Stop for a minute and think about what being 'born again' means to you. How would you describe to a friend what that means?
Let us begin with the words of Jesus Christ: "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3, NKJV). "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again' (John 3:5-7).
Jesus is saying that not only must we be born physically, but we must also be born spiritually. We are born of the flesh through our mother and father. We must also be born spiritually through the Holy Spirit. Now what does that mean?
All humans are made of body, soul, and spirit. When we were created, God placed in us a spirit. What then does Jesus mean when He says that our spirit must be born? That must mean the spirit that God gave us is dead and was dead from the beginning of our life. Why would God give us a dead spirit?
To answer that, we must first define a few concepts. Our spirit is our non-material self. A dead spirit can be defined as when our spirit is in a broken relationship with God. A living spirit can be defined as when our spirit is in fellowship with God. Non-Christians are spiritually dead, while Christians are spiritually alive.
Therefore, in order to enter the kingdom of God, all of us must have our spirit restored to fellowship and communion with God. Our spirit must be alive in order to experience the fullness of God.
A good analogy can help make this more clear and easier to understand. Think of your conscious. If you are conscious, then your mental faculties are fully active. You are aware of sensations, thoughts, your surroundings, your own existence, and you can respond to external and internal stimuli. If you are unconscious, then you are not aware of such things and your mental faculties are not fully active.
Our body and our spirit can both be under the state of consciousness and the state of unconsciousness. When we are spiritually dead, our spirit is in the state of unconsciousness, and our spiritual faculties are not fully active. When our body is created in our mother's womb, God puts a spirit in our body, but that spirit is in the state of unconsciousness. When Jesus says that we must be born again, He is telling us that our spirit needs to gain consciousness. That is the work of the Holy Spirit.
God does not force us into a relationship with Him, so we must give God permission to give our spirit consciousness. It must be done on His terms however. You have to believe that Jesus Christ came to earth in the form of a man, died on the cross for your sins, and was resurrected. You must ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and to come into your life. God will respond and the Holy Spirit will give birth to your spirit, restoring you to a unbroken relationship with God. With your spirit conscious, you can begin to mature in your faith in God, and you can begin to use your spiritual faculties in discerning God's presence and His will for you.
When we are born again, our spiritual conscious is a new thing to us. It takes time to learn how to use those faculties in hearing God and discerning His will. After I was born again, it wasn't easy for me to discern the will of God. As time went by and I gained experience, I have learned how to hear God and to discern His voice much easier now. As I continue to mature, it will only get easier. Praise be to God!
Are you ready for your spirit to experience life? Ask God to awaken your deadened spirit and He will give your spirt life in order that you may experience the fullness of God. You don't have to earn it, just repent of your sins and surrender your entire life to the hands of God
