The Bible uses the analogy of birth as one way to help us grasp the meaning of salvation.
If we begin reading the Gospel of John, we encounter phrases like “born … of God” (1:13), “born again” (3:3) and “born of the Spirit (3:8). In speaking of this kind of birth to Nicodemus, Jesus made it clear that He meant something other than physical birth (John 3:4).
The formal theological term used for this spiritual birth is regeneration. It is the beginning point for the restoration in us of the image and likeness of God, an image that has been marred or distorted by sin.
Salvation involves a spiritual birth in a dual sense. It is spiritual in that the Holy Spirit is the divine agent who enables this new birth. The new birth is also spiritual in the sense that it has to do with the inner life of a person, as opposed to the outer physical being. Salvation is God’s work in transforming a person from the inside, not reforming a person from the outside.
We often think of human nature as composed of mind, emotion and will. We might think of regeneration or spiritual birth as illuminating the mind to our need and God’s supply. Awakened to the need brought about by the reality of sin and disobedience, with the subsequent estrangement from God, spiritual rebirth awaits one’s mental grasp of the need for the gospel of salvation.
Key instrument
Just as the Holy Spirit is the quickening agent for spiritual birth, God’s Word is the instrument the Spirit uses to accomplish this birth. Hence, the Bible speaks both of being born of the Spirit and “begotten … through the gospel” (1 Cor. 4:15), as well as being “born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever” (1 Pet. 1:23).
This spiritual birth also causes a change in our affections or disposition. The love of the world and the desire to sin becomes displaced by a love for the Savior and a desire to please Him. Regeneration also brings about a redirecting of our wills, causing us to choose actions and attitudes that please God and conform to His perfect will.
Ideally and at its best, we think of a physical birth resulting in a new family member, one who is a son or daughter of their parents. Spiritual birth results in a new member of God’s family. Hence, persons who have experienced spiritual birth are referred to in the Bible as children of God (John 1:12; 1 John 3:2). Furthermore, one who becomes a child of God also becomes a brother or sister to all who belong to His family.
The universal need for all people is that we must be born again spiritually.
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