Gospel
TO BE BORN OF THE SPIRIT MEANS TO BE BORN OF GOD
What was Jesus actually saying when he told Nicodemus that one of the conditions for entering God’s kingdom is to be born of the Spirit? He was simply telling him to be born of God. Jesus said in John 4:24 that ‘God is a spirit…’. If God then is a Spirit, therefore logically, to be born of the Spirit means being born of God.
Then how can you be born of God? ‘Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God..., (1John 5:1). The only biblical way to be born of God is to believe that Jesus is the Christ. No other way!
‘Whosoever’ here means anybody irrespective of sex, age, culture, background, race, status, etc. ‘whosoever’ here is referring to you, to me, to the neighbour next door, to that man you meet on the street, to that colleague of yours in the office, to that man you see on your television, to any human being you know and those you do not even know. ‘Whosoever’ means everyone that is already born of the flesh.
‘Whosoever believeth’……, means that that individual has the power to choose either to believe or not to believe. To be born of God is a matter of choice. You are at liberty to choose either to be born of God or to remain an offspring of the flesh and of the devil. That is why we still see a lot of people today who have heard the message of salvation but fail to believe the message. This is why this kind of birth is different from that of the flesh. You don’t have the choice-power to determine when or where or how to be born of the flesh. You just met yourself in the flesh. You didn’t make the choice of your parents in the flesh. But in case of spiritual rebirth, you have the power to choose either to believe and be born of God or reject salvation message and remain spiritually dead.( He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God).
“…that Jesus is the Christ…” you don’t just believe without first having a message to believe in. ‘for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? ...’ (Rom 10:13&14)
What you need to believe to be born of God is ‘that Jesus is the Christ’. This is Peter’s confession in Matthew 16 that earned him the key to God’s Kingdom. ‘He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.’
‘Christ’ means ‘saviour’ and Jesus is the Christ. Therefore, Jesus is the Saviour of the world. Prophets prophesied this (Isaiah 53). God said it (Luke3:21&22). Angels announced it (Mt1:20 & 21; Lk2:8-15) Jesus himself said it (John14:1-7). The whole bible speaks about it. But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God. And that believing ye might have life though his name. John 20:31. ‘And daily in the temple and in every house, they cease not to teach and preach Jesus is Chri..t Act 5:42. ‘But all that heard him were amazed, and said, is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that instant, that he might bring them bound into the chief priest? But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ Act 9:21&22.
Jesus is the son of God, the one sent to bring you back to a place of harmony with God. He came to break the wall of partition between you and your God. He was sent to restore to you that which Adam lost in Genesis 3. He came to give you the experience of spiritual rebirth. He came to take you back to Genesis 1&2 Eden garden experiences. He came to deliver you from the power of darkness, and to translate you to the kingdom of God. Jesus came to take you by the hand and lead you into God’s kingdom.
In John 3, Jesus first talked about ‘seeing’ the kingdom of God and later spoke about ‘entering’ the kingdom of God (Vs 3&5). It involves catching the Kingdom revelation, then having the Kingdom experience. The Kingdom of God is not limited to going into paradise where you will reign eternally with Christ as some Christian think. It includes having a dominion experience here on earth while you live like a king. Kingdom means a king having a domain where he exercises dominion. At creation in Genesis 1, God commanded man to have dominion. When Jesus Christ spoke to Nicodemus about seeing and entering the kingdom of God, he was simply talking about reconciliation and restoration. When a man reconciles with God, God will restore him to a place of dominion. ‘and all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ,….’ And hath made us kings and priest unto God his father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen (11 Cor. 5:18, Rev 1:6).
God sent his son, Jesus Christ, to reconcile us with God, and to make us kings & priests to God. Though all dominions belong to Jesus, but Jesus decided to give us delegated authority to reign on the earth on his behalf. ‘And hast made us unto our God kings and priesst, and we shall reign on the earth’ Rev. 5:10.
So, when a person is born of the Spirit by accepting Jesus as Saviour and Lord, that person is automatically qualified to reign on the earth. The bible does not say that a Christian would reign in the earth, but on the earth. To reign in the earth is to have a particular portion of the earth where you are reigning while living in the earth. For example, the scope of authority of Nigeria president does not extend beyond the boundary of Nigeria. He is not the one reigning in Ukraine, Ghana, Uganda, etc. Truly, he is reigning in the earth, but his territory is limited. Nigeria alone! Some are reigning over poverty, but they are not reigning over sickness. As a Christian who is born of the Spirit, redemption guarantees you a limitless territory, because the mind of God is for you to reign on the earth. Your scope of authority and operation is not limited by international or cultural or spiritual boundaries. You can stay on your knee in prayer in your room and determine what happens in nations of the world. Elijah prayed and there was neither rain nor dew for Three years and six months all over the world. And he prayed again and God sent rain. Elijah was in charge. He was really reigning. Read James 5:17&18. To reign on the earth means to have dominion over sickness, poverty, wealth, Satan, demons, and over all creatures.
As a man who has experienced spiritual rebirth, the Lord has positioned you, by virtue of the new birth, to a place where you will reign over sickness, Satan, demons, angels, situation, and circumstances and so on. The scepter of authority that Adam lost in Eden garden has been restored to all who have reconciled with God through Jesus Christ.
When you believe in the miraculous virgin birth of Jesus, his sinless life, his suffering for your sake, his atoning death, his resurrection from the dead, his ascension to heaven, and you make Him the Lord of your life, then you are born again and you are qualified to enjoy the benefits of sonship.
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