When does one become reborn into the family of God? When is one set aside as an adopted son of God?
Many people are quick to consider themselves a so-called Christian, a genuine believer, even when approached and asked. They say they have repented, confessed their sins, gained saving faith as a gift from God, and somehow felt inside an urge or tug to now follow Christ and even join a brick and mortar church religious establishment. This apparently is the typical route to one’s salvation, and confession of faith, as many walk this common spiritual ground together, in many numbers. Is this the litmus test of when one is truly reborn? No, it is not. Pinning on the label Christian prematurely can be a major obstacle in finding one’s salvation.The rebirth of a person means there was a place and a time when a new conception by God occurred. The very moment one’s spirit opened its heart to God, acknowledged and reacted, spiritually and mentally, even physically to this miraculous event; this was the time just preceding rebirth, when the initial entry of the spirits of the Son and father made their presence known within that human’s spirit. God then deposited his Son there in earnest for their future resurrection. This was the time the first steps of rebirth began in this newly transformed human spirit to then conform and live in Christ as Christ lives in the Father.
One can speak of having faith in God and Christ all day long although that does not mean rebirth and regeneration had occurred. And believing in scripture, Christ’s acts of his death and resurrection, in particular, will not cut it either. This miraculous rebirth is a spiritual exchange and union in God’s love that must occur and every believer can recall, at least past the age of innocence, when that event occurred. It is an event that one cannot forget in their life.
This new indwelling of the Spirit of Christ given by God, referred to as the "spirit of adoption" (Romans 8:15), signifies a profound union with God, where the believer is made alive together with Christ and becomes a new creation (Ephesians 2:5; 2 Corinthians 5:17).
Romans 8:29-30 states that those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, and this process includes being called, justified, and glorified. Ephesians 1:4-5 affirms that God chose believers in Christ before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless, predestining them for adoption as His children through Jesus Christ according to His pleasure and will.
There are only a remnant of NT believers who are and shall be restored to God as 'saved.' Like in the OT when God saved only a remnant in every generation. It might be prudent to pray or at least re-examine one's heart that one is of the chosen, if one cannot recall a major miraculous event that defined their rebirth into God's family.
Many have heard, spoken and written many times on the call within the gospel of life to truly repent and be reborn in spirit, and still have not acted upon it with prayers and thanksgiving to God for this miracle to occur in their life. Are you one of these?
Revelation 3:20, Jesus declares, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me". This imagery signifies a deep, intimate fellowship between Christ and the believer, symbolizing acceptance and communion. The act of dining together in the ancient Near East represented a covenantal relationship, and this promise points to both present spiritual fellowship and the future eschatological banquet, the marriage supper of the Lamb.
I had this subject weighing on my heart, to share recently...
Last edited: