Kevin Martin
Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Ezekiel 36:25-27 NKJV
A Living Soul
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. Genesis 2:7
God, who is Spirit, breathed the Spirit of Life into a clay form and a living soul was formed within the clay body which became human flesh.
God, as Spirit, fellowshipped with the soul in human flesh – now a walking thinking, talking body with a soul and a spirit: Man.
That man was a living soul whose core was the spirit breathed into him from God; a living soul able to choose life or death. In choosing the tree of knowledge they, man and woman, chose to trust themselves to make good choices, instead of choosing to trust their Creator. They were warned, but believing the deceiver, rather than God, they unwittingly chose death.
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. Romans 5:12-16 NKJV
At Conception
At conception God breathes spirit life into each one and soul forms as the body forms. At birth we are complete, innocent and able to choose.
At one point or another we all choose our way over God’s way; we all sin in Adam.
As we grow, Holy Spirit presents Jesus as the only answer to our sin nature. Some choose Jesus.
At the New Birth
At the new birth God replaces our stony heart, that chose sin, with a New Heart that is able to say, “No!” to sin and “Yes!” to righteousness.
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, Titus 2:11, 12 NIV
Jesus said, “You’re absolutely right. Take it from me: Unless a person is born from above, it’s not possible to see what I’m pointing to—to God’s kingdom.” John 3:3 MSG
The sin nature is replaced with a new nature, born from above; able to partake of His nature.
as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 2 Peter 1:3, 4 NKJV
But deeper still, the spirit that had been corrupted by sin – dies; as seen in water baptism. Then as in resurrection, coming out of the water, God gives a new spirit and joins the Holy Spirit, plus Jesus and Father God, Himself, with the new spirit.
The New Spirit
Our New Spirit is breathed into us by God and sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13 NKJV), Who becomes One with our new human spirit.
But the one who joins himself to the Lord is mingled into one spirit with him.
1 Corinthians 6:17 TPT
They are one in purity, true holiness, righteousness and perfect in Christ.
(1 Corinthians 1:30 NKJV)
The Stony Hearts
The stony heart has been replaced.
Remember the Disciples’ hearts were often described as hard. (Mark 8:17 NKJV)
Even after He appeared to them after He had risen from the dead.
Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. Mark 16:14 NKJV
Also remember that even after Peter’s spirit had been born-again and his stony heart had been replaced by the new heart of flesh, he still had moments of carnality. Paul had to rebuke Peter’s insult to the Gentiles in Antioch. (Galatians 2:14 NKJV) Peter’s new heart understood the rebuke and was thankful for Paul’s correction, because with a new heart and a new spirit his nature was also new.
Hearts of Flesh
Now believers have hearts of flesh. The new heart, like the stony heart was, is within the soul. The soul is where we make choices (free will) based on what we think (mind) or what we feel (emotions). It is separate from our new spirit.
Ezekiel 36:26 NKJV See page 1 above.
With a New Heart of Flesh – we gain a new start able to choose righteous thoughts and actions. (Titus 2:11, 12 NIV See above.)
This new heart of flesh knows Jesus and does not want to sin. The problem is the new heart has to learn to discern which options are from the world (Satan’s choice) and which are according to God’s Word and / or the leading of Holy Spirit.
Satan Doesn’t Give Up
We are still able to choose sin and death. Romans 8:2 TPT and
Don’t you realize that grace frees you to choose your own master? But choose carefully, for you surrender yourself to become a servant—bound to the one you choose to obey. If you choose to love sin, it will become your master, and it will own you and reward you with death. But if you choose to love and obey God, he will lead you into perfect righteousness. Romans 6:15, 16 TPT
Satan doesn’t give up. He still uses deception to counter faith with unbelief, cause us to draw back into sin and convince some that the New Birth never occurred. Or that they will never live up to it.
This is the unfortunate reality of being trained to live in Law based righteousness. (Rom 10:1-4 TPT) When we fail, not knowing that our spirits remain pure and perfect, (Heb 12:23 NKJV) we dwell on our failures and are deceived into condemning our selves.
BUT GOD
But if the new believer is properly taught in the truth, they can recognize deception and stay in fellowship with Jesus and Father God
So we proclaim to you what we have seen and heard about this Life-Giver
so that we may share and enjoy this life together. For truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus, the Anointed One. 1 John 1:3 TPT
And stay in relationship with strong believers; growing, maturing – beholding the image of Christ from glory to glory.
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV
One Essential Truth which anchors the new believer or even older believers, who sometimes waver, is this: though our heart of flesh may choose wrongly at times, and sin, that’s not our new nature.
The Blood of Jesus
Any sin of the new believer has been atoned for and forgiven in full through the blood of Jesus – Once and For All!
how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Hebrews 9:14 NKJV
And then he said, “God, I will be the One to go and do your will.” So by being the sacrifice that removes sin, he abolishes animal sacrifices and replaces that entire system with the new covenant. By God’s will we have been purified and made holy once and for all through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus, the Messiah! Hebrews 10:9, 10 TPT
The new spirit, sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise is not affected by that sin. It remains pure, holy, righteous and perfectly joined to Holy Spirit, Jesus and Father God, Who is not angry!
Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. 2 Corinthians 1:21, 22 NKJV
But sin does grieve the heart of God when it gives the devil an open door to persuade the believer to turn away from Him.
When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. Matthew 13:19 NKJV
But by God’s grace we are able to stay anchored in Christ.
We look away from the natural realm and we fasten our gaze onto Jesus who birthed faith within us and who leads us forward into faith’s perfection. His example is this: Because his heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be his, he endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation, and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God! Hebrews 12:2 TPT
What we believe makes all the difference!
Take heart, Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith. He is the keeper and sustainer of our souls. (Hebrews 12:2 NKJV)
You were like sheep that continually wandered away, but now you have returned to the true Shepherd of your lives—the kind Guardian who lovingly watches over your souls. 1 Peter 2:25 TPT