Walk of Life, Day 22 April 2022, The Words of Jesus on The Kingdom of God
Being Born of the Spirit
Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the spirit. John 3:5
The Lord Jesus is defining the criteria of entering the Kingdom of God. He says we need to be born of the water and of the spirit. The term ‘of the Spirit’ is more direct but the term born of water has different connotations. Many believe that it refers to baptism but that is not a possibility since baptism is just an outward expression of your accepting the Lord Jesus in your heart. It in no way guarantees your salvation. Born of water as referred to in the old testament refers to cleansing by water in the tabernacle and otherwise, so it is most possibly a reference to Ezekiel 36:25. We need to be washed by His blood and cleansed daily by the Water of the Word.
“Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.” Eze 36:25
Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ John 3:6,7
One must be born of God though we don’t really need to be born physically again, once you accept the Lord as savior and repent of your sins and change your ways, habits and behavior. Depend on God and love God and His people, believe and trust God irrespective of your situations. You are born-again. Once you are born-again you should testify in the waters of Baptism. It is a commandment and is mandatory but being baptized is not in any way guaranteeing your salvation.
Let us emphasize more on being born of the spirit, if we can read the verse again Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the spirit. John 3:5 if we are not born of the Holy Spirit we are not going to be there in the Kingdom of God, how alarming is this! Often this is neglected. We are supposed to be full of the spirit. Jesus after he was baptized of water, the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove landed on Him.
Ezekiel 16:9 Then (Lord) washed I thee with water; yea, I thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.
God anointed with oil indicating the Holy Spirit, we are supposed to be burning with oil in our lamps, and our prayers should not be put out. Now-a-days less of praying and more of listening to prayers, less of singing and more of listening to songs on the media, less of word of God and more of attending meetings online and listening to others. We ought to make sure we first should be filled with the Spirit in prayer and in singing hymns.
We ought to walk by the Spirit and His leading; be filled with the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We ought to crucify the desires and passions of the sinful nature. Galatians 5:25: Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Often the inner man comes up when things do not happen as we planned but let us be under the power of the Holy Spirit, let us choose to be controlled by HIm, and let us fight the viles of the devil by the armor of God.
Lets pray: Lord, I am a sinner help me crucify my sinful nature and be filled with the Holy Spirit always. Help me to pray more and love you more, though there is lot of wickedness around help me to look unto you the author and finisher of my faith. Help me Lord to be like a child and enter into the Kingdom of God. In Jesus Name. Amen.
