A New Nature

At the moment you pray to express your faith in Jesus Christ, you're a new person spiritually - born again - in the sight of God. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJ)! From that point forward, you'd become a child of God, and be given His nature. It's no different than you having the nature of your physical earthly parents.

To better grasp what this new birth means, it will help you understand your composition. According to the Bible, you're made up of three parts. The real you is spirit. You live in a physical body, and you have a soul. "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being" (Genesis 2:7 cf. 1 Thesselonians 5:23 NKJ).

To be clear, you're born again spiritually, not physically, at the new birth. That's what Jesus was talking about when he said, "Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’" (John 3:3,6,7 NKJ).

The Abundant Life

This new life is much more than making Heaven your destination when you die. It brings great benefits in this life, too. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that "old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." That means your old lifestyle - your old ways of thinking and talking, your old priorities and habits - will give way to your new nature, so your marriage, relationships, and future can become new.

Sound impossible? Jesus said, "But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible" (Mark 10:27 NKJ). One of the most comforting aspects of being born again is knowing that as you progress in your new life with God all of your needs and desires are supplied. "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19 NKJ). Notice that "all" leaves nothing out. Jesus came to give you life that's full and meaningful. That's why He said, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10 NKJ).

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