That Which is Born of the Spirit is Spiritual

     

       That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born [gennao – received from God a new,         spiritual life] of the Spirit is spirit.                   John 3:6

In the context of John 3 and Jesus's conversation with Nicodemus, the above verse is not restricted to the believer's new position as a child of the King, but it also addresses his experience in walking with his Lord. According to Olshausen, “That which is begotten partakes of the nature of that which begat it.” Flesh is not the mere material body, but all that comes into the world by birth, the entire man. The flesh is opposed to the Spirit, denoting humanity in its corrupted, depraved condition, in entire subjection to the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2). Even if a man could enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, he would be no nearer this new birth than before. On the contrary, when Jesus says that which is born of the Spirit is spirit., He means that the fruit of the work of the Holy Spirit upon the inner man as a result of the believer’s faith is not just a moment in time, but is a lifestyle when the believer lives under His authority. Spiritual cannot come from flesh (human effort apart from God), but is only possible through the Holy Spirit. And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

Mindsets

For those who are according to [kata – after] the flesh set their minds on [present tense of phroneo – mindful of, devoted to] the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.                 Romans 8:5-8

What does it mean to live according to the sinful nature and according to the Spirit? In Romans 8, Paul explained that the former means keep on being mindful of or aspiring to or devoted to what that nature desires. An unbeliever cares only for his self-interests and has no regard for God. The exact opposite is true of those who live according to the Spirit. They aspire for or have their minds set on what the Holy Spirit desires. The sinful nature and the indwelling Spirit are in opposition to one another (Galatians 5:17).

So, what difference does it make whether a person is mindful of the flesh or of the Spirit? Paul explained. The mindset of the man of the flesh is death, that is, separation from God, or it leads to death in all its forms. On the other hand, the mind preoccupied with matters about the Spirit is (eternal) life and peace. The Greek word phroneo implies moral interest or reflection, not mere opinion, and involves the will, affections, and conscience. In verses 7-8, Paul focused only on the sinful mindset (aspirations of the sin nature) to explain why it ends up being separated from God: (1) It is hostile toward God; (2) it does not submit (present tense, "is not submitting") to the Law of Christ; and (3) it cannot do so. The result is that those controlled by the sinful nature cannot (present tense, "are not able to") please God. The unsaved lead lives that are totally void of spiritual life and ability. A believer, then, who gives in to his sin nature is acting like the unbeliever. Consider the following illustration:

Who are You Feeding?

One evening, a Cherokee Indian told his grandson about a battle raging inside him: "My son, it is between two wolves. One is evil: Anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good: Joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith."

The grandson thought about it and asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”  The old Cherokee replied, “The one that I feed.”

Reaping a Harvest 

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows [speiro – disseminates, works on behalf of his flesh], this he will also reap [therizo – harvest]. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.        .       Galatians 6:7-8

Each sower decides what his harvest will be. As John 3:6 so clearly states, flesh only produces more flesh; spiritual can only be found in and by the power and leading of the Holy Spirit. Proverbs 22:8 says, He who sows iniquity will reap vanity, and the rod of his fury will perish. Man’s first inclination in dealing with any matter is to resolve it himself through personal evaluation, yet apart from the Holy Spirit, he is governed by his limited natural ability.

Proverbs 23:7 says, "For as he thinks [saar – estimates so as to set a price on] within himself [nepes – inner thoughts and emotions], so he is. He says to you, ‘Eat and drink!’ But his heart [leb – inner self] is not with you.”

If a man spends his money to indulge the flesh, he will reap a harvest that will fade into oblivion. On the other hand, if he uses his funds to please the Spirit and promote his own spiritual growth, he will reap a harvest that will last forever. But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully (2 Corinthians 9:6). The Holy Spirit is the believer’s connection to the eternal. He does not evaluate (value) his activities based on sight.

