY SPIRIT. Jesus (God living in a human body) used stories and illustrations from real life to teach spiritual truth. In this way he used things that the people could see and understand to explain spiritual things that were invisible. In the culture of Jesus’ time, a father was respected as the head of the family. When Jesus, the son, prayed to God the Father, he recognized the Father’s authority. "What I am telling you I do not say on My own authority and of My own accord, but the Father Who lives continually in Me does the works . . ." (John 14:10 AB). He used the role of a father, as head and sustainer of the family, to explain God’s role as Father, the final authority and sustainer of the universe. In his role as Son, Jesus was sent on a mission to the earth to represent the Father. An ideal son reflects the true character of his father, so Jesus showed us what God the Father was really like. God is spirit, and invisible to human eyes, so no living man has ever actually seen him. Jesus, as God the Son, living in a human body, revealed him. (See John 1:18.) Jesus answered Philip’s question, "Show us the Father," by saying, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). To emphasize the truth that God is ONE GOD, Jesus declared, "I and the Father are ONE" (John 10:30). By using terms such as father and son, with which we are familiar, Jesus makes it easier for us to understand the true nature of God. Bible teachers have coined the word, "Trinity," meaning, "three in one," to describe the nature of God. Since we cannot see God with the human eye, perhaps the following illustration will help you to better understand how God, being ONE, reveals himself as three persons, each with a specific role and responsibility. This is a fact that can only be revealed by the Holy Spirit.
Some of the Pharisees asked Jesus which was the most important commandment. He answered by quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5. "Hear O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is ONE." (Also see Mark 12:28-29.) The Apostle James declared, "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that — and shudder" (James 2:19). The Apostle Paul was emphasizing this same truth when writing to Timothy. He said, "There is one God . . . " (I Timothy 2:5). We worship ONE God, not three separate Gods. A study of the role of each divine person of the Trinity, reveals a divine emphasis. If we are careful to maintain this same emphasis we will maintain the proper balance and have a better understanding of the unity of God. Jesus emphasized the unity of God when preparing his disciples for his crucifixion and departure. Notice the emphasis in Jesus’ words: "Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work" (John 14:10). It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you (John 16:7). When he, the Spirit of of truth, comes . . . (vs. 13) He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you (vs. 14-15). We should also take note of the conversation Jesus had with God the Father in John 17:1-5. "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began." If you study carefully the ministry of Jesus and the ministry of the Holy Spirit, you will observe the following:
• The Holy
Spirit never glorifies himself Attempting to explain the Trinity by physical illustrations is somewhat like attempting to describe a beautiful sunset to a man who has been blind from birth. He knows what you are describing is real, but he cannot touch it to feel the texture, or handle it to perceive its shape. His perception of the sunset will never be equal to yours because you are seeing it with your physical eyes. Actually, there is nothing in the physical realm adequate to explain the spiritual realm in which God dwells. It is a dimension far beyond physical sight or comprehension. Nevertheless, it is just as real as the physical things that we can touch and handle. When Jesus spoke of these things he spoke with confidence and authority. He was God dwelling in a specially prepared physical body. His answer to Philip’s request, "Show us the Father," was a rebuke for Philip’s poor comprehension of this spiritual truth. Jesus said, "Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me" (John 14:10)? In the final analysis, we must put ourselves in the place of the blind man listening to the description of the sunset. He accepted it as fact because he had confidence in the one describing it. His limited comprehension did not change the fact of the beautiful sunset. If our confidence is in Jesus we will accept his teaching as fact even though our comprehension may be somewhat limited. But, we have not been left alone to grope in darkness. We have a Spiritual Interpreter, the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus promised, "will teach you all things" (John 14:26). The Bible is very clear in expressing the fact that God is ONE, revealing himself to us in three divine persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. THE NATURE OF MAN A paraphrase of Genesis 1:26 reads: "Let us make a man — someone like ourselves, to be the master of all life upon the earth and in the skies and in the seas" (TLB). Like God, man is also a trinity — spirit, soul, and body. When the Bible describes the three parts of man, it always lists spirit first. Perhaps it is because this is the most important part. According to the account of the creation of man in Genesis 2:7, God formed man’s body from the dust of the ground. Although it looked like a man, it remained a lifeless form until God breathed into it the spirit of life. Then it became a living person. (See Genesis 2:7 AB)The following graphic illustrates how the Holy Spirit dwells in the human spirit of a Christian. It also shows the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit in Adam and Eve before they sinned.
