Born Again
Born again christians.
You run into them everywhere..
for the most it means "I thank my God I'm not like other people"
instead of "Lord have mercy on me, a sinner."

When someone in the church makes the alter call and accepts Jesus,
the rightous in the church begin to look for the tell tale signs
that this person has been born again.

Every sunday they go down their check list of the "do do's and don't do's"
and listen to all the gossip when they are sure that this person
is living up to there expectations.
They say that he or she has been born again.
Man's interpretation is that the born again experience is circumcision.
"Now that you've said that you accept Jesus,
we need to do some cutting on you.
We need to cut away all the things that are offensive,
to us and God.
Now, here is your checklist of "do do's and don't do's".
Don't let anyone SEE YOU doing any of the don't do's
and you will remain righteous in our eyes and before the Lord."

You notice the emphasis is on see you.
Most of the concept of the born again experience
comes from Jesus telling Nicodemas he needed to be born again.

Actually what Jesus told him was
he needed to be born from above,
or born again from above.
What Jesus was telling Nicodemas was to change his mind,
forget everything you've ever learned about God
and start over from a new perspective.
Nicodemas was a pharasee,
and although God had said the righteous would live by faith,
he was convinced that the way to salvation was obeying the law.
Another place in scripture it says that Nicodemas was a disciple of Jesus.
Which means that he had become a disciple after talking to Jesus.

Today, we convert freedom to fundamentalism.
Nicodemas on the other hand, after talking with Jesus
converted fundamentalism to freedom.


Jesus said "I have come to set you free."
Free from the law, sacrafices, rituals,
and mandatory trips to Jerusalum for the keeping of the feast days.
After the death and ressurection of Christ,
Nicodemas had something that he never had before...
direct access to God.


Until the death of Christ no one could approach God except the high priest.
The high priest could access God only once a year
and never without blood to offer for his sins first,
and then for the sins of the people.

When God touches our hearts,
it's so faint... that when it's over we find ourselves wondering
if it really happened.
God wants us to take the walk of faith in our own inituative.
The apostle Paul was the luckiest man in the world,
after Jesus appeared to him on the damascus road
Paul knew exactly what he had seen and what he must do.
The rest of us are not as fortunate.
Most of us have to struggle with our faith.

After the damascus road incident Paul went into the wilderness for 3 years.
The born again experience for Paul was as it was for Nicodemas.
To suddenly realize that he had been wrong his entire life.
Can you imagine the shock to Paul's system?
He had been responsible for people being put to death for following Jesus.
Now he had become one of the ones he had been persecuting.
God doesn't see as man sees, God looks on the heart.
Man looks at the outward appearance.
It has nothing at all to do with the "do do's and don't do's"
taught in most churches.
It has to do with faith and trust in God
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Once we make this faith connection,
God sees us through the eyes of Christ and sees us righteous.

The rightousness of Christ is salvation.
Self rightousness is condemnation..there is no in between.
As Paul wrote: The jews that pursued rightousness did not obtain it.
But the gentiles that did not pursue rightousness did obtain it.
Why?
Because the jews pursued it by works. The gentiles by faith.


What about morality?
Well if it's outside of two commandments,
love God and Love thy neighbor
it has nothing to do with God.
Morality is regional....
what is and is not moral
depends on what square foot of this planet you are standing on.
It also depends on your ethnic group, financial status and religion
to name a few.

Once saved, God will write his laws on your heart
and you will do by nature what is required of the law.


The born again experience has nothing at all to do with jumping up and down,
rolling on the floor, talking in tongues,
or following a set of rules taught by man.
The born again experience is putting off the old man... putting on the new.
To figure out the things of God and to look at things from a new perspective.
No one that has been saved changes overnight,
except by the rejoicing in the heart.
It may take months or years or maybe the rest of your life
for the spirit to mold you into what God wants you to be.

Gal 5:10-24
10  I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view.
The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty,
whoever he may be.

The reason for this epistle. It had been brought to Paul's attention
that the Galations were being taught by a group of Jew's sent by James.
[Book of James]
That in order to go to heaven the Galations
had to be circumcised and follow the law of Moses.

11  Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision,
why am I still persecuted?
In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished.

12  As for those agitators,
I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!
Castrate.

13  You my brothers, were called to be free.
But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature;
Rather, serve another in love.
JESUS SAID HE CAME TO SET US FREE.

14  The entire law is summed up in a single command:
"Love thy neighbor as thyself."
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS AND THE MOSAIC LAW.
[LAW OF MOSES]

15  If you keep on biting and devouring each other,
watch out, or you'll be destroyed by each other.

16  So I say, live by the spirit, and you will not gratify
the desires of the sinful nature.

17  For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the spirit,
and the spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.
They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.
THIS CONFLICT GOES ON FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.
THE SINFUL NATURE IS THE FLESH
AND CANNOT BE MADE RIGHTEOUS OR SINFREE.

18  But if you are led by the spirit you are not under law.
ANY TYPE OF LEGALISM OR TRADITION IS LAW.
MOSAIC LAW... BAPTIST LAW... METHODIST LAW...
OR JUST PLAIN OLD I DON'T DO IT BECAUSE IT'S A SIN LAW.
[ALTHOUGH MOST OF THE THINGS THAT ARE CALLED SINS
ARE NOT IN GOD'S EYES.]

19  The acts of the sinful nature are obvious; sexual immorality,
impurity, and debauchery;

20  Idolatry and witchcraft; hatred discord, jealousy,
fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions,
factions

21  and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.
I warn you, as I did before,
that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
THIS REFERS TO PEOPLE THAT DO THESE THINGS BY NATURE
NOT A WEAKNESS OF THE FLESH.
EVERY HUMAN IS GUILTY OF SOME OF THE ABOVE
OFFENSES OCCASIONALLY
INCLUDING CHRISTIANS.

22  But the fruit of the spirit is
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

23  gentleness, and self conrtol. Against such things
there is no law.
THIS IS THE NATURE THAT WE DEVELOP IF WE ARE
TRULY SAVED AND CANNOT BE OBTAINED BY LAW OR TRADITION.
[OR NOT SINNING.]
ONLY BY THE SPIRIT WORKING IN YOU.

24  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have
crucified the sinful nature
with its passions and desires.

This does not mean that you will not sin.
We commit sins everyday that only God knows are sins.
These are called sins of ignorance under God's law.
To commit any sin makes us guilty of commiting them
all, for example..
To covet [by thought or deed] makes us just as guilty
as a murderer in God's eyes.
By living by faith in Jesus Christ
God calls things that are, as though they are not.
though being sinners, God sees us as rightous because
his son died for our sins.