Becoming a Christian (experiencing the new birth in Christ) transforms each individual who experiences it. In his letter to the Ephesian Christians, the Apostle Paul explains the supernatural experience of being born again from above by accepting Jesus Christ as one’s personal Lord and Savior. In the second chapter of the Ephesian letter, the Apostle explains that while we “were by nature the children of wrath” (Eph. 2:3) and “dead in sins,” God “quickened us together with Christ” (Eph. 2:5).
When we respond to the Holy Spirit’s convicting work and confess our sins and accept Christ as our personal savior, He regenerates us through the work of the Holy Spirit. Through this miraculous process, God makes the Christian (Jew and Greek) “a new man” (Eph. 2:15). The word the Apostle Paul uses is the Greek word for “new” of a totally new and different kind.
Subsequent to the coming of the Holy Spirit in a new and mighty way at Pentecost, these “new men” were indwelt with God’s Holy Spirit in a never-before-experienced way. A supreme example of the difference Pentecost made is the astounding difference between the confused and uncertain Apostle Peter before Pentecost and the commanding and confident Peter who preached so eloquently at Pentecost. It was as if Peter had gone into a spiritual telephone booth and put on a spiritual Superman suit!
The point is that after Pentecost, God had created a new kind of man who did not exist before the coming of the Holy Spirit to personally indwell twice-born men.
It is terribly important that we understand this critically important point. Why? Because only such twice-born men and women are going to be able to fulfill their assigned biblical roles in Holy Matrimony. Only such a twice-born man can consistently agape love his wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it.
Only a woman who has been born again from above is going to be able to put herself consistently under the spiritual leadership of her husband.
Becoming a born-again Christian (a “new” kind of man or woman), should transform all of our relationships if we are surrendered to the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives.
Another spiritually important relationship that is transformed by the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives is the pastor-church member relationship. In fact, there are close parallels between the New Testament pastor-church member relationship and the model used for the husband-wife relationship.
When God gives instructions to the pastor or pastors of the local church assembly, He has Peter tell them not to “lord over” God’s flocks, but to be good shepherds, loving and serving the people (I Pet. 5:1-5).
When God talks to church members He admonishes church members to “submit yourselves” (Heb. 13:17) to the local congregation’s spiritual leaders “who have spoken unto you the word of God” (Heb. 13:7). The “submit yourselves” is the same verb in the same unusual middle or reflexive tense that is used for wives submitting themselves to their own husbands as unto the Lord (Eph. 5:22).
Becoming a born-again Christian should change every relationship in our lives, and God never commands us to do something that, with His help, we cannot do.
Dr. Richard Land, BA (Princeton, magna cum laude); D.Phil. (Oxford); Th.M (New Orleans Seminary). Dr. Land served as President of Southern Evangelical Seminary from July 2013 until July 2021. Upon his retirement, he was honored as President Emeritus and he continues to serve as an Adjunct Professor of Theology & Ethics. Dr. Land previously served as President of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (1988-2013) where he was also honored as President Emeritus upon his retirement. Dr. Land has also served as an Executive Editor and columnist for The Christian Post since 2011.
Dr. Land explores many timely and critical topics in his daily radio feature, “Bringing Every Thought Captive,” and in his weekly column for CP.
