The death Adam died in Eden, was not physical death, but spiritual death. This is fundamental to realize if we are to understand the rebirth! If our knowledge and thinking is to be sound when we decide to get real and serious with GOD, we must have learned because we have sinned, fallen man is spiritually dead! Adam WAS a living soul, Genesis 2:7, whom The LORD God visited in the garden in the cool of the day to walk and talk with, until he disobeyed God, and spiritually died. Genesis 3:8, and 17.
After Adam sinned and spiritually died, he became the living dead, physically alive in the flesh, but no longer a spiritual being! In such state of no longer being a living soul, there was no fellowship or any further communing with GOD, because GOD is a Spirit, John 4:24, and we need to be spiritual beings to commune with God!
If we cannot SEE the Kingdom of God for what this indeed is, a spiritual kingdom within each truly born again believer, then WE have yet to experience the rebirth! If we cannot SEE God’s Kingdom on Earth in other believers who have found this blessed state, it means WE ARE SPIRITUALLY DEAD! We have NOT been born again. John 3:3 to 21.
Finding ourselves in this condition, we should cast ourselves at Christ’s feet, confess our sin, and reach out to take hold of The Tree of Life, Genesis 3:22 to 24, The Righteous Branch, Isaiah 11, to trust in The Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world! The Revelation 13:8. We cannot attain the blessed state of living in The Kingdom through works, for it is written, “The just shall live by faith”! Romans 1:17, and Hebrews 10:38.
Whilst an instant solution in respect of Salvation, the rebirth is by no stretch of the imagination instantaneous maturity, nor is this where the matter ends, but truly where our newborn spiritual life begins! It may best be likened to restarting your laptop. Everything was working well until suddenly a wrong button was pressed or two keys were pressed at once, and the device ceased to function. We need to restart the device to get all the default systems working properly again, and it takes a while for the reboot process to complete! It is similar with being born of the Spirit! We will almost certainly have to endure the trial of our faith to reach full grown spiritual stature! 1 Peter 4:12 to 19.
As we decide to take up our cross to follow Christ, to give our ALL to God Who has redeemed us from sin and death by the blood of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, we will be comforted to know our acknowledgment of our personal spiritual deficiency, our mortal inadequacy of spirit, is a truly blessed realization. “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for their’s is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:3 to 22.
If we come to Christ having counted the cost, that this embraces forsaking our sin and old ways of the flesh, our wealth and even our lives, The Revelation 12:11, Romans 8:13 and 14, we may be reassured and encouraged that “the God of all grace Who hath called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you”, 1 Peter 5:10, that this will become your personal experience. Amen.
Lester Oliver Thomas Flock © 2024