“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13
Mankind is born in a fallen condition due to Adam’s original sin and until we are ‘born again’, we cannot be in any other condition.
“5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born of water (natural child birth, not water baptism as some teach) and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” John 3:5-6
The modern church has embraced humanistic psychology to rehabilitate the condition of which we were born. Through many religious ceremonies and works there may be an appearance of ‘moral reform’ born of the flesh but their lack of belief in the Cross of Christ Jesus for the redemption of their eternal souls results in a false sense of Salvation. Why? Because they do not realize their true condition as a sinner in need of a Saviour …Jesus Christ, Who He is and what He has done for whosoever will believe.
Instead of Jesus being presented as the Way, the Truth and the Life for fallen man to be made partakers of eternal life, He is presented as merely an example (of which He is) but He is also the Source and His Cross the means. With Jesus presented as the example and humanistic psychology cloaked in Scripture, the people are being given another Jesus and another gospel. The itchy ears earnestly seek a preacher who is sufficiently compromising in their smooth words and religious ordinances to offer unto them a form of godliness but denies the power thereof (2 Tim. 3:5).
Just as the leopard can’t change his spots (Jer. 13:23), the nature of which we are born with, our sin nature, cannot be made straight. It must be isolated, dethroned by the Divine Nature of which we are made partakers when we choose to believe upon the Son of God, Jesus Christ and are ‘born again’…born of the Spirit.
When the believing sinner accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, the Holy Spirit comes in to dwell in our hearts and lives. We are born of the Spirit and made alive unto God. Before Salvation, we are dead to God. We may know God and even know His Ways but we cannot partake in the Power afforded the Believer by the Cross of Christ to becomes sons and daughters of God.
Upon Salvation, that crooked stick (our sin nature) isn’t made straight but isolated by the power of God. We are baptized into Jesus’ Death where all transgressions of all mankind were paid and made free from sin’s power. No longer is our sin nature, that crooked stick if you will allow, reigning in our hearts but the Spirit of God Who leads us into all Truth. He will not speak of Himself but of the Cross of Christ Jesus.
There is no such thing as moral evolution. One cannot be saved by attaining some sort of moral reform but unless ye be born of the Spirit, to put it bluntly…you will be a morally reformed sinner in a devil’s hell for all eternity if you don’t repent and turn to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The God Who sent His only begotten Son to pay sin’s penalty of which we are all born guilty.
Today is the day of Salvation. We are not promised tomorrow. Decide this day in whom you will serve. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness. Unless a man be born again, they will not see the Kingdom of God.
Jesus Christ and Him crucified…be determined to know nothing else among you. He’s not merely an example, He IS the Way, the Truth and the Life .
-Donna Clark Warren
Living in The Spirit 