Here is a distinct statement of a radical change, so radical as to be likened to a new birth in order that we may enter the kingdom of God.  What is it that is born?  Christ says, “A man.”  But what is a man?  We regard a man as having a mind, a heart and a body.  There is no perfect man where any of these elements is lacking.  If, therefore, a man is born again, he must be born in mind, in heart, in body.  How is this birth accomplished?  Let us see what the Word says.  “But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name:  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12, 13).

God gives all things—­sometimes directly, sometimes through an agent.  The Holy Spirit is the agent.  “Born of water and the Spirit.”  But an agent often works through an instrument.  What is the instrument?  The word of God.  “Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently; having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which liveth and abideth” (1 Pet. 1:22, 23).

How can the word of God accomplish the new birth?  By the only way that words can accomplish any change—­by being heard, understood, and influencing the life.  The Holy Spirit puts himself into the words that contain his motives, actions and promises.  How can this be done!  Just as man does it.  Years ago the prophet Mohammed put his spirit into the words, “There is one God, and Mohammed is his prophet.”  When a man reads these words and believes and acts upon them, the spirit of Mohammed enters into that man and dwells there as long as the man continues true to those words.  The only way to take the spirit of Mohammed out of those words is to transpose them so they will not say what he said.

George Washington put his spirit into the sentence, “United we stand, divided we fall.”  As long as the American people are true to the above words, the spirit of George Washington will live in them.  But make the same words read, “Divided we stand, united we fall,” and the spirit of Washington is removed from them.  The only way to take the Spirit of God from the word of God is to add to, take from or transpose the Word so it will not say what the Spirit said in it.

“Well,” says one, “if we are born of the Spirit operating through the Word, must we not understand all the Word in order that we may be born again?” No, the apostle limits the part of the Word we must understand in verse 25 of this same chapter:  “This is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.”  Let us now endeavor to learn how the gospel produces this change.  How is the mind born again!  In order to learn this we must understand what is the normal condition of the mind of the unregenerate.  In general we may say it is in a state of unbelief.