Regenerated, renewed, and no longer separated from God.
This is the fourth post in the series on transformation which is the theme I’m reflecting upon during the month of May. So far, I’ve shared an introduction to this topic with Transformed; from glory to glory which is referring to the sanctification process.
I also shared about the new heart we are given, one of flesh instead of stone, and the resulting joy. And, last time, I shared about our new body; now a temple, and in the future, glorified and eternal. Now, I am reflecting on the promise of a new spirit in Jesus Christ.
My journaling is in 100 Days of Bible Promises. The devotional for day 35 reminds us that when we accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour, His Spirit takes us residence in our hearts. We are no longer living on our own because He is there to lead and guide us.
Our spirit when separated from God
But, let us start at the beginning.
We see in Genesis 2:7 that “the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”
My understanding is that Adam had the spirit of God in him which knitted him to the Father. This spirit knew God’s voice, it was in fellowship with God, and had a very good knowledge of God.
After Adam fell, sin separated him from God, and his spirit became dead as a result because it was no longer connected to the Source of life. While his spirit continued to exist, this disconnect meant that his spirit became more connected to his humanity, or his flesh, instead of God.
A new spirit promised
But as we know, God’s intention was always that we would be with Him; that we would be one with Him.
[Isaiah 44:3] “I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.”
[Joel 2:28] “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.”
I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
Ezekiel 36:27
We see from scripture that whatever God speaks comes to pass. It is essentially done but realized at the appointed time.
Many years later, He sent His Son who said in Luke 4:18-19, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
This is prophecy from Isaiah 61 which He fulfilled.
The new spirit’s renewal
He also revealed through Jesus Christ that we need to be born again by water and spirit.
In John 3:5-6, Jesus, speaking with Nicodemus, said “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
In Ephesians 5:26-27, we are told “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.”
To be born again is to live a life of continued transformation by the Spirit.
In John 10, Jesus tells His disciples,
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.“
23 “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”
25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
We see in these verses that without the Holy Spirit, and the word, it is impossible to love God and others as we were created to do.
So God, in His mercy, and according to his promises, made it possible by putting His spirit within and writing the law (which is to love God and others) on our hearts.
What was broken in the garden is now restored. We are no longer separated from God and, in fact, He lives within us.
Our new reality
Here is our new reality because of this new spirit:
For one, we are sealed for salvation and set apart for God. Our desire is for God and spiritual things more than the things of the world. This becomes evident in our discontent with worldly things.
Secondly, we are never alone; everything we do is done with God. We have access to His strength and power as we decrease and let His glory fill the temple.
Thirdly, the Spirit works in us and grows us to become more like Christ which prepares us for heaven.
Isaiah 61:7 says that “Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonour they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy.”
See, we were never meant for disgrace but for glory.
I hope you’ll remember these things in the days to come, and I hope it will lead you to rejoice at the good thing our God has done in renewing our spirit.
Process and products used:
These pages in 100 Days of Bible Promises by Shanna Noel feature the following products by Creative Worship Stamps. These are affiliate links, please see the Privacy Policy for details.
- Faith Definitions 2 stamp set
- Spring Collage Tag Stamp Set
- Tag & More Die Set
- Petals & Dots Stencil
- Vintage Butterflies & Blooms stamp set
- He Proved His Love stamp set
- Wonderful Words of Life stamp
- Boss Lady Alpha stamp set
- Boss Lady Outline Alpha
** Watch the process on YouTube here: Transformed; new spirit
Be encouraged
🎶 First Love ~ Jonathan Helser
Face to face, there’s nothing separating us
There’s no sin, there’s no shame, all the way back to the Father
Face to face, falling in
I surrender all again
I fall back into Your arms
I feel Your heart beating against me
Face to face, there’s no space between us
Through the blood, through the water, through the grace
I come back to the Father
Through the blood, through the water, I’m born again, I’m falling in
Everything I lost in the garden, I find again in the Father
Everything I gave away, grace returns to me today
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
1 Corinthians 15:22
