In my last post, I highlighted the tragedy of having indescribable spiritual wealth but living in spiritual poverty. Since this post builds upon my last post, please read it before continuing.
Selfies at the Gym
If you want to see who humanity truly is in Adam, look no further than gym selfies.
If you work out at the gym or are on social media, you know exactly what I’m talking about. There’s always “that guy” with bulging biceps, ripped triceps, well-formed shoulders, and a chiseled chest flexing his muscles before a mirror.
These narcissists love to see their muscles ripple in the mirror’s reflection. They stand in awe of their perfectly sculpted physique. They even take selfies so their social media followers can stand in amazement with them. This is self-love at its finest.
Unlike egomaniacs at the gym, what if looking at ourselves in the spiritual mirror of the Word and liking what we see because of Christ was not only healthy but essential? What if meditating on what the Word says about our invisible spirits was a major key to living by Christ’s indwelling life?
See Your Spirit as He Sees It
The more I look at my spirit through the mirror of God’s Word, the more I like what I see (James 1:23-24). And unlike gym selfies, this is Christ-exalting and instrumental to walking in holiness, righteousness, and purity.
If you have never spent long hours looking at the glory of your born-again spirit in the mirror, I want to invite you to give it a try. Since you are quarantined and need something to do, how about learning to meditate on the glorious truth of Christ dwelling in you?
See your transformed spirit as He sees it—already alive, righteous, holy, and complete. See the glory of your new spirit because of Christ—already just like Him in this world. Gaze at Christ dwelling in your spirit and stand amazed.
If you want to live as a spiritual multimillionaire rather than a spiritual beggar, there’s three truths about your transformed spirit you need to meditate on. This will radically transform your life. Let’s look at these now.
1. You Spirit Is Born Again and Regenerated.
Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again” (John 3:7). What, exactly, does this mean? As Jesus explained, “That which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6).
The new birth, when God the Holy Spirit came to dwell within us, affected our spirits. It did not initially affect our souls or bodies. Knowing this pinpoints the part of us the indwelling Spirit has transformed.
Before you were born again, your spirit was dead in sin, cold toward Christ, and hostile to God (Eph. 2:1-5). Your spirit was dark, dead, and alienated from God’s uncreated, indestructible life (Eph. 4:18). Your self-life in your soul was the only life source you could live by. This meant you were controlled by the lusts in your body and the dictates of your soul.
But now, because Christ came to dwell within you, your spirit has been born again. You are a new creation. You now have a choice whether to live in the lusts of your flesh. You now have a choice whether to be led by human reasoning, fickle emotions, or stubborn self-will.
Paul said, “He saved us . . . by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit” (Tit. 3:5). When you put your faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross, your spirit was regenerated. Your spirit was completely renewed.
2. You Spirit Is Resurrected and Alive.
Paul said, “We have become united with Him . . . in the likeness of His resurrection” (Rom. 6:5).
The word united means “born together with, of joint origin; innate, implanted by birth or nature; grown together, united with.” I love the richness of this Greek word. It sheds light on our spiritual union with Christ.
When you were born again, your spirit was born together with the Spirit of Christ. As a result, your spirit has been united to Christ and to His resurrection. Your spirit has literally been raised from the dead.
This is why Paul said emphatically, “Consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 6:11). The word consider means to reckon, count, compute, calculate, count over. Simply put, it means to think deeply about the spiritual reality of Christ infusing your spirit with His uncreated, indestructible, resurrection life.
Leonard Ravenhill said, “Jesus did not come into the world to make bad men good. He came into the world to make dead men live.”
Meditate on this life-changing reality often: My spirit was dead but now it’s alive.
3. You Spirit Is Righteous, Holy, and Complete.
Notice carefully how Paul described your spirit: “Put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24). The new self is the new part of you. It’s your new spirit—born again, regenerated, resurrected, and alive.
Did you catch the life-transforming truth about your new spirit in this verse? Your new self—your new spirit—has been created in righteousness. Your new spirit has been created in holiness. This is in the past tense. The work in your spirit is complete. Your spirit is already holy and righteous. You don’t have to wait until you die and go to heaven to receive a holy and righteous spirit.
Paul said humans are body, soul, and spirit (1 Thes. 5:23). Scholars refer to this as the tripart nature of man. Putting this together with Ephesians 4:24, one third of you is already righteous and holy. One third of you is already like Jesus Christ.
When you see how the Word describes your born-again spirit, it changes everything. When you look in the spiritual mirror, you should love what you see. You are not merely a struggling sinner saved by grace. You are a saint—a holy one—whose spirit is righteous.
Pay special attention to the phrase has been created. The word created means to make habitable.
Catch this. God, when He regenerated your spirit and raised your spirit from the dead, created your spirit specifically for His habitation. Your spirit was divinely designed to be the dwelling place of the Spirit. When God recreated your spirit, He made it righteous and holy. One third of you is already righteous and holy.
This revelation alone has completely transformed my life.
Paul stressed this truth again, saying, “If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness” (Rom. 8:10). Think about this truth: Your spirit is alive because of righteousness.
Some protest the idea of our spirits already being righteous and holy. But consider this. Why would God recreate our spirits unrighteous and unholy? Furthermore, how could a holy and righteous God, by His Spirit, dwell in an unrighteous and unholy place?
To me, it’s pretty simple. When God recreated our spirits, He fashioned our spirits righteous and holy so His Spirit could dwell there. He specifically made our spirits habitable for Himself.
Hebrews 12:23 states, “The spirits of the righteous are made perfect” (emphasis mine). The word perfect means complete. God’s work in your spirit is complete.
When you were born again, the Holy Spirit instantly transformed your spirit and completed one-third of His work in you. Now His focus is on transforming and sanctifying your soul and body.
Meditate on Every Good Thing in You
When you meditate on every good thing within you because of Christ, your faith will be energized, activated, and powerful in action. This results in Christ’s indwelling life in your spirit becoming the life-source you live by.
No longer does your self-life in your soul remain the life-source you live by. No longer are the lusts in your body and the reasonings, emotions, and self-willed desires in your soul allowed to lead you. Rather, the faith of Christ in your spirit is activated. Your spirit is strengthened as the leader. And Christ’s indwelling life begins to flow outward into your soul and body.
In upcoming posts, I will list six more truths about your born-again spirit.
