It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter. Proverbs 25:2

Posts tagged ‘Born Again’

The Soul and Spirit of Mankind-Made by God  for God! 

Mankind is a tri-part being, body, soul and spirit. The body came out of the earth, the soul and spirit are from God.  Our soul is the essence of who we are, it is what gives us our individuality and uniqueness as a person. The soul is where our will, conscience, intellect, thoughts, feelings and emotions are held, the soul is the very core of our being. The spirit of man came from God when He breathed His life-giving breath into mankind and we became a living soul. The spirit is what attached the soul to its source (God). The soul/will is what governs and directs the body, be it through the living spirit that is within us, or in death without the spirit. 

Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. KJV

The body came out of the earth and mankind was given rule and dominion over the earth, as he was created from the dust of the earth. The soul and spirit of mankind came from God and weremade for God, so that humanity could navigate in the spirit and earthly realm. God’s Spirit, was breathed into mankind and he became a living soul and spirit. The body returns to the earth when it is dead, just as the soul and spirit of mankind returns to its source when it dies, where it will give account and/or be rewarded according to the life it lived in fulfilling its created purpose. 

 2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

There is a spiritual realm where God, angels and all other spiritual beings exist in the heavens. God created a natural dominion, the earth, that consists of physical things. Mankind was created to exist in both the spirit and earthly realms and they are very real places with different principles and laws that govern their territory. We need to understand these principles in order to navigate, negotiate and live in both of these spheres. God created mankind to co-exist in both realms.

Genesis 28:12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. NKJ

Humanity’s natural life is attached to the earth, because the body was formed from the ground, created in God’s likeness and it is fed and nurtured by the living sustenance of the earth, the ground, from where he was taken. Without these life-giving nutrients the body would die, because it would lack the source it needs to continue. 

 

Genesis 1:27-28 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” NKJ

 

The spirit and soul of mankind came from God, and they had the Shekinah Glory of God upon them and God’s Spirit within. When God blew His breath of life into mankind, they became a living soul. The soul and spirit of mankind was alive and in full connection with its source, the Spirit of God, just as their natural bodies were connected to its source, the earth.Mankind’s body, soul and spirit was living in completeness with its purpose, his body fully connected to the earth and his soul and spirit fully connected with God. The body, soul and the spirit all were living attached to their source, earth and God, to fulfill their purpose, which is to replenish the earth with living souls that would be connected to God, the Creator and King. 

 

Proverbs 20:27 The spirit of a person is the lamp of the LORD, Searching all the innermost parts of his being. NAS

 

The very day mankind rebelled against their life-giving source, God, their God-like spirit left, because light and darkness cannot occupy the same space.  The spirit of mankind died, when the Shekinah-Glory of God left them, because its spiritwas no longer attached to its source. Therefore, the created God-like man no longer existed. As when a plant is uprooted from the soil or a fish is taken out of the water, they die. The God-Spirit in man surely died that day, and their souls were no longer attached to their life-giving source. 

 

Genesis 2:16-17 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” NKJ

 

Genesis 3:23-24 therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.  So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. NKJ

 

Mankind was then driven out the garden of Eden and were no longer in that close relationship with their Creator-God. God had to drive them out of the garden, because of the evil state of fallen mankind. Had they eaten from the tree of life, to live forever in a life full of sin and depravity, it would be even moreof a horrifying state for this world to be in. 

God’s mercy He did not allow fallen mankind with all of itsdestruction and devastation to have the ability to live forever in the earth. God’s love and mercy would not allow that to be.  Instead, He provided a way for mankind to be delivered, through faith in Jesus Christ, and to be reunited with theirSource, their God, Creator and King. 

 

Romans 6:17-19   But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness

 

Fallen mankind lost their God given Shekinah glory, after obeying Satan, and they were transformed, mutated and transfigured into the likeness of their new master, Satan and sin. In their obedience to Satan, they gave all their God given authority and dominion over to Satan and the world fell into chaos, death and destruction.  

