New Creation Born of God
The teaching lesson “New Creation Born of God” speaks of what happens to a person when they are reborn spiritually.
Galatians 6:15 (NIV)
15 Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.
The book of Galatians speaks of the new creation and this refers to spiritual regeneration that takes place within a person when they believe in Jesus and call upon his Name to be saved.
John 3:3 (NIV)
3 In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
Jesus said that if a man is not born again then he cannot see or enter into the kingdom of God. To be born again means to be regenerated spiritually or made new from within.
John 3:4-7 (NIV)
4 “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!”
5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’
Nicodemus asked how a person can enter into their mother’s womb and be born a second time. Nicodemus was thinking of natural birth of the mother and Jesus was speaking of spiritual rebirth. Jesus explained that a man cannot enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of the water and the Spirit. Born of the water speaks of natural birth from the fluid within the mother’s womb and then spiritual birth speaks of believing in Jesus. First a man is born naturally and then when he accepts Jesus, he is born a second time but born spiritually. Jesus clarified that there was a difference between natural birth and spiritual birth by saying that flesh gives birth to flesh and Spirit gives birth to spirit. Natural men and women can give birth to natural babies but when people receive Jesus as their savior and believe then they can experience a second birth or they can be reborn spiritually. This is what Jesus was referring to when he spoke of being born again.
Isaiah 59:2 (NIV)
2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
A good way to illustrate the spiritual principle of regeneration is to compare it to natural things like a rice plant. If the plant is cut off from the roots then the plant will wither and die. The plant draws its life from the roots and in the same way humans draw their spiritual life from God. But humans are spiritually dead because they are cut off from God by sin. In the scripture above it says that your iniquities have separated you from your God and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he will not hear. Sin severs mankind from God like a rice plant that is cut off from the roots.
1 Corinthians 15:22 (NIV)
22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
All humans are dead in their sins because of the sin nature that they have inherited from Adam.
Colossians 2:13 (NIV)
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,
But when a spiritually dead person accepts Jesus and experiences regeneration within, they are made alive and are forgiven of their sins. This spiritual occurrence can be compared to grafting a branch onto a tree. It is possible to graft a branch from one tree to another and then the same tree can then produce two kinds of fruit. The grafted branch receives life or sap from the tree and it is able to produce fruit. In the same way, when a person is reborn spiritually, they are grafted into God and receive spiritual life that makes them alive in Christ.
John 5:26 (NIV)
26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself.
The Father has life in himself and he has granted the Son to have life in himself. That life is like the sap that flows from the roots of a tree and gives life to the branches. Those who accept Christ and are reborn spiritually receive the life of God that is found in the Son Jesus the Christ.
John 15:5-6 (NIV)
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
Spiritual regeneration can also be compared to a grape vine and the branches because those branches that are connected to the vine receive life from the vine and they can produce fruit. But if a branch is cut off from the vine that branch will wither and die. In the same way, those who are separated from God by sin are like branches that are cut off from the vine and they are withered and dead spiritually.
1 John 5:11-12 (NIV)
11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Those who have the Son have life and those who do not have the Son of God do not have life. Those who have the Son are like branches of a vine that receive life-giving sap and those without the Son are like withered branches that dry up and are dead spiritually.
Romans 11:17 (NIV)
17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root,
Spiritual regeneration can be compared to grafting a branch to a tree and those who were full of unbelief were those who were broken off while those who believed were grafted into the tree and share in the nourishing sap of the olive root. The olive root speaks of the Jewish race from which the Jewish Messiah Jesus was born. The grafting in of wild branches symbolizes the gentiles who have believed in Jesus the Jewish Messiah and have become reborn spiritually. These believing Gentiles (non-Jewish people) are then grafted into the olive tree. The word “Christ” is a Greek word for the Hebrew word “Messiah” so they can be used interchangeably because they are synonyms.
Ephesians 2:4-5 (NIV)
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions–it is by grace you have been saved.
So, all those who have believed in Jesus and confessed him as their Lord can be spiritually rejuvenated and made alive in Christ. All unbelievers are dead in transgressions and sin but when they believe in Jesus, they are made alive by receiving the free gift of eternal life by faith in his Name.
