Dak li jitwieled mill-laħam huwa laħam; u dak li jitwieled mill-Ispirtu huwa spirtu (John 3:6).
We have a spirit, ruħ u ġisem. The question you might ask yourselves is: am I carnal and do I live after the flesh? Fi kliem ieħor: does my flesh direct my steps and actions? Or do I live after the Spirit, and does my spirit direct my steps and actions?
You can live after the flesh or you can live after the Spirit. Jekk timxi wara l-laħam, then the result will be bad. But if you life after the Spirit then the result will be good.
Dak li jiżra’ bniedem, hu se jaħsad. If you sow in the flesh, you will reap corruption and if you sow in the Spirit, you will reap life everlasting (Aqra wkoll: Dak li tinżergħa, Int taħsad).
But let’s have a look at what Jesus meant by the new birth. What He meant, when He said, that you can only jidħol fis-Saltna ta’ Alla if you are born of water and Spirit. (Ġw 3:3, 7)
If Jesus needed to restore the union, it means that union was there once, but was broken. Għalhekk, we need to go back to the Ġnien tal-Eden to understand the necessity of the new birth.
Throughout human history we see, that people chose the way of the flesh; walking in obedience to the devil, instead the way of the Spirit; walking in obedience to the Father. This started already in the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve chose the carnal tree of knowledge rather than the holy tree of life. Because they desired and chose the carnal tree above the holy tree of life, God was compelled to pronounce the sentence of dead upon them.
Adam kien ruħ ħajja
Adam kien ruħ ħajja, imwieled mill-Ispirtu. Kien ħaġa waħda ma’ Alla. But after he sinned, is-sentenza tal-mewt waslet fuqu. And God said to him, that as he came from dust, and was dust, he also would return to dust.
Qabel ma dineb Adam, il-karatteristika predominanti tiegħu kienet l-ispirtu, but after he became disobedient to God and sinned, his predominant characteristic was flesh.
That sentence of death, that carnal disposition, was passed on to the entire human race. Kulħadd, min se jitwieled miż-żerriegħa tal-bniedem, would carry the death. Għalhekk kulħadd, who is born on this earth is carnal, and is a prisoner of the sin nature. M'hemm ħadd eskluż.
How do you enter the Kingdom of God?
Because we are carnal and carry the sin nature, we cannot enter in this status the Kingdom of God:
Imma l-bniedem naturali ma jirċievix l-affarijiet ta 'l-Ispirtu ta' Alla: għax huma bluha għalih: lanqas jista’ jkun jafhom, għax jingħaraf spiritwalment (1 Korintin 2:14)
Issa dan ngħid, ħuti, li l-laħam u d-demm ma jistgħux jirtu s-Saltna ta’ Alla; lanqas il-korruzzjoni ma tirret l-inkorruzzjoni (1 Korintin 15:50)
Alla huwa Spirtu: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24)
What is the necessity of the new birth?
Now you see the necessity of becoming born again. Only by the new birth can we receive eternal life and enter the Kingdom of God.
This spiritual life can ONLY be achieved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith is the catalyst that brings us to an encounter with the Holy Spirit, who regenerates us, so that we are born into the heavenly realm just as you were once born into the earthly realm.
Necessity of the new birth emphasised in other places
The necessity of the new birth is emphasised in other places:
- The universal results of sin demands it:
Għalhekk, kif minn bniedem wieħed id-dnub daħal fid-dinja, u l-mewt bid-dnub; u għalhekk il-mewt għaddiet fuq il-bnedmin kollha, għax kollha dinbu (Rum 5:12)
Kif inhu miktub, M'hemm ħadd ġust, LE, mhux wieħed (Rum 3:10)
- Unregenerate man is unable to understand or receive the gifts of God
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: għax huma bluha għalih: lanqas jista’ jkun jafhom, għax jingħaraf spiritwalment (1 Co 2:14)
- Without the new birth everything we do, kull impuls u azzjoni hija mniġġsa
Għal minn ġewwa, mill-qalb tal-irġiel, jipproċedi ħsibijiet ħżiena, adulterji, żína, qtil, Serqiet, covetousness, ħażen, qerq, lasciviousness, għajn ħażina, dagħa, kburija, bluha: Dawn l-affarijiet ħżiena kollha ġejjin minn ġewwa, u tħammeġ lill-bniedem (Mar 7:21-23)
- Unless we are born again we have no escape from the judgment of God
And you hath he quickened, li kienu mejta fi qbiż u dnubiet; Fiha fl-imgħoddi intom imxew skond il-mixja ta’ din id-dinja, Skond il-Prinċep tal-Qawwa ta 'l-Ajru, the spirit that now worth in the children of disobedience: Fost min ukoll ilkoll kellna l-konverżazzjoni tagħna fi żminijiet imgħoddija fil-Lusts ta 'Laħam tagħna, twettaq ix-xewqat tal-laħam u tal-moħħ; u kienu min-natura ulied il-qilla, anke bħala oħrajn (Ef 2:1-3)
