We often talk about [being born again] as
becoming a new creature in Christ, drawing on the language of Paul when he
said, “therefore if any man be in Christ, He is a new creature” (2 Cor. 5:17).
But what does it mean to be born again or become a new creature in Christ? . .
. I believe that being born again means that the power of the Atonement enters
your being through the Holy Ghost and changes your nature into something more
godly. It means that by the grace of God the person you were before is gone,
and some aspect of your character or nature becomes more heavenly. Soon after
that experience the strongest effect of it will begin to disperse . . .
Consider the group Ezekiel was talking to. In his day, Israel had been
incredibly wicked, repeatedly ignoring the Lord’s requests and warnings. Few of
us could possibly have done as many wrong things as had Israel. Yet even if we
have, hear what the Lord promises Israel: “Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord
God; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the
countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.
And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things
thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence. And I will hem one heart,
and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart, and I
will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their
flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh” (Ezek. 11:17-19).
What a wonderful promise! Wherever we are
spiritually, God is trying to gather us in to Him if we will just put our
sinful things away. We will be given a new heart! There is nothing more we can
ask for. If we want to be exalted, we have to understand that exalted beings
have a different nature, a different heart. Through the power of the Atonement
we can have our natures changed, our hearts remade. And to heighten its wonder,
this is a promise extended to a wicked people—a people who had rejected the
word of God and were in the midst of experiencing vast punishment. If God
extends such hope to them, how much more must He extend to each of us in our
own lives? The Lord’s message, delivered through Ezekiel, is one of hope and
promise. (Kerry Muhlestein, Return Unto
Me: Old Testament Messages of God’s Love for You [American Fork, Utah:
Covenant Communications, Inc., 2013], 94, 95, 96-97; comments in square
brackets added for clarification)
