What Happens When A Person Is Born Again?

II Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

I was speaking to Bill Wommack about AA.  I told him I did not believe alcoholics had to be classified as alcoholics all their lives, that they could overcome alcohol, just as a drug addict can overcome his drug addiction.  I use the above scripture, and he agreed.  He told me there was such a thing as a “dry drunk”.  This is a person who has not really overcome his addiction, but simply refuses, by his own strength and determination, to not drink anymore.  These people never have the victory over their addiction, but are continually pulled toward that addiction.  The person that trust Christ to take their addiction away, is fully recovered, and their addiction is repulsive to them, they are not drawn to it. 

I.    Repentance and Faith.

A.     Luke 13:2 - And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered such things?  I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 

1.       Every saved person has come to see they are not different from anybody else.

2.       All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

B.     Matt. 3:2 - Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 

C.     Acts 3:19 - Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. 

D.     Acts 8:22 - Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. 

E.      Acts 17:30 - And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all m en everywhere to repent. 

F.      Acts 16:31 - Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. 

G.     Rom. 10:10 - For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 

II.    Justified - Rom. 5:1.

A.     Rom. 3:24 - Justified freely by the grace of God through the blood of Jesus Christ.  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 

B.     Rom. 5:9 - Justified by his blood.  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 

C.     Justification includes pardon, eternal life.

1.       Rom. 5 :16 - The free gift is of many offences unto salvation.  And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 

2.       Luke 18:9-14 - The publican received eternal life and was justified.

III.    Sanctified - Set aside in salvation.

A.     II Thess. 2:13 - Chosen to salvation through sanctification.  But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 

B.     I Peter 1:1,2 - It is through sanctification of the Spirit that we're saved.  Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. 

C.     Progressive sanctification – John 17:17 - Jesus said we are sanctified through truth - thy word is truth.

IV.    Sin is forgiven - past, present, and future.

A.     I John 3:1-5 – Verse 5 – They are "taken away".  This is the purpose of Christ's coming.   And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. 

B.     I John 2:12 - They are "forgiven" for the sake of Christ, not for our sake.  I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake. 

C.     I John 1:7 - They are "cleansed".  The sin is not washed and left in us, but the sin is completely removed by the blood of Jesus Christ.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 

D.     Old Testament.

1.       Ps. 32:1 - Our sins are covered.  Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 

2.       Micah 7:19 - Our sins are cast into the sea of forgetfulness.  He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. 

3.       Micah 7:18 - our sins are pardoned, or passed by.  Rom. 3:25 - Referring to Old Testament Saints.  Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. 

4.       Ps. 103:12 - Our sins are removed as far as the east is from the west.  (not as far as the north is from the south!)  As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. 

5.       Is. 44:22 - Our sins are blotted out.  I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee. 

6.       Is. 38:17 - Our sins are cast behind God's back (as if God is walking away, not looking back).  Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. 

7.       Jeremiah 31:34 - Our sins are not remembered any more.  And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. 

V.    Our mind is toward God.  Not that we don't live in the world or think about the world, but that we look at the world the way God looks at it.

A.     II Corinthians 5:17 - He is a new creature.

1.       Rom. 2:29 - An inward change, in the heart, nothing in the flesh.  But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. 

2.       Rom. 10:10 - Believe in the heart, not just the facts of the gospel.

B.     Given the Holy Spirit.

1.       Rom. 8:9 - If we don't have the Holy Spirit, we aren't saved.

2.       Rom. 5:5 - Holy Spirit is given to us, which produces love in us.

C.     We have the love of God in our hearts.

1.       I John 4:7 - Everyone that loveth is born of God.

2.       I John 3:14 - We love the brethren when we're saved.

3.       I John 3:15 - If we don't love the brethren, we're lost.

D.     We are dead to sin.

1.       Rom. 6:2 - When we're dead to sin, we won't live in it.  (For very long at least!)

2.       Rom. 6:14-17 - Since we have "initial" salvation in the heart, we will continue in grace.