From Flesh to Spirit: Why We Must Be Born Again

The Struggle Within and the New Birth of the Spirit

(Romans 7:7–25, John 3:1–8, Luke 5:36–39)

The Human Struggle

When we open Romans 7, we meet a raw and honest Paul. He describes a war inside himself; delighting in God’s Law with his mind, yet finding himself chained to sin in practice. His words resonate with us:

“For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:19) ESV

And finally, the anguished cry:

“Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24)

This is not just Paul’s confession. It is the testimony of every human being trying to be good in their own strength. The Law reveals God’s holiness and our sinfulness, but it cannot change our hearts. That’s why we need something deeper than forgiveness; we need new life itself.

The Law Is Holy, but We Are Not

Paul insists: “So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good” (Romans 7:12). The Law shows us what God requires.

But sin twists the commandment into temptation. The Law becomes a spotlight that exposes our failure but does not give us the power to overcome it. Like a mirror, it shows the dirt on our face, but it cannot wash us clean.

Paul describes humanity as “fleshly, sold under sin” (Romans 7:14). He knows what is right but cannot carry it out. This is the human condition apart from Christ:

The mind can admire God’s Law. The heart can even desire holiness. But the will and flesh remain bound.

This echoes Jesus’ words in Matthew 26:41:

“The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Finally Paul cries:

“Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24)

And the answer:

“Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25)

Deliverance comes, not from the Law, nor from human willpower, but from Christ. And this deliverance is not only forgiveness but transformation.

Why We Must Be Reborn of the Spirit

Jesus explained this to Nicodemus, a teacher of Israel who came to Him by night. Nicodemus knew the Law, but Jesus told him plainly:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)“Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5)

The old birth gives us human life, but human life is corrupted and enslaved. To enter God’s kingdom, we must receive a new birth; spiritual life; by the Holy Spirit.

Old Wine, New Wineskins

Jesus used another image:

“No one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins… New wine must be put into fresh wineskins.” (Luke 5:37–38)

The old wineskins are our old, fleshly nature. The new wine is the life of the Spirit. Trying to pour the Spirit’s new life into the old self doesn’t work; it bursts. The old cannot contain the new.

This is why new birth is essential. God doesn’t patch up the old person; He makes us new.

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Why Water Baptism Does Not Save

John the Baptist made this clear:

“I baptize you with water, but He who is mightier than I is coming… He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Luke 3:16)

Water baptism is a beautiful sign of repentance, but it cannot change the heart. It is like the ritual washings of the Pharisees:

“You clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.” (Matthew 23:25)

Water cleans the outside, but the Spirit cleanses within. Water can wash the body, but not the soul. The Spirit burns within, purifying motives, changing desires, making us alive to God.

This is why Peter later wrote:

“Baptism… now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 3:21)

Water points to something greater; the inward washing and renewal of the Holy Spirit.

Why Child Baptism Is Unnecessary

Some argue that infants should be baptized, but Scripture gives us a different picture. In Deuteronomy we read that children “have no knowledge of good or evil” (Deuteronomy 1:39). They cannot yet sin against the Lord knowingly, nor can they repent or believe in faith; and new birth requires both repentance and faith.

A newborn cannot confess Christ as Lord, cannot turn from sin, and cannot make the “appeal to God for a good conscience” that Peter speaks about. Baptism of the Holy Spirit comes through repentance and faith, and these are personal responses only an accountable heart can make.

Jesus Himself affirmed that children already belong to the kingdom of God: “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14). He did not say they must first be baptized, but that they already have a place in His kingdom.

Therefore, baptizing infants is unnecessary. They are innocent before God until they come to the age where they know good and evil. When they grow and understand their sin, then they too must repent, believe, and receive the new birth of the Spirit.

The Spirit of Fire and Life

Jesus doesn’t just cleanse us outwardly; He remakes us inwardly. Ezekiel foresaw this when God promised:

“I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you… And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes.” (Ezekiel 36:26–27)

This is why Paul says:

“The law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2)

The Kingdom of God Requires New Life

The message is consistent:

The flesh cannot please God (Romans 8:8). Without the Spirit, we cannot see or enter the Kingdom (John 3:5). New birth is not optional; it is essential.

To be reborn of the Spirit is to move from slavery to freedom, from death to life, from condemnation to justification, from despair to hope.

The question remains: how can we receive this new birth?

Repent and Believe “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.” (Acts 3:19) Acknowledge your sin and your inability to save yourself. Turn to Christ in faith.

