People become ‘born again’ for various reasons. Some took the step because they were tired of sins, fear of hell, the bandwagon effect, lure of heaven, and desire to experience the workings of the Holy Spirit. These and many more are the reasons men think they are born again. Nevertheless, you did not become ‘born again’ by yourself but it was God at work in you (1 Corinthians 12:3).
The reason God ensured you are ‘born again’ is that you might partake in the glory of Christ.
But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 NIV
Men see those reasons but the Spirit of God was at work to fulfill God’s purpose. The body and mind could only attempt to interpret what the Holy Spirit was doing as those reasons. However, your spirit could understand the actual thing happening. The Holy Spirit dealt with your spirit. While your mind was trying to rationalize what was happening to your spirit, it attached it to a knowledge possessed. Someone who has never known about hell before would not rationalize this experience to ‘escape from hell’. The mind rationalized the experience based on the information at his disposal, the feelings and knowledge acquired all along and concludes that must be what was happening to his spirit. However, your spirit understands that God was at work so that you might share in Christ’s glory.
The Holy Spirit was at work to help you obtain your share in that glory and your spirit responded. While your mind was giving you reasons, your spirit was actually responding to that clarion call to partake in this indescribable glory. You were called to share in this glory. Every other thing in between are just by the way. They are bus stops on your way to your glorification. All the other things you focus on are signposts and bus stops so that you might arrive at your destination of Christ’s glory. Even, fulfilling your destiny is just a path to your glorification. You living to fulfill purpose are just on your way to obtain this glory. They are means and not the end. The reason you are crossing to another world after this is to go and obtain Christ’s glory.
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:16-17 NIV
Whatever the Son inherits, you will also inherit. If God has given Jesus his glory to inherit, we will inherit same, since we are co heirs with Jesus. We have been made co heirs with Jesus not junior partners. In law and accounting firms, they do have junior partners and senior partners. This means that the seniors have more privileges than the juniors do. However, when we say we are co-partners, it means we do not have any edge over one another.
You need to understand what God has done for you when you are born again. You have been given the same privilege due to Jesus. What he goes through, you will go through the same because you are co heirs. A difference in privileges suggest being on different cadre. God has made Jesus the heir and called you the co heir. In other words, whatever is given to Christ has also been given to you. One vital thing Christ inherited is the glory.
You were ‘born again’ to obtain this glory but the full assurance of obtaining it is Christ living in you (Colossians 1:27). Dictionary limits this glory to splendor and majesty. The glory we are called to share in is more than splendor and majesty. This glory is the full nature of God (Colossians 2:9). God is a spirit, but what was bequeathed on Jesus was that in a bodily form God was fully inside him. John, Peter and James saw his glory on the mount before Jesus’ death but all the apostles saw it after the resurrection.
This glory cannot be explained in details. Nevertheless, we have the first fruits of this glory. First fruit suggest the first set of harvest before the whole harvest is done. It is the first package you get. This means there will be others. First fruit suggest there will be second fruits, third fruits and so on. First fruit is simply the first out of many fruits. The Holy Spirit is called first fruit in this glory we are talking about.
Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. Romans 8:23 NIV
And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us. Romans 8:23 NLT
The Holy Spirit is also called a foretaste. The foretaste is the first taste, which you taste before the main meal. It is that little part you eat before the main meal, which makes you to anticipate the main meal. The Holy Spirit is the foretaste of God’s glory coming upon us. As much as you are enjoying the Holy Ghost, he is not the main meal but a taste before the main.
Having admission into an institution does not guarantee graduation, though, the admission was granted with graduation in view. The Admission letter is not meant for display but to graduate in that course written on the admission letter. Despite being ‘born again’ to share in this glory, it is not a guarantee that you will share. The guarantee that you will share in this glory is Christ in you. The full assurance is not because you are born again. The full assurance is Christ in you. The assurance of being coheirs with Christ lies in Christ living in you.
Jesus laid claim that God has given him his glory before the beginning though he had to suffer many things to enter into it. Jesus suffered a lot to enter that glory (Luke 24:26). Jesus must suffer a lot through everybody that will enter that glory. People that will enter this glory must suffer many things. To suffer a lot does not translate to hunger or lack. It means to go through things that hitherto you would not have gone through. It is passing through experiences you will not have passed through if you have your way.
If Jesus had his way, he will not die on the cross. He begged God for it to be changed. After all, he could have shed his blood in another way; he could have donated his blood. However, God made sure it was that way and Jesus went through it. He passed through things he would normally not have wanted to pass through. If you must enter the glory, Christ must suffer through you to enter that glory. He will only go through those experiences by him living in you.
Before Christ lives in anybody, that person must have been crucified with him, buried with him and raised up with him into a new life (Galatians 2:19-20). If you are not dead, you cannot be born again. You must be crucified. This is different from having a church background, baptism, activities in church, positions and titles. It is about having a genuine encounter. People do many activities for God without a personal encounter with God. Have you come to that stage in your life where you are crucified with Christ?
Except the old man is crucified, the new man cannot rise inside you. Christ cannot start living in you except you crucify the former man. If the old man is still in charge, Christ will not struggle. Only one man owns a land at a particular time. The other man will only be trespassing. Jesus will not trespass. He will wait until you relinquish the right of that land to him before he takes over. Have you actually crucified the old man? Have the old man of sin been nailed to the cross.
Paul said it was no longer he living because he had been crucified. A crucified person does not live. A crucified man is on the cross, no more available. The person around now is Christ inside the crucified person’s body. If Smith has actually been crucified then the Smith you see is actually Christ living inside Smith’s body. The task before us is to make sure that we are no longer the one living but Christ living through our bodies. If it is Christ who lives in us, then he decides what we do.
A simple check to know who lives in our bodies is who is making the decisions. Christ must take every decision we make. That is why we call him Lord; he takes the decision, not us. This includes the small matters and not just the supposed big ones. To be assured of this glory, you must do away with the you in you and allow Christ to settle in fully.
