In every life there are critical moments when a life is forever changed. That is true historically and individually.
History is replete with moments that affected individuals, armies, and nations. Late in the afternoon on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg the southern army faced a momentous decision. After a day filled with bloody battles back and forth over the fields both armies were exhausted.
General Lee instructed his generals to take the hill outside of town if practicable. The vagueness of the orders left room for an interpretation that had enormous consequences for both sides. Though vastly superior in number and strength the rebel leaders stood pat, allowing the union forces to hold the hill.
Overnight the union army was reinforced. Soldiers dug in and refortified their position. Try as they might over the next two days of gruesome fighting, the hill never changed hands. Both sides were left with a huge question. “What if…” A single decision changed eternity. Such moments define history.
You also have had life defining moments. Remember the moment you first met your spouse? Eyes met, hearts fluttered, and history was made. The moment they put that baby into your hands. You knew your life would never be the same.
Of eternal significance is the moment you first met Jesus. You did not know why it was happening but suddenly you were aware of your sinfulness. Or you were struck by the awesomeness of the universe, becoming aware that the creation demanded a creator. Whatever got your attention, your heart was opened, and you knew that Jesus was there, calling you.
Today we continue to understand the role of the Spirit in our salvation. The effect was obvious. Paul described it well in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
There it is. In that one moment your heart was changed. You were made new by Jesus. As I continue describing the Spirit’s work I offer six Biblical descriptions for that one moment. Each one of these six is verified as the work of the Holy Spirt. The emphasis in each verse quoted today is added by me to highlight the Spirit’s role.
The Spirit Brings the Lost Person from Death to Life
John 3:5-6 “Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”
Titus 3:5 “he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
1 Corinthians 6:11, “You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
A dead person cannot function. He cannot think; he cannot feel; he cannot speak; he cannot act. To be spiritually dead means to be just that. We were inanimate, insensitive, unfeeling, and powerless.
Only God can bring someone from death to life. And Scripture is clear, that the Holy Spirit accomplish work. He secured your acceptance. He brought you from death to life. You were spiritually dead: unresponsive, insensitive, skeptical, and uncaring. Now you are alive: aware of the Spirit, faith, hope, and eternal life.
The Spirit Gives Life
Romans 8:9-11 “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.”
In that moment you are made alive. As God breathed life into the man He formed from the dust, so the Spirit imparts life to us.
He does not merely fix you up. He gave you life. To be spiritually alive is to be aware of and obedient to the Spirit’s voice in your heart.[1] We see spiritual realities and understand the Kingdom of God. This happened in a moment, in that one single flash.
Our response to the Spirit will determine the course of our lives. Our response to the Spirit is the reason we either see Him working in power or are frustrated in our walk with Christ.[2]
The Spirit Regenerates
Paul explains regeneration in Titus 3:3-7.
3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
Paul begins this passage with a clear definition of why we need the regeneration. We were foolish, guilty of willful disobedience, contemptuous towards God, enslaved by our own lusts and pleasures and finally marked by malice and envy.
BUT kindness and love were manifested by God. We were washed and renewed by the Spirit. The Biblical word is regeneration. It speaks of rebirth. We are washed in the Spirit.
We tend to try to offer substitutes for the regeneration we desperately need.
- Some try to substitute religion. Nicodemus attempted this. Jesus told him he needed to be born again.
- Some try to live good moral lives. They attempt to justify themselves by their conduct.
- Some appeal to their past. They think a religious experience saves them. Apart from a relationship with Christ, experience is empty.
- Still other believe they have life through a family relationship. They think because their daddy was a deacon they are saved, or perhaps grandpa being a preacher will get them in.
Because of our sinfulness we desperately need someone to step in. Do not miss that one huge word, “but.” But God showed kindness. “Kindness": not just a warm feeling on God's part, but His gracious action toward man that is a part of His nature. It is a term goodwill. It is the kind of good will that does not always take concern for self but thinks of other's wishes and needs. God showed kindness AND love.
How did he do it? Through the Holy Spirit. Three words describe the Spirit’s work. He washes, saves, and renews us. He cleans us up. These three things are done. They are accomplished once and for all by the Spirit. Our sins are washed away finally.
The Spirit Sets Men Free
John 8:36 “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
Romans 8:15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
In that moment, the Spirit saved you and regenerated you. But He also set you free. You are free from sin’s grasp, free from death’s control. The old sinful self has no power over you. You are free. You have a new relationship with Jesus and new power to defeat death and sin.
The Spirit He Cleanses
Romans 8:13 “For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.”
Jesus cleans the fish He catches. He washes the person who trusts Him.
Finally, the Spirit Adopts
Romans 8:15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
In that same moment you are adopted into the family of God. The Spirit testifies to your new position. Adoption is “the mighty work of God to take sinful people—enemies who are alienated and separated from him—and embrace them as beloved children into his family forever.”
You are God’s child. You are forever part of His family. In moments of doubt and fear, the Spirit reassures you of your place in the kingdom. The Spirit lets you know that you can cry daddy (abba).
RESPOND NOW!
How do you respond to the Spirit’s work. If you have not yet had that moment, today is your day. If you are not absolutely certain that you have had a time when you accepted the Spirit’s offer, know that His offer is as valid today as it has ever been.
Pray using your own words, but your prayer can sound like this:
Father, I know that I have sinned and am utterly helpless to fix my sin nature. I believe Jesus died on the cross to pay for my sin and rose from the dead. I ask you to come into my life and forgive me sin. I confess Jesus is Lord and desire to begin a life of following Him. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me.
If you pray those words from a sincere heart your moment occurs today. Right now. The Spirit does all the work we just described in that moment.
If you have made that decision, you have two responses: praise God for His work, praise Jesus for paying the price to bring you into life and praise the Spirit for His part in our salvation. Second, make sure the people around you have the same opportunity you have had. Tell them the truth.
