Do you find it difficult knowing who you are, why you are here, what you are doing with your life, what guides your decisions, and how you can make a difference? Your new nature is critical to aligning your life with God’s plans for you. In that very moment, when you repent of your sin that causes depravity or the corrupt human nature and receive Jesus Christ into your heart, the Holy Spirit creates in you a new nature, made to be like God in righteousness and true holiness. You are born again or regenerated, a new creature with a new nature. Becoming a new creation with a new nature is a component of salvation. Salvation is a gift from God. All you must do is receive it. The steps to obtain a new nature are outlined below. The action of Faith is the first step you must take.
According to the Bible, “So then Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”1For anyone to be born again, they must first hear the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that Jesus came into the world to save sinners.2 There are various ways people hear the word of God. Many people read the Bible to hear from God. Others hear God speak by listening to preachers. Still, some hear the gospel from godly parents or relatives. However, some hear God speak through visions, special revelation, or various circumstances in countries where the Bible is not allowed. When sinners hear God’s word, it builds conviction in their hearts. The Holy Spirit convicts sinners of their sins and calls them to repentance. What then is faith in this context? The operational definition of faith is to take God at His word and act on His commands and promises at face value. For example, when God says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” your response should be, “Yes, Lord, I acknowledge my sins.” Your response shows that you take God at His word by simply confirming what He says you are. That is the action of faith towards a new you. Below is the process of acknowledging your sin.
“For I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is ever before me.”3When God’s word and the Holy Spirit convict you of your sins,4 your immediate response must be to take God at His word and admit or accept your sins at face value by saying, “Yes, Lord, I admit that I am a sinner.” It is difficult, however, for many people to admit their sins, even to God. It takes humility and honesty to acknowledge our sin, yet most people would rather pretend to be strong. But you need not fear admitting your sin. He knows them already. He will not push you away, no matter what you’ve done. Instead, He will draw you to Himself. When you admit or accept that you are a sinner, the next step is to confess your sin to God.
According to the Bible, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”5 To confess your sin is to agree with God that he is right to declare what you have done a sin and that you are wrong to desire or to do it. It is to affirm your intention of abandoning that sin to follow Him more faithfully. For example, God’s word says, “There is none righteous, not one.” Your response must be, “Yes, Lord, I am not righteous; I am a sinner with a sinful nature, and I perform sinful actions.” Now, begin confessing your sins as stated above. Then the next step is to repent of your sins.
“And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that those Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay; but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. On those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinner above all men that doeth in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay, but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”6
Repentance is such an essential component of salvation. Repentance is required for you to experience the new nature. Jesus and the disciples preached repentance.7 What then is repentance? Repentance is turning away from sin and turning to Christ by faith. In repentance, you turn away from your self-centeredness and self-control and turn to Christ and to His control. Repentance fundamentally is an intellectual, emotional, and volitional change of mind about sin. Intellectually, you view sin as God sees it as a state of coming “short of the glory of God,”8and becoming depraved, guilty, and with a penalty of death. Emotionally, your sin-loving nature must change. You now express sorrow for your sin and a desire for forgiveness. Volitionally, you desire a change of will, disposition, and purpose to seek forgiveness and cleansing. Repentance is not a satisfaction you give to God, but a condition of your heart necessary before you can experience a new birth. Now that you have heard God’s Word about sin and have been convicted by the Holy Spirit, acknowledged, confessed, and repented of them, it is time to experience a new nature created to be like God in “righteousness and true holiness.”
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”9“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”10 “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”11 It is now time for you to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and receive power to become sons and daughters of God. As you receive Jesus into your heart, you receive eternal life. A simple confession with your mouth for salvation goes thus: Father God, thank you for sending your Son, Jesus Christ, for my salvation. Lord Jesus, thank You for Your suffering, death, burial, and resurrection for my salvation. I ask you to come into my heart and dwell. At that instant, you ask Jesus Christ to come into your life, and God sends the Holy Spirit of His Son into your heart.12 The Holy Spirit creates in you a new heart.13 and imparts to you a new nature created in righteousness and true holiness.14The Holy Spirit produces the moral character traits of Christ in you, including holiness, love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control, truth, and forgiveness.15 These moral character traits of Christ represent your worth, your identity, your real you, or who you are. They provide you with the capacity to know, worship, and commune with God. You are born again.16 You are a new creation, a brand-new person on the inside.17 You receive a new life, and you are no longer the same person. You are not being reeducated, reformed, or rehabilitated, nor simply turning over a new leaf; you are a new creation with a new nature, spiritually reborn and divinely transformed inside and out. You reflect the image and likeness of God in spiritual, moral, mental, social, healthy, and industrious dimensions (read “Understanding Who You Are”). You receive absolute authority and control over the earth to care for it responsibly and lovingly.
Simultaneously and instantaneously, many divine transformative events take place in your life. Your old sinful nature, that corrupt human nature, and the sin-loving nature are crucified with Christ.18 Your old “stony heart” is taken away and replaced with “a heart of flesh,”19 to generate God-centered issues of life.20God replaces your old spirit with a new spirit to be under the guidance, power, and influence of the Holy Spirit to direct your thoughts, words, actions, and enable you to live in holiness and righteousness before God all the days of your life.21 God declares you righteous, erases all your past and present sins, and grants you a new standing with Him. You are justified by faith to have power with God through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ,22 justified by grace,23 and justified by the blood of Christ.24 You come into a spiritual union with Christ.25 The life of Christ is your life. Now your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells in your heart, whom you receive from God as a gift; you are not your own property. God bought you with the precious blood of Jesus and made you His own. So then honor and glorify God with your body. 26 Your position in relation to God changes. God adopts you into His family as sons through faith in Jesus Christ.27 “And as children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ.”28
In summary, God is the source of your relationship with Christ. He is the source of your new nature, new creation, new life, or being born again, created to be like God in righteousness and true holiness. This relationship is personal and living. Your union and who you are in Christ result in having God’s Wisdom,29 being righteous,30 holy,31 and having the penalty for your sins paid by Jesus.32 Being born again is the foundation for a purpose-driven life – a life lived with a clearly defined meaning, intentionality, and direction where your decisions, actions, and goals align with your values. Being created to be like God is fundamental to adopting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, establishing a stable marriage and a strong family life, and modeling your daily life after Christ’s character traits. Now that you are born again, you can humbly answer the questions: Whose are you? Your origin is God. Who are you? Your worth and identity reflect Christ’s character traits. Why are you here? To serve God and humanity. What are you doing with your life? Choosing services that align with your core beliefs. What guides your decisions? The word of God- the Bible. How do you make a difference? You can impact your generation through services such as ministry work, clinical or public health work, and Justice.
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