What Happened When I Believed?

Nearly 54 years ago, I knelt and asked Jesus to come into my life, surrendering my hopes and dreams for the future to him. And nothing has ever been the same. But what was it that took place on that night back in August of 1971?

A Legal Transaction

While we use many descriptive terms to describe what happened when I believed, it seems we can divide them into two distinct activities.  The first of these might be termed a legal transaction.

My sins have been forgiven. I have been justified—declared righteous. And I have been reconciled to God. These are not three different events as much as three different ways to describe the same thing. Because of my faith in the shed blood of Jesus on the cross, God declares me to be righteous, restoring me to fellowship with him.

But if that were all that took place, I would still be separated from the life of God. No real change has happened in my life apart from a judicial declaration.

Born Again

The second set of terms describes a more important change that happened when I came to faith in Jesus. I was born again, adopted into the family of God, and became a new creation. This is much more than a legal transaction. It is a fundamental change in who I am.

I was born as a creature of this earth. Formed of dust and destined to return to the dust. But when I confessed Jesus as Lord, I became more than a creature of flesh and blood. I experienced a spiritual birth (John 3:3-9) and became a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). I was no longer the person I had been. I had passed from death to life, eternal life (John 5:24).

These are more than just words that we say. They are expressing a new reality that is mine. I am a child of God, born of His Spirit. Right now. There is much more to come when Jesus returns (1 John 3:2). I am not what I was.

A Reversal from the Garden Fall

The third chapter of Genesis relates humanity’s fall in the garden. Adam had been told he would die on the day he ate from the forbidden tree. Adam did not die physically that day, but he did die spiritually. He was cut off from the life of God.

When I was born again, that process was reversed. I was spiritually dead, but now I am alive (Eph. 2:5, Col. 2:13). My flesh will grow old and eventually die. But the spirit born in me will live on and eventually be reunited with a new body.

Care and Feeding of the New Me

In the same fashion that my flesh grew and matured as I fed and exercised it, my spirit grows from infancy to maturity as I feed and exercise it. However, while the growth of my physical body happens with little conscious thought, developing my spirit requires a conscious effort. It does not happen by accident.

The new spirit born in me is essentially a baby. And, unless it is fed and exercised, it will remain a baby, or maybe even die. So, how do I go about feeding and exercising my spirit?

It is important to realize that the human me cannot do that alone. But the Holy Spirit living within me can and will guide me in the process. But it has to be something I want and am willing to work at.

Feeding on the Word

My physical health is determined to some extent by what I eat. The better the food I consume, the more likely I am to be healthy. My spiritual health is the same. The better the food I consume, the better my spiritual health will be.

God’s word is the best food I can take in for my spiritual health. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us that the Scripture is given to help us grow and develop toward maturity in our faith and usefulness to God.

But it is not enough just to read it occasionally. The more time you invest in the Scripture, the better. But it is not enough just to read it. Meditate on it, allowing God’s Spirit to teach you from it.

You can also profit from reading other books and listening to studies and sermons. But they are no substitute for personal study of the Scripture itself.

Exercising the Spirit

As vital as it is, reading and meditating on the Scripture is not enough. You need to put into practice what you have learned (Jam. 1:22-25).

Your old nature will resist doing that. What the Spirit teaches us from the Scripture is often contrary to what my flesh wants to do. I have to choose to obey the Spirit rather than my own desires. Each time I do, my spirit grows stronger. The more I choose the way of the Spirit, the easier it will become, and the stronger my spirit will grow.

I Am Now an Alien

We tend to picture aliens as beings from another planet. And, in a way, that is what I became in 1971. I was no longer just of this world. My citizenship was in another place. I became what Peter called a foreigner or alien (1 Pet. 2:11).

I am living here as a temporary resident, holding a “Green Card” that allows me to live here, even while having citizenship in the kingdom of God. Someday, my time here will come to an end. And when that occurs, I will go to my real home.