Have you ever wished that you could go back and redo some things in your life? We can’t undo our wrong decisions, but Jesus Christ does offer us a way for our spirit-man to be reborn; a way past regret to hope for the future.
Adam was perfect in mind, and body until he sinned. He had pure thoughts and holy intentions.
Disobedience perverted and corrupted his mind and his body. Selfishness replaced purity and holiness.
As Paul wrote in the Book of Romans, when he desired to do what is right, he found evil was present with him. A Law of sin was working in his members to oppose the pure thoughts and holy intentions. (Romans 7:21)
Sin caused Adam and Eve to hide from God and seek the cover of fig leaves or darkness.
Men and women committing sinful acts today do the same; they seek darkness or the covering of deception to hide their deeds.
When we wrong someone, or someone wrongs us, we seek to avoid them. We do the same with God. When we sin, we know that we have wronged God and we quit praying, quit seeking His help, and many times we seek the darkness in greater degrees of sinful acts. Lawlessness is abounding today because we have shut God out of our society.
Education can produce outward correct behavior, but it cannot change a human heart. Parents can raise their children to reverence God, but only the children can choose to develop that personal relationship with their Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus said that which is born of the flesh is flesh. Only that which is born of Spirit is spiritual. Jesus Christ has to change the heart through the New Birth experience. (John 3:3)
Paul said the natural man cannot receive the things of God because they are spiritually discerned. (I Corinthians 2:14) We are carnal sold under sin. (Romans 7:12-16) He cried, “Who shall deliver me from this body of death?!” (Romans 7:24)
Jesus is the “Way,” the “Truth,” the “Life.” (John 14:6)
- John the Baptist preached “Repentance,” and then he baptized with water.
- Jesus Christ preached “Repentance,” and then He taught His disciples to baptize with water.
- Peter, Paul, and the Apostles preached “Repentance,” and then they baptized with water.
We are all sinners for all have sinned since Adam. (Isaiah 57:1) (Even church people sin, and sometimes they are worse sinners than those sinners in the world who never darken a church door.)
Jesus paid the penalty for all of our sins whether we think we are a saint or we know that we are a sinner. Saints and sinners need to exercise their free will by opening their mouths in confession and setting their hearts and minds toward Christ and His will.
He has given us the Atonement or covering we need for our sins. It is not more darkness or more deceit. It is His Blood administered by Faith and confession in His Love and Mercy and Lordship of our lives. (Romans 10:9-10)
God will not violate your will. You are free to choose to do right or to do wrong. You are free to choose to ask Him for forgiveness or to deny that you have sinned against Him. He just patiently stands at your heart’s door, waiting for you to choose Him over sin.
Peter preached his sermon on the Day of Pentecost to a multitude of people. When he finished, they asked him, “What shall we do?”
Peter answered them:
“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off even all whom the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:38-39)
Through confession, baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit, our sins are forgiven and washed away in the Blood of Christ, and our dead spirits are made alive to desire and to be empowered to choose the things pleasing to God.
We are all sinners. We all need reborn. Confession of our sins, water baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit gives us that Born Again experience.
We can’t change our wrong life choices, but we can have them forgiven and washed away so that when we stand before Christ at the Judgment Seat, He will only see the good. The bad will be burned up through the fire of His Holy Presence. The wood, hay, stubble of our lives will not exist anymore. (I Corinthians 3:12)
I firmly believe that we will find at the Judgment Seat that all things worked together for our good and for His Glory and purpose! (Romans 8:28)