 

God did not create this world of confusion, death and ruin, it was the result of the choice of mankind and their disobedience to God’s instructions. With the death of mankind’s God-like spirit, man became the living dead, because its spirit and soul were no longer attached to its source. The death of the spirit and lost soul is the dead that Jesus was speaking of when he told the man, “Let the dead bury their own dead.” In this fallen state mankind’s spirit is dead and his soul is lost. 

 

Romans 6:16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?  

Luke 9:59-60 Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.” NKJ

Mankind’s “will” is part of their soul, it is their ability to choose, and it is their God given right, characteristic and attribute. Satan cannot take humanity’s ability to choose, though he may lie to deceive them to make the wrong choices. God will not take away their ability to choose, even though their choices may be wrong, toxic or fatal. In the beginning it was in their God given power to choose, whether to obey God or Satan. Humanity’s ability to choose, “their will” is at the very core of who they are, their being. The will of mankind is atthe very heart of their soul and spirit. The body was made to function on the earth, but the soul was made to commune with their God through the spirit to fulfill its purpose, but the spiritof mankind died at the fall. 

 

Ephesians 2:4-5, But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 

 

The soul is constantly looking for a connection and is trying to find purpose and meaning for life, because it became lost and unattached to its Source, God’s Spirit. The soul is looking for love, value and purpose in all the wrong places. Humanity will not find true love, purpose and value until their spirit is revived by the Holy Spirit, through faith in the completed work of Christ.    Once again God sends His life-giving Holy Spirit into mankind, and they become a living soul, re-connected to theirlife-giving source (God) and his created purpose, to reveal the love and life of God upon the earth. 

 

We often hear the terms, the lost soul, the wandering soul, or no peace for the soul, that is because God’s plan and purpose for mankind did not change. Because of the fall, God’s original purpose for mankind took an alternate course in following Satan, but God’s purpose did not change. Humanity still has a will and their God given right to choose, again whether to return to God or to continue in a life of chaos and destruction. 

 

It was God’s mercy and a Father’s love for His creation and His children that caused Him to send Yeshua, Jesus as our Rescuer and Savior, so that we could be restored back to a relationship and into the family of God as His children. God provided a wayfor His children to be set free from Satan’s mutated, distorted and perverse state of being.

 

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

 

There is nothing we can do to make God love us more, no work we can perform to make us holy, righteous, or saved on our own. We are saved and made holy and righteous because of what Christ has already done. No one can stand before God according to their work or performance, our best efforts are filthy in His sight. We all stand on the same ground, at the foot of the cross of Christ in need of a Savior. It is because we are love by God and have been saved through faith that we now go and serve a lost world. We are not trying to earn God’s love, we already have it, but it is our love for God and His Son Jesus that we now go out to show that love to a lost and deprived world. 

 

Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

 

The renewed Holy Spirit of God lives in us through faith in Jesus Christ.  We can show His mercy, grace, forgiveness and love to others because this is what we have received from God. We do not work to obtain God’s love, it is His gift, we cannot earn it.  It is because we have received God’s love that we now show His love, mercy and grace to a lost and dying world. 

 

1 Corinthians 15:45 So it is written [in Scripture], “The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL (an individual);” the last Adam (Christ) became a life-giving spirit [restoring the dead to life]. AMP

 

The first Adam, became living with the Spirit of God and his will/soul was connected to God. Adam rebelled against God and the Spirit of God left and his soul was disconnected from its source. Jesus, the last Adam became the life-giving spirit, reviving the dead spirit of mankind and reconnecting his soul/will to its Creator and restoring God’s original purpose, for humanity to be the image bearer of God and replenishing the earth with His likeness. 

 

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The Prayer of Salvation and Making Jesus Our Savior  

Salvation is God’s gift to all humanity in allowing us another chance to be redeemed from our disobedience, our curse and our rebellious acts with the fall of mankind.  Salvation is a gift, no one can earn it or deserves it, but they can choose to accept or refused it. God has given us the simple act of the prayer of faith in His Son Jesus, to be rescued and delivered from sin and given eternal salvation. 

 This process may be simple but yet, it has a great, profound and overwhelming effect on our lives, our character and the people we influence.  The prayer of salvation is praying to God, asking for the forgiveness of our sins, because we believe in the blood, the death and the resurrection for the debt that Jesus paid for us on the cross.  By asking Jesus to come into our livesand to be our Lord and Savior our souls are save for eternity. 

 We are shown this process in the book of Romans. This is the prayer of faith and how we can become children of the Most-High God and be in the family and household of God. With our body we confess with our mouth Jesus is Lord over our lives and with our soul we believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead. Then the Holy Spirit comes and our spirit is made alive and we are made righteous by the Holy Spirit of God. 

Romans 10: 9-10 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. NKJ 

 Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.  NKJ 

Ephesians 2:19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. NKJ 

 God created us as a tri-part being; body, soul and spirit. We have a natural body created from the earth.  Oursoul, is our personality, character, intellect and will. It is our soul that gives us our individuality, it is our God given ability to choose our path in life and how we will develop our character, be it right or wrong.  

 Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. NKJ 

 Death can have two meanings; one is that a thing ceases to exist in its natural form and another is that there is a separation from the life-giving source that a thing needs to continue to exist in its current form.  When God created mankind, He breathed into themHis God like spirit and they became a living being with a soul and an eternal spirit like God, which will never cease to exist. 

 The day they rebelled against God and disobeyed His command, their God like spirit left the natural body and the man, as God had created him, no longer existed.  Their God likeness, His Shekinah Glory that shined bright all over them, their God like spirit, leftthem that day and their nakedness was revealed. Man as God had created and made him originally, died that day with the separation of the Spirit leaving mankind with just his body and soul. The body of mankind will later die when the soul returns to its source and maker.

Genesis 3: Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. 

 Through the confession and the prayer of faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit of God will come back into our hearts and our God given spirit will be born again. We can once again turn from death, to life everlasting and no longer be counted as one of the “living dead.”  The living dead are those whose body and soul is alive and functioning but their spirit is dead to the things of God. This is what Jesus meant when He said, let the dead bury their dead. He was speaking of those whose spirit was dead and not alive in Christ. 

 Matthew 8:22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” NKJ 

 John 20:22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. NKJ  

 God has given us the simple process to be saved, the ABC salvation; Admit, Believe and Confess which involves mankind as the tri-part being, body, soul and spirit. 

 Admit and say with our mouth, (which involve our body) that we are sinners in need of a Savior.

Believe in our heart, (which is our soul) that Jesus gave His blood, died on the cross and was raised again to pay our sin debt.

Confess that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior and there by receive the Holy Spirit (where by our spirit is reborn) to become a new creation in the family of God. 

 2Chorinthains 5:17-19 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. NKJ

 It is no longer the things we do, or do not do, but the choices we make for our lives and our future, that is our will. When we choose Jesus, and through the prayer of faith receive Him as our Lord, the righteousness of Christ will put us into a right standing with God and in His family. 

 God has given every person a free will to choose their path in life and who they will serve.  We are free to choose but we are not free from the consequences of our choices. We have been told to choose this day whom we will serve.

Joshua 24:14-15 “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the Riverand in Egypt. Serve the Lord!   And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”NKJ

A seed that is planted in the soil is hidden from our eyes and though we cannot see the growth that is taking place in the soil, in time we will see the transformation of that seed, the growth and the fruit that is produced. This is much like the process of us being born again with the seed of God planted in our spirit though me may not see the growth immediately over time we will see a transformation. 

 We should be mindful of what seeds we are planting and thereby what crop we will be gathering. 

 When we truly believe and pray this prayer of faith, we can be sure that we are saved, by faith in God’s word. God’s word is our assurance and not our works, and by God’s promise we know that we are in the family and household of God.

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Born Again, Then What?

Most people are taught that being born again is the climatic end to becoming a believer. The term itself indicates it is the beginning of a new life. When a child is born into this world it is the end of one process, being carried by the mother, but just the beginning of another. If we allow the birth of the child to be the crowning end then the child would not learn how to live successfully in this life.

No child is born and then thrown out into the world to fend for himself. A new born baby is born with a natural dependence on his parents and without their nurturing the child’s chance for survival is slim. A child must be taught how to navigate this life, to walk and talk and to accomplish success in the society it was born. So it is spiritually and those who are not connected and in a close relationship with their Heavenly Father. They may be born again but the chances for their success and survival are slim without a true relationship with their Father. We are told we need the milk of the word to grow.

