One Spirit

This is not theological poetry — it is spiritual necessity. The Spirit of God could not fully unite with what was fallen, fractured, and spiritually dead. Something entirely new had to be born.  

Scripture tells us plainly, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). Jesus was not speaking metaphorically when He told Nicodemus that a person must be born again. He was stating a spiritual reality: flesh cannot produce spirit, and the old nature cannot host divine life. Union with God requires shared nature.  

This is why the gospel does not begin with behavior, but with rebirth. Paul writes, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Salvation is not God moving into our old self — it is God creating something new within us. The Spirit of God does not merely influence us from the outside; He comes to dwell within because something compatible has been created.  

The prophet Ezekiel foresaw this necessity long before Christ came: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you… and I will put My Spirit within you” (Ezekiel 36:26–27). Notice the order. God does not place His Spirit into the old heart. He gives a new spirit first, then places His Spirit within it. This was the only way true communion could exist.  

Without a new spirit, intimacy with God would remain external — rules, laws, commands written on stone. But the New Covenant is different.  “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free” (Romans 8:2). God’s desire was not compliance, but communion. Not distance, but union.  

This is why sanctification flows from identity, not effort. As the new spirit is progressively aligned with the Spirit of God, transformation follows naturally. Paul describes this process clearly: “We all… beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Sanctification is not striving to become godly; it is growing into alignment with the Spirit who already dwells within.  

The closer the union, the clearer the reflection. Over time, the characteristics of God begin to surface — love, patience, humility, self-control. Not because we are mimicking Christ, but because His life is being expressed through a regenerated spirit.  “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). That statement is only possible because a new spirit has made shared life possible.  

The old spirit could obey rules, but it could not host life. The new spirit does not merely follow God — it participates in Him.  “He who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him” (1 Corinthians 6:17). That verse is staggering. It does not say similar spirit. It says one spirit. This is the deepest mystery of the gospel and the greatest gift of salvation.  

This is also why spiritual maturity is not about becoming more religious, but more yielded. As we submit our thoughts, will, and desires to the sanctifying work of the Spirit, the union deepens.  We begin to live from the inside out, not driven by external pressure but guided by internal life.  “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Romans 8:14).  

The rebirth of the spirit was not optional — it was essential. Without it, union would be impossible. With it, communion becomes the foundation of everything. God did not save us to visit us occasionally; He saved us to dwell within us. And from that shared life, obedience, holiness, and Christlike character flow naturally.  

This is the reason the Spirit had to be reborn.  

This is the reason sanctification draws us closer and closer to God.  

This is the reason we can live not just for Him — but from Him.