Acts 4:12 (NIV)
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
There is salvation found in no one else except Jesus and there is no other Name under heaven that is given to men by which they must be saved. All of the false religions of earth all lead to hell and there is only one narrow way that leads to heaven. Jesus is that narrow way or that specific way for men to be saved. He died for the sins of all mankind and paid the price for their sins by taking their place in hell and receiving the punishment that was due them. Jesus then offers this salvation free of charge for anyone who will call upon his Name to receive it. All those who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
Romans 10:12-13 (NIV)
12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,
13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
This is the basis of salvation that Jesus died for sinful mankind and purchased eternal life for them but humans are required to receive this free gift of eternal life by believing in Jesus and calling upon his Name to be saved. If they do not believe in him and call upon his Name, they will remain in a condition of being unregenerate and spiritually dead and cut off from God. But when they accept Jesus their sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus and that which separates them from God is removed. This is how they become spiritually reborn or regenerated and become new creations in Christ.
John 20:31 (NIV)
31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Spiritual regeneration starts with believing that Jesus is the Christ and he is the Son of God and by believing a person can receive life in his Name.
James 2:19-20 (NIV)
19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that–and shudder.
20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?
Believing is the basis or first step toward salvation but just believing there is a God is not enough to cause regeneration. Even the demons believe that much and they shudder in fear of God. But to take it to the next level a person must believe and the confess Jesus as their Lord.
Romans 10:10 (NIV)
10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
The first step is believing but the next step of corresponding action is to confess with the mouth that Jesus is their Lord and this will result in salvation.
It is possible to have mental assent and not experience spiritual regeneration. Often times a child of a preacher grows up in a church and is familiar with Christian lingo and behaves like the Christians and talks like them and yet has not experienced regeneration for themselves. This is what happens when they have only mental assent. Mental assent just agrees in the mind that Jesus is the Son of God but they never took the corresponding action of confessing him as their Lord and savior. As a result, such people are not regenerated but only parrot Christian lingo or expressions but are not saved. Several of the fruits of salvation are love and joy and a desire for the word of God. A new believer will often notice that they feel love for others for the first time when prior to salvation they generally felt hatred for many. There should also be a joy in their hearts that is not affected by outward circumstances. They should have a desire for the word of God just as a newborn baby desires to have milk to drink. God’s word is like milk that nourishes a baby and causes it to grow and mature.
1 Peter 2:2 (NIV)
2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,
The milk of God’s word will help a new believer grow spiritually and they will learn about their salvation and what God requires of them by reading God’s word.
Proverbs 20:27 (NKJV)
27 The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD, Searching all the inner depths of his heart.
It is the spirit of man that is the part of humans that is reborn spiritually. The outward physical man still looks the same because the change takes place on the inside. However, those who are spiritual can often see a light or radiance that comes from a new believer and it seems that light shines from their eyes and their countenance. Before they accept Christ, many unbelievers appear dark as if they display the darkness that resides within them. The more notorious they are as sinners the more dark they may appear but this darkness can disappear and be replaced with an inner light after salvation that is often noticed by those who are spiritually perceptive. The part that receives the light of God is the human spirit. It is the human spirit that is reborn spiritually.
John 3:8-12 (NASB)
8 “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?”
10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?
11 “Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony.
12 “If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
Jesus compared regeneration to the wind because the wind is invisible but you can see the effects of the wind. The wind of a strong typhoon can blow down a house! Grass and trees will also sway in the wind as the wind passed over them and so the effects of the wind can be seen even though the wind is invisible. The same is true of being spiritually reborn because it is a spiritual occurrence that happens on the inside of mankind. There is no physical change but yet there is often evidence of that inward change as displayed in their behavior. They may have love for others that they did not love before, they may have joy that did not exist before and they can have a hunger for the word of God and reading the bible that did not exist before. These are all evidence of the invisible change that took place within a person. So Jesus compared being spiritually reborn to the wind in that it is an invisible occurrence but the effects of it can be seen clearly in the behavior of a born-again person.
