The Holy Spirit and the New Birth

Student Pastor Eric Wischmann opened Week 5 of "Ruach to Pneuma" by reflecting on the birth of his daughter Ivy in April and how becoming a father, as becoming a husband and a pastor before it, exposed his weakness and reminded him of the cycles we carry and pass down, good and bad. He named struggles many of us feel powerless against, including anger, insecurity, addiction, and arrogance, and asked how we break these cycles. His answer was that cycles are not broken by trying harder; they are broken when God makes someone new. Turning to John 3, Pastor Eric walked through three truths about the new birth: its necessity, its means, and its gift.

Pastor Eric then explained the new birth as a gift. Jesus pointed Nicodemus to Ezekiel's promise of a new heart and new spirit, and to the bronze serpent in the wilderness, where dying people were healed by looking in faith at what God lifted up. In the same way, Jesus would be lifted up on the cross, and whoever believes in Him has eternal life from the moment of belief. This gift is unconditional and undeserved, purchased entirely by Christ, and adding any of our own credit denies the sufficiency of His work and the Spirit's work. He closed by saying we are no longer slaves to sin. The cycles that have felt unstoppable can end because the Spirit now lives in us, and the church should live so changed that others notice, as people who take responsibility for their sin, seek help, and live as new creations in Christ.