Confess Jesus as Lord “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

Ask for the Spirit Jesus promised: “How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:13)

Pray simply: “Lord, make me new. Baptize me with Your Holy Spirit and fire.”

Walk in Newness of Life. New birth leads to a new walk: “We too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4) This means living daily by the Spirit’s power, not the flesh’s weakness.

A Prayer for New Birth in the Spirit

Lord Jesus, I confess that I cannot save myself. I see my sin and my weakness, and I turn to You. Thank You for dying for my sins and rising again to give me life. Wash me not only on the outside, but cleanse me within. Baptize me with Your Holy Spirit and fire. Make me new, give me a new heart, and write Your law upon it. From this day, I surrender my life to You as Lord. Fill me with Your Spirit so that I may walk in Your freedom and enter Your kingdom.

Amen.

God’s Promise to You “But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12) “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

If you prayed this sincerely, you can trust these promises: you belong to Christ, you are forgiven, and His Spirit dwells in you.

Love, Truth, and the Unshakable Foundation

(Luke 6:27–49)

Radical Love in a World of Hate

Jesus said: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:27–28).

That sounds impossible. The world tells us to fight back, to hate harder, to curse louder. But Christ calls us higher: “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:36).

This kind of love isn’t natural. It only comes through the Holy Spirit.

But How, When Global Babylon Screams “War on Terror”?

The so-called “war on terror” is an oxymoron. You can’t fight terror with terror. A war on terror only breeds more terror. It creates enemies where there were none, fuels hatred, and gives the rich another excuse to profit from bloodshed.

Fear is their currency. Division is their weapon. As long as we’re angry at each other, the powerful keep getting richer.

How can we love our enemies when the powerful work tirelessly to manufacture new ones?

How can we see clearly when we’re bombarded with images, slogans, and advertising designed to enslave us? The media tells us who to hate. The corporations tell us what to buy. The culture tells us how to live.

This is the nature of Babylon’s political and religious system.

It’s all a flood of noise meant to keep us fearful, greedy, lustful, and distracted.

But Jesus said, “If your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light” (Luke 11:34). Without the Spirit of God, our eyes go dim. With the Spirit, the lies lose their power. We begin to see through the schemes.

Without the Spirit, people stumble into sin and then into the confessional booth. But a booth cannot wipe sins clean. That system keeps people chained to an institution, always coming back for another ritual instead of receiving real freedom.

The Word says, “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him” (1 John 3:9).

So why are so many still going to confession?

• Either they have never been filled with the Holy Spirit, or

• Their sins were never wiped clean in the first place. Only God forgives sin.

And if sins remain, the Spirit cannot dwell there. “New wine must be put into fresh wineskins” (Luke 5:38). Good people remain enslaved because they’re trying to pour the Spirit into the old self.

Freedom the World Can’t Touch

When you walk in the Spirit, you can’t be bought, brainwashed, or enslaved.

• Advertising loses its grip because you’ve found contentment in Christ.

• Club anthems lose their pull because the Spirit gives you deeper joy.

• Propaganda loses its sting because you’ve been taught to love, not hate.

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23). Against these, no power on earth can stand.

The rich hate this. They can’t manipulate Spirit-filled people. They can’t sell to us. They can’t scare us. And they can’t control us.

Jesus said, “No good tree bears bad fruit… for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:43–45).

If your heart is filled with fear and lust, your life will show it. If your heart is filled with the Spirit, your life will shine with love and peace.

The rulers of this age want you fearful and sinful; easy to control. But Christ fills you with freedom they cannot take.

Build on the Rock, Not the Sand

Jesus ends with this: those who hear His words and obey are like a man building on the rock. The storms came, but the house stood. Those who hear and do not obey are like a man building on sand. The flood came, and it collapsed. (Luke 6:46–49).

The storms will come. Propaganda. Temptation. War. Fear. Crisis. Only a life built on Christ will stand.

How to Live This Out

1. Resist propaganda with truth. Let God’s Word shape your mind.

2. Resist consumerism with contentment. Christ is enough.

3. Resist hatred with love. Pray for your enemies.

4. Resist sin with holiness. Say no to the cravings the world sells.

5. Build on Christ. Obey His words, not just hear them.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, open our eyes to the schemes of this world. Break the chains of propaganda, greed, and lust. Wash us clean by Your blood; not by rituals of men. Fill us with Your Spirit so we cannot be enslaved or manipulated. Make us merciful as You are merciful. Let our lives be built on the rock of Your truth. Amen.

Peace & Love to all