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Giver of a New Life, January 16
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of
water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
John 3:5
.
In order to serve God acceptably, we must be “born again.” Our natural
dispositions, which are in opposition to the Spirit of God, must be put away.
We must be made new men and women in Christ Jesus. Our old, unrenewed
lives must give place to a new life—a life full of love, of trust, of willing
obedience. Think you that such a change is not necessary for entrance into
the kingdom of God? Listen to the words of the Majesty of heaven: “Ye
must be born again” (
John 3:7
). “Except ye be converted, and become as
little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (
Matthew 18:3
).
Unless the change takes place, we cannot serve God aright. Our work will
be defective; earthly plans will be brought in; strange fire, dishonoring to
God, will be offered. Our lives will be unholy and unhappy, full of unrest and
trouble.
The change of heart represented by the new birth can be brought about
only by the effectual working of the Holy Spirit. It alone can cleanse us from
all impurity. If it is allowed to mold and fashion our hearts, we shall be able to
discern the character of the kingdom of God, and realize the necessity of the
change which must be made before we can obtain entrance to this kingdom.
Pride and self-love resist the Spirit of God; every natural inclination of the
soul opposes the change from self-importance and pride to the meekness and
lowliness of Christ. But if we would travel in the pathway to eternal life,
we must not listen to the whispering of self. In humility and contrition we
must beseech our heavenly Father, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and
renew a right spirit within me” (
Psalm 51:10
). As we receive divine light, and
cooperate with the heavenly intelligences, we are “born again,” freed from
the defilement of sin by the power of Christ.
Christ came to our world because He saw that men had lost the image
and nature of God. He saw that they had wandered far from the path of
peace and purity, and that, if left to themselves, they would never find their
way back. He came with a full and complete salvation, to change our stony
hearts to hearts of flesh, to change our sinful natures into His similitude, that,
by being partakers of the divine nature, we might be fitted for the heavenly
courts.—
The Youth’s Instructor, September 9, 1897
.
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