THE WAR WITHIN BORN AGAIN BELIEVERS!

THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN BORN AGAIN BELIEVERS!

THE NEW BIRTH!

John 3:3-6 - Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.  Nicodemus said unto Him, How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born of water (the first birth - a physical birth - when the mother's water breaks) and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; AND that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  [Note:  "And," not "but."  The Spiritual is added to the physical.]

John 14:16-17 - And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; Whom the world cannot receive, because it sees Him not, neither knows Him:  but you know Him; for He dwells with you, and shall be in you.

Acts 1:1-5 - The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after that He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments unto the apostles whom He had chosen:  to whom also He showed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:  and, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, said He, you have heard of Me.  For John truly baptized with water; but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence.  [Note:  The disciples would be filled with the Spirit ten days later.]

Acts 2:1-4 - And when the Day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues (languages), as the Spirit gave them utterance.

BORN AGAIN BELIEVERS "LEAK!"

Although the Apostle Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, he was again in Acts 4:8.  The Apostle Paul was filled in Acts 9:17, and again in Acts 13:9.  Paul tells born again believers that they are to "be filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18).  "Be filled" is present tense, passive voice, and imperative mood; so, we are to "are commanded to continually allow the Spirit to fill us!"

THERE IS A WAR WITHIN ALL BELIEVERS!  WE STILL SIN!

Note the present tense words in the following passage:

Romans 7:14-25 - For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.  For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.  If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me.  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh), dwells no good thing:  for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me.  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:  but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.  O wretched man that I am!  Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.  So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

1 John 1:8-10 - If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us.

THE SURE HELP IN OUR STRUGGLE WITH SIN!

Psalm 119:11 - Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.