To distinguish man’s spirit from the Holy Spirit, I use the term, human spirit, when referring to the spirit of man. In the drawing illustrating man, lower case letters (hs) are used to identify the human spirit. Capital Letters (HS) are used to identify the Holy Spirit. "For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit [human spirit] within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God [Holy Spirit]" (I Corinthians 2:11).Please study the graphic carefully. The three circles illustrate the nature of man. Take note of these facts:1. Man is a spiritual being.2. Deep within the body is the soul (see #2). 3. Within the soul is the spirit (see #1). 4. These two distinct entities, spirit and soul, make man different from animals. (See Genesis 1:27.) 5. Man is a spiritual being living within a material body. Look closely at the small circle. 6. (a) Before Adam sinned the Holy Spirit (HS) lived within the human spirit (hs). (b) At spiritual birth, the Holy Spirit comes to live in the human spirit. 7. (a) Spiritual birth restores man to a place of intimate fellowship with God, similar to that which Adam and Eve had before they sinned. The presence of the Holy Spirit dwelling within the born again believer makes this possible. (b) Spiritual birth restores the Holy Spirit to the place that God created for him to dwell in Adam, the first man. Thus, the same graphic can be used to illustrate Adam before he sinned as well as the born again believer. A more thorough study of the nature of man is much too complicated to include here. Therefore, my comments will be limited to some basic truth vital to this study. When God breathed the spirit of life into the body of the first man, Adam, he received a human spirit (hs #1). Although the human spirit is a separate entity, it is vitally linked to the soul. The soul is made up of mind, will and emotion (#2). Within Adam’s human spirit God placed His Holy Spirit (HS #1). The human spirit gave Adam’s body life. The Holy Spirit, living within his human spirit, gave him spiritual life. As long as God the Holy spirit lived within Adam’s human spirit, he had a very intimate relationship with God. This is seen in the first two chapters of Genesis as God and Adam talked. However, this changed drastically in the third chapter after spiritual death took place.
This graphic describes Adam’s nature after spiritual death. It also describes all men before spiritual birth. The graphic also shows how the Holy Spirit vacated Adam and Eve’s human spirit after they sinned. At spiritual birth the Holy Spirit comes into the believer’s human spirit to live. If you have never been born again (experienced spiritual birth), this illustration describes you. SPIRITUAL DEATH Our ancestral parents, Adam and Eve, were created perfect and lived without sin for a time They were spiritually alive and enjoyed an intimate relationship with God. The place God gave them to live — the Garden of Eden — had a perfect environment. Perfection was shattered when they chose to sin by disobeying God. Sin brought spiritual death and the Holy Spirit vacated the human spirit. This left Adam and Eve separated from the life of God. (See Genesis 2:7-15.) This is how it happened: "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die" (Genesis 2:15-17). When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked . . . Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden . . . and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’ He answered, ‘I heard you in the garden and I was afraid . . .’" (Genesis 3:6-10). They had never been afraid of God before, why were they afraid now? Adam and Eve had entered into a new experience — spiritual death. The death that God promised would result from sin and disobedience, was both physical and spiritual. Spiritual death separates man from God. The life of God, through the Holy Spirit, had vacated Adam and Eve’s human spirit. Without the life of God living within their human spirit, they no longer had intimate fellowship with him. A sense of guilt and fear of punishment made them afraid. Physical death is the separation of the spirit and soul from the body of man. Although this did not take place immediately, Adam was doomed to experience physical death also. "Adam lived 930 years, and then he died" (Genesis 5:5). "When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. His sin spread death throughout all the world, so everything began to grow old and die . . ." (Romans 5:12 TLB). In addition to death, a curse was placed on all creation. The scope of this curse is explained in Genesis 3:14-19. It explains why mothers have pain in childbirth. Why you must struggle to grow a garden, constantly attacked by weeds and insects. Time and space do not permit a full explanation of the results of sin. But we must take time to learn more about spiritual death. The most devastating effect of