1 Thessalonians 5:5 (NIV)
5 You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.
When a person accepts Jesus and is born-again spiritually, they become a child of light. This is like people using a campfire to light some lanterns so that each of them can see to walk home in the dark. The campfire can light the lights of many lanterns of as many people who desire to have light. In the same way, God is a Father of lights and he can light the spiritual lights of as many people who call upon the Name of Jesus to be saved.
Ephesians 5:8 (NIV)
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light
This scripture speaks of how an unbeliever is at one time a child of darkness but when they accept Jesus they become a child of light.
1 John 1:5 (NIV)
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
God is light and there is no darkness in him at all. It is for this reason that oftentimes a person who is spiritually reborn will appear to have an inward glow or light that can be seen upon them as a radiance or a light that is seen in their eyes. This can often be noticed by those who are spiritually perceptive.
Colossians 1:13 (NIV)
13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,
When a person accepts Jesus, they are rescued from the dominion of darkness and they are brought into the kingdom of the Son Jesus. All those who are not born again are automatically children of the devil and they belong to the devil’s kingdom. Only when they are reborn are they transferred to the kingdom of God.
John 8:44 (NIV)
44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Jesus spoke to the religious leaders and said that they were of their father the devil because these men refused to accept Jesus as the Son of God and as their personal savior. Those who do not accept Jesus are those who remain children of the devil and their father is the devil and they will carry out the desires of their father who is Satan.
Ephesians 2:1-2 (NIV)
1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
This scripture speaks of the ruler of the kingdom of the air who is the spirit that is at work in those who are disobedient. This means that Satan is the ruler of the world’s kingdom and the devil is a work in the sons of disobedience to cause them to fulfill his plan and agenda on earth. That is why the behavior of unbelievers can be vile because they are fulfilling the desires of their father the devil on earth.
Matthew 25:41 (NIV)
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Those who do not accept Jesus will be cast into the fires of hell that were prepared for the devil and his angels. Those who are not children of God are automatically children of the devil and they will go with their father the devil into the fires of hell after their natural body dies on earth.
Luke 10:20 (NIV)
20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
When a person accepts Jesus and is spiritually reborn, they have their names recorded in heaven. This can be compared to natural birth because when a couple has a new baby, they will give that baby a name and register that name with the country where they reside. That baby becomes a citizen of that nation by birth and is given a birth certificate that can be used to obtain legal documents like passports. In the same way, when a person accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior their names are recorded in heaven and they become citizens of God’s kingdom.
Revelation 20:15 (NIV)
15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
On judgment day all of the people will stand before the throne of God and anyone whose name cannot be found written in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire. Only those who are citizens of the kingdom of God will enter into heaven and that means only those whose names are recorded are citizens.
Philippians 3:20 (NIV)
20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
This scripture speaks of the fact that the citizenship of a believer is in heaven and it is for this reason that they have their names recorded in the Lamb’s book of life. Those not recorded in the book of life are not citizens of God’s kingdom and all of these non-citizens will be burned alive in the eternal fires of hell.
Hebrews 9:27 (NIV)
27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,
After men die on earth, they are destined to face the judgment and if their names are not recorded in the book of life they will be cast into the lake of fire.
2 Corinthians 5:10 (NIV)
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
Mankind will be judged for what they do while they are alive on earth and this will include being judged for not believing in Jesus and accepting the free gift of eternal life provided in Christ.
Mark 16:16 (NIV)
16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Those who believe and are baptized will be saved but those who do not believe will be condemned to eternal punishment.
1 Peter 3:21 (NIV)
21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also–not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
The baptism here is not just being dunked in water because that is no more effective at washing away sins than taking a bath. Washing the filth of the flesh with soap and water cannot cleanse the sin of the inner man. But baptism is symbolic of an inward transformation of having the old unregenerate human spirit killed or crucified and having it replaced by a new human spirit that is holy and pure like God. Baptism speaks of someone being buried or died in Christ and then rising from the dead (spiritually) as a new person in Christ.
So water baptism is symbolic of an inward transformation that takes place when a person is reborn or regenerated spiritually. Having a good conscience toward God means that a person has their sins washed away and the guilt and condemnation that they formerly experienced as an unbeliever is removed and they have a good conscience toward God that no longer feels condemned. Those who believe and are baptized speaks of those who both believe and are regenerated and these people will be saved from damnation to come. Believing is only part of the equation (as even devils believe) but there must be corresponding regeneration as well. So, believing and being baptized means that a person believes in Jesus and experiences regeneration and that is what saves them.
