In John 3:3 our Lord Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

WHAT IS THE NEW LIFE?

What the new life is not: 
  • It is not a process of fixing the old life.  We read Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 9:16-17:  “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse.  Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins.  If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined.  No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
  • It is not given to us by our parents.  The Apostle John tells us in the Gospel of John 1:12-13: “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
  • It is not gained by religion, ritual, or regulation.  The Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 3:4-8: “If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.  But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ…

What the new life is:

God assures us in 1 Peter 1:4 “that as his children, we are born “into an  inheritance  that can never perish,  spoil or fade.” New life is the supernatural act of God, giving us a new nature, adopting us into His family, calling us His children, and giving us an eternal inheritance!

  • 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
  • John 1:12 teaches us, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
  • 1 John 3:14 says, “We know that we have passed out of death into life.”
  • In John 3:16 we observe “that whoever believes in him (Jesus) should not perish but have eternal life.”

WHAT DOES THIS NEW LIFE CONSIST OF?

New security. Romans 8:39 says that neither “height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to  separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Peace and joy. Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

Intimate relationship with God, of love and obedience. We read in John 14:20-21, 23-24, “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”

Hunger for God’s Word.  1 Peter 2:2 says, “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation.”

Trials and struggles of the faith. 2 Timothy 3:12 teaches us that “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

Desire for the company of other Christians.  Acts 2:42 says, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

Desire to tell others of your faith in Christ.  Again, in Acts 4:20 it says, “For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard .

PERSONAL APPLICATION

What are some of the changes you have observed in your life since you received Christ as your personal Savior?

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Answers:
1. born again, 2. inheritance, 3. perish, 4. new, 5. right, 6. children, 7. death, 8. life, 9. eternal, 10. separate, 11. love, 12. joy, 13. peace, 14. in, 15. in, 16. in, 17. spiritual, 18. persecuted, 19. fellowship, 20. speaking, 21. seen and heard