The moment one becomes "Born Again" is the moment one receives a new nature or new life.
This new nature or life is of the status of "Christ born in you".
It is written:
"ALL Things"!
Being born again involves our seeing (experiencing) ALL things as being made a-new as we never saw them before.
We never saw them all before because we didn't have Jesus and His eyes to see them with! When God said that ALL that He created was "Good", He meant it! And THAT is what we see!
Like the song, "It's a big, bright wonderful world we're living in", goes on to say, THAT is how it is to be "born again" and see it all with joy and all with new eyes.
Seeing God, people, the world, and all of God's creations in a new light never seen ("with our spiritual senses") before... this Light we call: "THE WORD OF GOD"... is like nothing we've ever known.
To put it all in perspective, this is how it is to be "born again", to have Jesus as a living reality coming to live within the new, inner/spiritual man.
In either case there is a "new and deep hunger" within to "Learn and Know" the word of God with a passion, and to also seek out those who "Love" the word with the same passion and share each other's findings!
"No One" who has never received this New Life can explain it or pretend to know anything of what it's like beforehand. Only those who have come to know what He (i.e. "Jesus") is like are those who have come to know what receiving and living the crucified life (full of power and glory) is like.
2 Cor 5:17 ...if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
And like another song goes, "When the sun (Jesus) is shining in his glory the shadows (all that are there to upset us and pretend to be worthy of our pursuits if we allow them to) simply fade away into the nothing they always were in God's eyes!"
These are not just some words written down in a book, but THE Word: Alive and powerful, able to Light up and penetrate darknesses and mysteries for us so that the Spirit may reveal the deep things of God to us.
There is a definite "Change Over" from the old to the new that occurs! Some describe this "Change" of natures as being crushed in His arms, in "the inferno of His Love", a love so incomprehensible and awesome as to melt away the old in order to pour into the new the new life. It is also like "walking on cloud nine".
He is our only Hope! And He has to be IN You to for this Hope to become effective!!!
Here, then, is the outcome or result of our faith: "Christ IN You!"
It's not me or what I did, but Christ and what He did.
"Intellectually" we can accept that and agree with Him 'till the cows roll in, BUT, until and unless "Christ" becomes born in us" we are of the "old" creation, and as such we can neither see nor share in the joy of the Kingdom of God!
So, contrary to what "easy believism" or "cheap grace" type gospels tell us, our only hope of receiving glory is to "abide by - obey" Jesus Christ! And this we shall do "IF" we Love Him who first Loved us and gave Himself for us. (John 15:7).
Now... the first thing He says to us is this: "COME TO ME!"
Well let me tell you, that there is only ONE WAY to come to Him OR "follow Him": "Sell all we own" - "lay it all down" - "forsake it all" - THAT is the price to "Come to Him"!
Do we believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God? "Good"! Then let us continue to "hear and believe" Him until we, of our own free wills, come before Him and lay it ALL down, including our own life with all of our own self-centered worldly ambitions and plans for the future!!!
Now some (of those "cheap grace" advocats) will accuse me of preaching "Lordship Salvation" here. But what I am doing is simply stating that "IF" (that's a BIG "IF") we do love Him then we are going to want to do what He says... and He says, "Come to me" - "Follow Me" - "Abide in Me"!
"Narrow is the Gate and few there be that find it". The reason for this is because they are trying to enter heaven with all their baggage, including the largest one of them all: "Self"!
In either case they missed the point - missed the boat! They were supposed to be building for the "future" allright, but one where their treasure would be stored in heaven, not earth!
Personally speaking: "If we're more interested in being influenced and motivated by the cares of this life and what it will cost, than by the words of Christ telling us to Come to Him and what it will cost us to do so, then we are NOT worthy of Him!"
Make any excuse we will, say anything we will, quote any scripture we will: "If He is NOT worthy of ALL of us, then neither are we worthy of Him!
If we're not going to do what He says, then we are "bastard" children, professing to be Christians while remaining children of the Devil!
God didn't save us just to save us. He saved us to "Change" us into NEW Creations IN Christ! And if we won't "Change" then neither will His words against us (Luke 6:46)!
Jesus, as a man, told us: John 15:
And His command is to: "Come to Me - Follow Me - Abide in Me!"
Those who do, (and do it, "His way") have found "Safe Passage" into the Kingdom!
Biff
"Self" must be willingly sacrificed at the altar, at the foot of the cross, before a new man can come forth. Those still interested (for one example) in "stocking up for the future of their old, adamic life" (by bowing down and worshipping mammon to do it), are no different than the foolish man who built the better barn.
If we won't open the door and welcome Him in - If we won't come to Him and lay it ALL down at His feet, that He become what He always was: "Lord and God" firstly, "Savior" secondly, then we are NOT worthy of Him!
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.