New Birth part 4
First there was a death, when Adam ate from the tree of death (the tree of knowledge of good and evil). Then, there was another, second death, when Jesus was lifted up from the earth on the cross and gave His life both for us and as us. And then there was a new birth. See, in the eyes of God there are only two men who have ever lived: Jesus and Adam. Before the cross we were "in" Adam. He stood as mankind's representative. And then, through the cross, we were pulled (or drawn) out of Adam and into Jesus. Out of death, and into life. And not just any life, but Jesus' life! Look at 1 Corinthians 15:47, "The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven." If I can say it this way, we were drawn out of the earth and into heaven. We see this picture in the Old Testament when Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt--bondage--and the Joshua led them into the Promised Land--freedom. We didn't get "raptured" to a planet somewhere three miles south of Mars called Heaven. No... Jesus brought heaven TO earth. He gave us the days of heaven ON earth. By giving us a new birth. A new life. Now look at 1 John 3:14, because I think this is what I'm trying to say. In fact, I think this is what I'm almost ALWAYS trying to say. "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death." The difference, quite literally, between life and death... is love. If you know and believe that you are loved, that's when you CAN love. Because you can't give what you don't have, and you can only give what you do have. And to live is to love and to love is to live. Living and loving don't just go hand in hand. They are the same thing. So when we're Ranting about a new birth, we are talking about being born from above. Being born FROM love... so that we CAN love. And by "above," I don't mean physically. Remember--heaven isn't just somewhere you go when you die. Heaven is where you went when JESUS died. Because His death WAS your death. Your second death. The one that doesn't hurt when you stop working yourself to death trying to be someone you're not and instead just completely identify with Him and the finished work of the cross. I'm talking about above as in HIGHER. A higher realm of living, if I can say it that way. An abundant life. And what makes life abundant? Love! This new birth came to us because God loved us so much that He was willing to give us His only begotten Son. So that we might not perish but have everlasting life. He loved us so much that He would literally rather DIE than be without us. And after giving His life (both for us and to us), He picked it up again. So that we could experience it--not by trying to live Jesus' life, but by letting HIM live His own life in us, and through us, and as us. We were born again so that the things that used to hold us down and hold us back wouldn't have any power over us anymore. The Law only applies to you until you're dead. After that, you're free. Free FROM sin and death (the second death was the death OF death), and free TO live and love! Not as a slave, but as a Son. Not as someone trying to get something, but as someone who has everything (all Spiritual blessing... all things that pertain to life and godliness) and knows that what He has (in a word: love) is too good to keep to himself!