Matthew 12:35 (NIV)
35 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.
There is a big difference between a believer and an unbeliever in the type of fruit that they produce. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings for good things and this speaks of a believer who receives a born-again human spirit and the nature of God which produces good things. An unbeliever has an unregenerate human spirit so out of his heart comes forth evil things. The heart here is not speaking of a physical blood pump but it is referring to the core or center of a man where his motives reside. When he is reborn his human will and motives can side together with his new nature and newly created human spirit but if he is unregenerate all of his total being and human will all tends to go in the direction of that which is evil. There is no influence of anything that is reborn or regenerated or made new by God that resides in an unbeliever.
Galatians 5:19-21 (NIV)
19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
The fruit of the unregenerate human spirit that is in cooperation with the sin nature of man will produce that which is evil. Among the evil that is produced by the unregenerate man are things like sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and things like these. Those who do these types of things will not inherit the kingdom of God but they will be judged by God for these evil actions.
Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
The fruit of the born-again human spirit is love and joy and peace and kindness and goodness and faithfulness and gentleness and self-control. These are the things that give evidence to the fact that a person is born again. Just as the wind moves the grass and trees and gives evidence of its invisible force so the fruit of the born-again human spirit gives evidence to the invisible transformation that has taken place in the heart of mankind.
Galatians 5:24 (NIV)
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified or put to death the sinful nature with its passions and desires that cause men to do that which is evil. There should be a noticeable change in behavior for those who are in Christ and have put to death the sin nature so that they no longer submit to its evil cravings.
Romans 8:12-13 (NIV)
12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation–but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it.
13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,
A believer who is regenerated is no longer under obligation to live according to the sinful nature but they are free to follow their newly created human spirit and the nature of God that dwells within them. If they follow after the sinful nature, they will die spiritually but if they put to death these evil deeds by refusing them the right to express themselves, they will live.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
The old things that have passed away are the old unregenerate human spirit that was always controlled by the sinful nature of mankind. When the human spirit is regenerated, they are set free from sin and they no longer are slaves to sin. There will be an immediate change in their lives as they no longer follow after the sinful nature and so their sinful deeds will be passed away. All things become new shows that when they have an inward transformation that it will be displayed in their outward actions of holiness and the fruit of the spirit.
1 John 3:8 (NIV)
8 He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.
Those who do what is sinful are those who are following after their father the devil. They are in bondage and slavery to sin and the purpose of the Son of God coming to earth was to destroy the works of the devil and set men free from sin.
1 John 3:9 (NIV)
9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.
A person who is born of God cannot continue to go on sinning because God’s seed remains in them because they are born of God. Their newly created human spirit has the nature of God dwelling in it and that is what produces that which is good in their lives.
Ephesians 4:22-24 (NIV)
22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
This scripture speaks of putting off the old self which is corrupted by deceitful desires. This old self speaks of the sin nature that resides in the soul parts of man (most particularly the human mind). In order to put off the old self or the sin nature a believer must renew their minds with the word of God. They have to realize that they are new creations and they do not have to follow the sinful nature anymore. Renewing their minds to who they are in Christ will cause them to follow after the new man within them and put off the sinful nature by denying it the right to express itself. The believer in Christ is set free from sin and no longer has to be ruled by the sin nature.
Romans 6:17-19 (NIV)
17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted.
18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
19 I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.
Before a person is born-again, they are slaves to sin but after they are regenerate they are set free from sin and do not have to obey its lusts anymore. A believer is free to use their human freewill to decide who they will obey. If they obey the lusts of the sin nature, they will die but if they use their freedom to produce fruit of holiness and follow after their new nature that is holy and pure like God, they will live and obtain eternal life.
Colossians 3:9-10 (NIV)
9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices
10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
The believer is to be taught how to put off their old self with its evil practices and put on the new self that is created after God in righteousness and true holiness. The believer can renew their minds with the word of God and this will cause them to be strengthened spiritually and they will be enabled to follow after their new man or newly created human spirit and the divine nature of God within them.