Or what it really takes to be Christian?
Salvation Series by JQuisumbing
Good News! Eternal life is in hand for all who believe that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:4).
Of course, while we are still walking this world, we are yet to experience the unimaginable glory of eternal life. However, God provided a way for believers to get a taste of it in this world. But it required a major transformation.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
How does one become ‘a new creation’? Before I cover that subject, I think we need to take a closer look at the ‘before’ picture.
We have to go back to the beginning, when God first created Adam and Eve. In the beginning, they were spiritually alive because they were in close relationship with the Creator in the Garden of Eden. But then they sinned! Though they were physically alive, inside… they were separated from God… that is, they became spiritually dead. When they were cast out of Eden, every human being born outside that Garden was born spiritually dead.
The Apostle Paul laid out our reality in this verse below. Keep in mind that Paul was speaking to believers.
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 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. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. (Ephesians 2:1-3)
{ If you don’t mind, I will hold off in explaining about the ruler of the kingdom of the air and the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient for later posts. }
But for those who believe, this is what happened.
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:4-5)
How would God make us ALIVE?
In the third chapter of the book of John, Jesus was met by a very religious scholar (Nicodemus) who secretly visited at night, to avoid the condemnation of his Pharisee colleagues. After the Pharisee showered Jesus with a compliment in the hope of currying favor, Jesus unapologetically told Nicodemus (and He is also saying this to all of us as well) this…
“Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” (John 3:3)
In verses 5-6, Jesus expanded more on it by saying that to enter the kingdom of God, they must be born of water and the Spirit; with flesh giving birth to flesh first, then the Spirit giving birth to spirit. Confusing? Nicodemus was certainly stumped and he was a teacher of the people.
Jesus was teaching Nicodemus the same way he had been teaching the masses. He was using parables and riddles as a means of illustrating profound, divine truths. For a man like Nicodemus who belonged to an elite collection of uppity know-it-alls, Jesus gave him a riddle to solve. Why? Because Jesus really wanted him to figure it out (which he eventually did). For myself, I am desperate for many of you to be like Nicodemus… not of the old, but the new creation.
John 3:1-8, in my opinion, is The Bible passage that is pivotal in helping the proud to understand what it really means to be Christian. Clarification is sorely needed, because there are way too many people in this world who think they are Christians but by biblical standards are not. Many of them I knew very well and when they passed, I painfully and tearfully know where they ended up forever.
What does it mean to be BORN AGAIN?
Let me start with this riddle
How does a square peg fit into a round hole?
Imagine that you are a square wooden peg. As pegs go, you have reason to be proud. Your sides are beautifully symmetrical. When your angles are measured, it’ll always come out a perfect 90 degrees. Square pegs are desired everywhere. Life seems great to the wooden peg. Then you heard that pegs are wanted to fill a very special order. You are confident that you’re in. But you have a problem. The only acceptable pegs had to fit through a specific round hole.
The square peg looked at the hole and thought positively to himself that he could fit his frame through. But he could not fit. He realized that for him to fit, he had to change from being square to round. So, he tried by dashing himself against hard surfaces hoping that he could reshape himself but to no avail. He is still a square peg and doomed to be rejected.
Enter the woodcrafter. The woodcrafter sizes you up then proceeds to reshape you into that perfect round peg.
I hope you have connected the analogy of the square peg to Jesus’ born again illustration. From God’s perspective, there are only two kinds of people walking in this world:
- People who are still doomed to Hell because of SIN. [Square pegs]
These include those who think they are Christians or children of God because they were born into Christian family; by marriage; or because another Christian calls you one; or by any religious institution’s will. (John 1:13)
- Those who are born again; that is, made alive with Christ by God. (Ephesians 2:5) – [Round pegs]
To complete the picture, let’s see how square pegs are made alive with Christ.
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” (John 3:5,6)
Note that Jesus had cited 2 conditions of what it would take to be ‘born again’.
The first is “born of water”. Let me say that this is not referring to the act of water baptism (which we will discuss in other postings). The first condition is relating to the process of us being conceived by man & woman in the womb up to our physical birth. Hence Jesus saying Flesh gives birth to flesh (vs6). We all started out as square pegs. But again, that was not the Lord’s intention. We were all meant to be round pegs and the good news is that God is willing to complete the transition. Hence, we come to the second condition, being born of the Spirit.
From here I would like to present my personal experience for I too was once a square peg. Then, I heard the message of truth, the gospel of my salvation, after which I believed! But that was as far as I was capable of. Enter the woodcrafter… oops, I mean the Lord our God.
When God saw my faith, He and only He took over the process of my transformation… making me into a ‘new creation’. How?
‘Spirit’ is actually referring to the Holy Spirit of God. What Jesus was saying was that, what was lacking in me was the Holy Spirit. This made sense since I was spiritually dead or I should say that my soul was empty of which only God could fill. And that was what God did. In 1990, He made me complete spiritually. I was born again literally. His Spirit in me made me complete and guaranteed my salvation.
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14)
This is my reality today. I am not deserving of it, yet He saved and placed His Spirit in me. For as long I am still in this world, His Spirit guides and equips me. And most especially, His Spirit sustains me even when I am a quadriplegic today. By every right, I should be depressed and miserable but yet I have real JOY! I credit the Holy Spirit who indwells me. (1 Corinthians 3:16) You can read more about how the Holy Spirit transformed my life in my blog, ‘Where does my JOY come from?’.
So, let me ask you…
Do you think you are still a SQUARE PEG?
If you desire a closer relationship with the Lord, I encourage you to, wherever you are right now, know that God is listening for you. Talk to Him with no delay and express your faith in Jesus Christ and receive Him into your heart as your Lord and Savior. You only have to pray the prayer below once, but with sincerity, because when He enters your life, He will never leave you.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you so much for loving me. I confess that I am a sinner worthy of eternal punishment. Thank you for dying on the cross to pay for all of my sins. With your help, I am turning away from all my sins. Today, I put my trust in you as my Lord and Savior and I receive you into my heart. Thank you for forgiving my sins and for coming into my heart. I accept your free gift of eternal life. Thank you that one day, I will go home to be with you in heaven. From this day on, I will follow and obey you. Amen.
Salvation Series
Johann Quisumbing 
2 responses to “HOW DOES ONE BECOME A NEW CREATION?”
⚜️🙏⚜️
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] HOW DOES ONE BECOME A NEW CREATION? […]
LikeLike