sin is spiritual death — separation from God. This spiritual death that Adam experienced was passed on to all men. With it came a sinful nature with a compelling desire for sin. After several hundred generations, this desire to sin reached a climax. "The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain" (Genesis 6:5, 6). God was so grieved over the sinful condition of man that he said: "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth — men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air — for I am grieved that I have made them" (Genesis 6:6-7). The Bible gives an accurate record of how God brought judgment upon the earth by a devastating flood. (Noah and his family were the only ones spared.] Then, God started over again with Noah. (See Genesis 6:8-9:29.) But judgment did not abolish sin from the earth. Soon Noah and his family planted a vineyard. Noah made wine and got drunk (Genesis 9:20-29). As Noah’s descendants repopulated the earth, their desire for sin increased. It is obvious that they were born with a sinful nature and without the life of God dwelling within. Thus, there was nothing to restrain them from gratifying the craving of their sinful nature, or keep them from obeying the impulses of their corrupt minds. King David declared: "I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me" (Psalms 51:5). In other words, David realized that he was sinful before he sinned. It was his nature to sin. Jesus said, "A bad tree cannot bear good fruit" (Matthew 7:18). It is as natural for the sinful nature to produce sins as for an orange tree to produce oranges. Sins are the fruit of the sin nature. Sin is more than an act. It is a nature we possess at birth. The Bible makes a distinction between SIN and SINS. When SIN (singular) is used, it refers to the sin nature. When SINS (plural) is used, it refers to what that nature produces. Here is another way to explain the difference: SIN is the root; SINS, the fruit that the root produces. To change the fruit, you must get a new root — a new nature. "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, . . . those who live like this will NOT inherit the kingdom of God" (Galatians 5:19-21). The Bible emphasizes that all men are born spiritually dead and possess a sinful nature. "There is no one righteous, not even one; . . . Truly, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, . . ." (Romans 3:23). DESTINY OF THOSE WHO ARE SPIRITUALLY DEAD Spiritual death leads to eternal separation from God. Therefore, "They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes . . ." (II Thessalonians 1:9-10). "This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority" (II Peter 2:10). "If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. . . . It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:26-31). Jesus said, "You will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come. . . . I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be . . ." (John 8:21-24). GOD'S SOLUTION TO THE SIN PROBLEM God does not want anyone to be eternally separated from Him — doomed to spend eternity in hell. But he cannot simply overlook sin. Those who die in sin "will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord . . ." [forever] (2 Thessalonians 1:9). You do not have to die in sin. God has provided a solution. Since God cannot overlook your sin, Jesus Christ — God living in a human body — volunteered to take your punishment by dying on the cross in your place, for your sin. "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW CREATION; the old has gone, the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17)! "This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. . . . God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, . . . to be . . . the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus" (Romans 3:22-26). THE MEANING OF ATONEMENT Earlier we learned that sin separated Adam and Eve from God. They hid from him because they were afraid. Atonement is a term used to describe how a sinner can be reconciled to God. To explain this reconciliation some Bible scholars have written it, "at-one-ment." Jesus became the atoning sacrifice for our sins. "He is the one who took God’s wrath against our sins upon himself. And brought us into fellowship with God . . ." (I John 2:2 TLB.). Before Christ’s death for sin, God accepted the sacrifice of an animal as an atonement for sin. Throughout the Old Testament, the sacrificial death of an animal was required for forgiveness of sins. The death of the animal pictured the future death of Jesus Christ. Thus, it became a substitute, dying in place of the sinner. This brought the sinner back into fellowship with God. We need to understand that the Old Testament sacrifices were temporary. They only covered the sin until the time when Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, was sacrificed on