Philippians 2:12-13 NLT
[12] “Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. [13] For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”
The greatest partner we can ever have in this life is God Himself. All the other partnerships we share are only effective when we partner with God. It’s His promise of doing the work in us that provides the hope and the desire to endure.
Can you see how this partnership works? We do the willing through the desire He awakens in us, God provides the power to do, and together, we accomplish His purpose.
Unfortunately, there is a terrible deception in the minds of many people. They faithfully attend church and all its functions, they read the Bible, they contribute to the finances of the church, they do all the stuff but…they are still dead. They have never been born from above.
To Nicodemus’ enquiry, Jesus insisted,
John 3:3, 5-7 NLT
[3] “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”…
[5] Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. [6] Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. [7] So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ “
Just as the Christian life is a partnership with God, so entry in His kingdom requires the power of the Holy Spirit to bring the dead back to life.
Ephesians 2:1, 4-6 NLT
[1] “Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins…
[4] But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, [5] that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) [6] For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.”
Dead people cannot raise themselves. It’s takes the mighty power of God to awaken a dead spirit and restore spiritual life.
Ephesians 1:19-20 NLT
[19]”I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power [20] that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.”
This act of spiritual resurrection is, first, according to God’s will and then effected by God’s power. No human can make that choice. In a way we find difficult to understand, God chooses His own and sets in motion His work of salvation.
Ephesians 1:4-5 NLT
[4] “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. [5] God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.”
It is not for us to contest what the Bible says if it challenges our logic and our sense of fairness. We must believe because God is good, wise, and sovereign and He said it.
From God’s perspective, all humans are condemned because we were all born rebels. God saves some through His mercy. He is not answerable to our opinion.
Romans 11:32 NLT
[32] “For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.”
His mercy is available to all but many refuse to believe Him. The reason is simple…
John 3:19-20 NIV
[19] “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. [20] Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.”
To those who respond to God’s mercy in answer to His choosing, He works the miracle of spiritual resurrection. The change is immediate and unmistakable. The soul that has been born again is transferred from darkness to light, from the dominion of Satan to the kingdom of God. The heart is changed! A new disposition to love and obey God has been implanted in the heart.
How do we know that this partnership with God has begun, transforming us and transferring us into His kingdom. The evidence is clear.
- We have peace with God.
Romans 5:1 NLT
[1] “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”
- We love others.
1 John 3:14 NLT
[14] If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead.
- We don’t practise sin.
1 John 3:9 NLT
[9] “Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God.”
- We live righteously.
1 John 3:7 NLT
[7] “Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous.”
So, to experience the miracle of new birth and all the changes that God’s work accomplishes in us, we must partner and co-operate with the Father by faith as He works out His gracious purposes in and through us. As we began by believing in Jesus through the Father’s calling, so we continue to hear, listen anf follow His leading through the Spirit in us.
His purpose is the transform us into the image of His Son but He can only accomplish His purpose as we work with Him by loving, trusting, submitting to, and obeying Him, one step at a time.