The New Birth Is a Sovereign Work of God’s Spirit
There are reasons that Jesus chose the term “born again” to describe what happens to us in the salvation process. One is that it parallels natural birth in significant ways. Think about it: what part did we play in our natural birth? Did we decide to become human beings? Did we conceive ourselves? Did we exert the effort to be born? The answer is “no” in every case.
If we think we can birth ourselves spiritually, it is because we fail to understand the depths to which sin dragged us and still think that we are in charge of our lives.
Jesus deliberately left Nicodemus (and us?) in a frustrating and confusing state of mind, which was revealed by the religious leader’s next question.
Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” John 3:9 (NASB)
Perhaps we are asking the same sort of question. “Does this mean that I have no choice in the matter!? Don’t I need to at least say a prayer or something?”
Let’s go back to our natural births. We had no choice or direct participation in our conception and gestation, but, by the time we were born, we were alive and kicking, having a nascent will of our own. If we are alive today, it is because we endured the birthing process, which propelled us into this precarious thing called life outside the womb. At first we were absolutely dependent on our mother and father, or on whomever cared for us. Later, as we grew and matured, we learned to fend more and more for ourselves. The long term goal was for us to become self-governing, responsible adults. (Did we make it?)
Yet, even as adults, we never become truly independent, especially not from God. He created us to rely upon him and partner with him from cradle to eternity.
God is our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer. He has always been and will always be that to us. (Hebrews 1:3)
"Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the house of Israel, You who have been borne by Me from birth And have been carried from the womb; 4 Even to your old age I will be the same, And even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; And I will bear you and I will deliver you. Isaiah 46:3-4 (NASB)
Every breath we take ultimately depends on God. We do not choose the day of our birth, our gender, race, nationality, DNA, personality, parents, height, body build, hair color, or anything else that fundamentally defines our being. God did all that for us. Are we okay with that? Some people are not. That is why we have so many who resort to body mutilations to try to change how God made them. That is we sometimes try to be different from who God created us to be. Being able to accept God’s choice in the matter takes the humility of understanding who we are – created beings, not gods.
Receiving the new birth requires us humbly to acknowledge our dependence upon God.
That in itself can be a big hurdle for some of us whose pride and self-sufficiency wants to get some credit for our salvation. Otherwise why would we balk at needing God’s help? Hopefully by now we have come to realize that we cannot do this thing called life on our own.
The Bible teaches us that God the Father chose us before he created the world, which was definitely before we could have been part of the process. (Ephesians 1:4-5) Similarly, Jesus died for us before we were naturally conceived, born, or drew a breath. When we finally showed up in history, at the exactly proper time, the Holy Spirit, acting as God’s agent and administrator, connected us in time with God’s eternal plan and work. He began his secret work in our hearts before we were aware of it or even wanted it, when we were still his enemies. (Romans 5:8-10) We were born into the world naturally with a built in hostility toward God, because we were spiritually dead. (Ephesians 2:1-5) If the Spirit had not intervened, we would have had no ability to positively respond to Christ or his gospel. All of this is very humbling, isn’t it?
For us to become a born-again follower of Christ, we desperately need to have the Spirit at work in our lives. When we heard about Jesus and his fabulous offer of forgiveness and eternal life, if we were intrigued and drawn, it was because of the Spirit’s inner work. Not everyone is able to hear and respond to the gospel – only those in whom the Spirit is working.
If we are drawn toward Christ, it is evidence of the Spirit’s work in our lives.
Jesus said:
No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. John 6:44 (NASB)
That being the case, if you still are reading this article, it is an indicator that the Spirit may be at work in you.
Jesus understood perfectly this sovereign aspect of the new birth. He knew that only those whom the Father chose and drew would respond to him and his message, and he was okay with that. In fact, he rejoiced in it.
At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. 26 “Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. 27 “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Matthew 11:25-27 (NASB)
One good sign that a person is born again is her or his ability to acknowledge the miracle of the Holy Spirit’s work in his or her life.
I remember reading the following words recorded in John’s gospel after my own new birth experience, which caused me to wonder thankfully at the mystery of the Spirit’s work.
Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:7-8 (ESV)
I realized that the Spirit had sovereignly and mysteriously touched my life and opened my spiritual eyes to see and comprehend the reality of Jesus’ risen lordship. I could not have done that for myself. If the Spirit had not graciously opened my spiritual eyes, I would still be a slave of the prince of darkness! What a horrible thought!
God took the initiative, but I did have a part to play.
Our Participation in the Work of the Spirit
Before having my eyes opened in a flash on that very special evening so long ago, the Spirit had been secretly at work in my life. He had been drawing me toward Christ for years. I just did not comprehend that it was he. When my girlfriend, now my wife, told me of her conversion experience, the Spirit was setting me up. After talking and arguing with her, I was further drawn down the path to becoming a follower of Christ. I remember saying to my best friend that I thought I was going to try out this Christian thing. He warned me of the dangers, as he saw it. Nevertheless, I made the decision to pray a sincere prayer to a God I wasn’t sure was really there. It went something like this.
Jesus, if you are real, please come into my heart. I cannot pretend that I believe in you. Show me that you are real. Amen.
No one forced me to pray like this. It was my choice; yet, knowing what I know now from Scripture, I realize that the Spirit was at work in my making that choice.
This is part of the mystery of how God works. God chooses us, draws us, and sets us up with the Gospel message… and we have a responsibility to choose him over every competing god or allegiance. Don’t ask me to explain how God is sovereign and we are responsible, but both are true.
And that is how we relate to God’s Spirit from then on. After we become God’s child, he is our invisible partner in a mysterious “dance of life.” He indwells us, thinks his thoughts through us, empowers us, convicts us, comforts us, encourages us, strengthens us… He is the best forever friend we will ever have, and he will never, ever leave or forsake us.
Paul perfectly describes this mysterious partnership in his letter to the church in Galatia.
I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 (NET1)
Conclusion
I wrote this this third part of this series to emphasize the Spirit’s role in the new birth. Why is this important in our being able to know if we have been born again? I believe if we have really been born again, we will know that God did it. We will realize that without the Spirit we would be forever lost. May God open our eyes to the reality of the Spirit’s work more and more!
Prayer
Jesus, I want to know you in the way I read about in the Bible. Please come into my life and be my lord and savior. I give myself to you. Please forgive my sins and the way I have lived independently from you all these years. From now on, I belong to you. Holy Spirit, open my spiritual eyes, unstop my ears, and heal my hardened heart so I can see, hear, and believe God’s words. Reveal Jesus to me, so that I can behold him and be born again. I depend on you to do this for me. I will not give up until you answer my prayer, which I know you will. Thank you. Amen.