the cross. By his death on the cross, he became the final atonement for sin. This is why the writer of Hebrews declares, "It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins" (Hebrews 10:4). These sacrifices temporarily covered the sin until Christ "had offered for all time ONE (final) sacrifice." Then "God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, . . ." (Romans 3:25). Though Jeremiah lived when animal sacrifices were required for sin, the Lord revealed to him there was coming a time when these sacrifices would no longer be needed. Then, "I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more," declares the Lord (Jeremiah 31:34). ABRAHAM'S LESSON ON ATONEMENT God wanted to teach Abraham something very important about sacrifice for atonement. He said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." (Genesis 2:22) Since God Himself had promised to give Abraham so many descendants they could not be counted, this did not make sense. Nevertheless, Abraham obeyed. It is intriguing that teh place God sent Abraham to offer Isaac was the same mountain upon which Jesus was crucified centuries later. On the way to the mountain, "Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, 'Father? . . The fire and wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?' Abraham answered, 'God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son'" (Genesis 22:7-8). Later, on the mountain as Isaac was about to be sacrificed, "Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering INSTEAD OF HIS SON" (Genesis 22:13). Centuries later Jesus Christ died on the cross INSTEAD OF you and me. We deserve to die for our sin, but Jesus died in our place. When the writer of Hebrews referred to this incident in Abraham's life, he said, "By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God has said to him, 'It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.' Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death" (Hebrews 11:17-19). HOW TO OBTAIN SPIRITUAL BIRTH Nicodemus, one of the religious rulers of Jesus' time, came to ask how he could gain access to the kingdom of God. Jesus' reply was straightforward and simple. "No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again" (John 3:3). "'Born again!' exclaimed Nicodemus 'What do you mean?'" Jesus replied 'Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Men can only reproduce human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from Heaven; so don't be surprised at my statement that you must be born again!" (John 3:3-7 TLB). Nicodemus, a very devout religious man, seemed shocked by Jesus' reply. You had no choice in your physical birth. You are here because of a decisive act of the will of your parents. But your spiritual birth depends on your choice. If you do not choose to receive Jesus, you are rejecting Him and must pay the penalty for sin. That penalty involves being eternally separated from God in hell where you will be punished continually for ever. "Unless you are born again, you can never get into the Kingdom of God . . . Men can only reproduce human life but the Holy Spirit gives new life (spiritual life) from heaven" (John 3:3,6 TLB). "To all who received Him (Jesus), He gave the right to become children of God. All they needed to do was to trust Him to save them. All those who believe this are reborn!" (John 1:12-13A TLB). To believe means to trust in and rely on Jesus. Jesus did His part by dying in your place to pay the penalty for your sin. Now you must make a choice. By receiving Jesus as your personal Savior, you are placing your trust in Jesus for all that He did on the cross for you. When you place your trust in Jesus, the Holy "Spirit gives birth to spirit" (John 3:6). You are born into the family of God. This is spiritual birth. THEREFORE - YOUR LIFE'S MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION IS Will YOU Accept Jesus Christ as Your Personal Savior NOW ? If your answer is "yes," please pray this prayer: Dear God, I acknowledge that I am spiritually dead and will be eternally separated from you. I want this New Life which comes through spiritual birth, therefore, I place my trust in Jesus who took the penalty for my sin when he died on the cross. I want the Holy Spirit to come into my life and take full control, so that I may live to honor and glorify you. Thank you in Jesus name. ______________________________________ End Part 1 Please read carefully the instructions on the questionnaire in Part 2, answer all the questions, then e-mail it to ministry@lightforliving.org. Those who satisfactorily complete the questionnaire will be awarded a certificate of completion. ___________________________________________ Our staff is interested in your spiritual welfare. If you would like us to pray for you, please e-mail your requests to ministry@lightforliving.org
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