Put on the New Self

that, in reference to your former [palaios – prior, previous] manner of life, you lay aside [apotithemi – renounce, lay down] the old self, which is being corrupted [phtheiro – spoiled] in accordance with the lusts [epithumia – carnal appetites] of deceit [apate – deceptive, seducing], and that you be renewed [ananeoo – passive middle infinitive, make new again] in the spirit of your mind [spiritual vitality], and put on [enduo – assume a new character] the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.                          Ephesians 4:22-24

The unrenewed man is not under the direction of reason and sound sense, but is controlled by his passions and desires. The Greek word epithumia denotes any passion or propensity of the heart. It may include avarice, ambition, the love of pleasure, or of gratification in any way; and the meaning here is that the heart is by nature under the control of such desires. As in the Romans 8 passage above, Paul contrasts the carnal (fleshly) life with the spiritual life as a proper mindset and a recognition of who accomplishes the work. The natural, unsaved condition of man was defined by his response to the carnal appetites that control him, to one degree or another. He is unable to discern that his environment represents the partnership between his self-interests (lusts) and the world system, controlled by the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4), who corrupts everything God intends for good. The believer’s victory into the spiritual is the assumption of a new character, in the likeness of God, as a result of a mind made new again by his interest in thinking with God, as supported by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.

A Higher Law

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to [kata – after] the Spirit.                     Romans 8:2-4 

Having concluded that the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, a higher law, gives freedom from the law of sin and of death, Paul then explains how it is achieved. He declares the impossibility of attaining freedom over sin through the old covenant, the Law of Moses. It was powerless to free man from sin. Not that the Law was weak in itself, for Paul recognizes it as good, holy, and righteous (Romans 7:12). But because of the sinful human nature, the Law could not deliver the believer from sin. The flesh can mean either human sinful corruption or human weakness. The higher law can only be realized as the believer walks in accordance with the Holy Spirit.

God accomplished deliverance over sin by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man. Jesus was sent not in sinful flesh but in the likeness of it. His human nature was protected and preserved from the indwelling principle of sin that has plagued all other human beings since Adam. He came to address sin. What He did was to condemn it; by His death on the cross, He condemned sin, passed a judicial sentence on it, so that those in Christ are not condemned (Romans 8:1). The goal of this was so that the righteous requirements of the Law could be fully met as believers do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Holy Spirit. Deliverance from the power of sin is through the death of Jesus Christ; experiencing it in one's daily conduct comes through the controlling power of the Holy Spirit.

In Christ

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found [heurisko – determined by God to be] in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law [self-righteousness], but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God based on faith, that I may know [ginosko – progressive knowledge by experience] Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.                 Philippians 3:7-11

The Apostle Paul used the terminology “in Him,” or “in Christ” more than 160 times to describe the new covenant relationship with God. It defines the perfect position Christ has accomplished on behalf of each believer and the foundation of an intimate connection between man and his Lord and Savior. More than just a description of a relationship, in Christ alludes to an organic, even an emotional connection between the believer and God. In John 14:11, Jesus said, Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. This organic connection is patterned and empowered by the intimacy between the Father and the Son. The night before His crucifixion, Jesus prayed to His Father, "I do not ask on behalf of these alone [disciples], but for those also who believe in Me through their word [that’s us!]; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:20-21).

Great Reward 

The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.                  Psalm 19:7-11

Studying Scripture is a holy work. God uses this time to cultivate this organic connection as a means of distinguishing whose life force underlies the believer's thoughts and actions. Getting to know God is getting to know His thoughts, and the Scriptures encapsulate His thoughts like nothing else. David wrote Psalm 19 to glorify God's work in creation (verses 1-6) and to appreciate His words and instructions to mankind. Approaching the Word of God as holy and absolutely true is the only means of understanding God’s thoughts. In 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Paul writes, For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe. Knowing Scripture tells us about God, but accepting his words as true brings each believer into the sanctuary, where He dwells. The religious man knows many Scriptures, but has no experiential knowledge of the Living God. 

The True Jew 

for we are the true circumcision, who worship in [by] the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.                         Philippians 3:3

The true Jew, the one who has been circumcised in his heart, by the Holy Spirit, is defined by Paul as having three primary characteristics: (1) his worship of God is motivated by the Holy Spirit and not religious requirements, (2) his glory (credit, boasting) is in Jesus, and (3) and most importantly, he places no confidence in his own abilities and strengths. In 2 Corinthians 12:9, God’s ability is perfected in man’s weakness.