1Peter 2:2   Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

As the Spirit of God gave life to Jesus, this same Spirit, when we are born again, enters into our lives. We become a living spirit born in the family of God by Christ Jesus. Most people who are born again do not realize their purpose or why they were born again. The enemy tries to keep God’s people in darkness as to their purpose. Being born again is a means to an end. We are to learn how to operate in God’s authority and cultivate His kingdom on earth. The end is being part of a royal family; we have a new culture, and are citizens of a new kingdom. This is eternal life that we should know the true and living God and reflect the glory of God in the earth by doing His will.

John 17:2-4    For you granted him (Jesus) authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.

Religion has reduced being born again down to an empty shell of doing things. Religion want us to stay busy, to do many dutiful acts to perform, or show how many immoral things we can refrain from. The enemy wants us to stay busy doing things so we will not take time to develop a relationship with God or know Him. Jesus said this is eternal life, knowing the only true God and Jesus the One He sent. Jesus brought glory to God on the earth by finishing the work God gave Him. We are to be like Jesus and bring glory to God when we walk in the calling He has for us. The work we are all given is to be ambassadors of God’s heavenly kingdom in this fallen world, to be ministers of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:18-20   All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

We are to represent God by showing His love and by being champions of reconciliation to a lost and hurting world. This can only be done when we change the way we think by renewing our minds with the word of God. When we change the way we think, we can change the way we act. This is why we are called to become a living sacrifice, separated from the world’s way of thinking and to live in a way that honors God. We are told to live holy and acceptable unto God, so it must be possible. But the world will try and tell us, it cannot be done. We will continue to conform to the pressures of the world until we transform our minds with the word of God. His Spirit will renew our minds and enable our bodies to live pleasing to God. Practice makes better, while we may never be perfect, we can be better. We can develop our minds and hearts to live a mature life in Christ that is pleasing to God our Father.

Romans 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will

We have been marred by the fall of mankind and we have let our failures and faults dictate our thoughts and actions and even define who we are. Satan has lied to us from the beginning and he is still lying to those who do not know the truth about themselves and who they are under God’s authority. We are to change the way we think about ourselves and others. Until we get to know God and His heart of love for us, we cannot see ourselves clearly or show His love to the others.

Proverbs 23:7a           For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

The more we read God’s word the more His word is planted into our hearts. This is how we learn and cultivate His new culture and kingdom in our daily lives. What we believe in our hearts dictates our actions. Most of us have been defined by life experiences, our families and culture. We let the world and society speak louder in our lives than the word of God. Only God can truly tell us who we are because He is the One who created us.

It takes discipline of mind, body and character to obtain any prize in life. So it is in obtaining the prize of God’s high calling in Jesus. We choose and decide whether we will be spiritually strong in the word or spiritually lazy, when we refuse to put in the effort that is needed to cultivate a relationship with God, to know Him and His ways. The same as in disciplining our minds as it is our bodies, we must choose to control and restraint to cultivate our minds and hearts to grow strong in our relationship with God.

Philippians 3:14         I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Remember when we are born again it is into a royal family. As it is with any family; it is about developing close relationships with parents and siblings. We are born into the household of God so we would know God as our Father and so we may become like our Father and display His love on the earth.

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Born Again

Every person who is born on this earth is born after the fallen nature of Adam which is in the likeness of Satan living in a fallen world. This is why we must die to this life and be re-born or born again into the family and kingdom of God.  In the natural birthing process the baby must transition from one state, from the mother’s womb, to another state, alive in this world. We are born with a fallen nature, prideful, quick tempered, unforgiving, hateful and these things are manifested in all the cruel and shameful things we do.

To hate and to be selfish is what we have been taught by life, so we say it is just the way we are. Then we will blame God and say He made us this way. No! God made us in His image and yet we rebelled against God in the fall and became like Satan, the one whom we obeyed. God would not leave us in that fallen state. He loved us too much to let us stay in that depraved condition.

John 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. NIV

As it is in the natural birthing process, so it is in the spiritual birthing process of being born again. The Spirit of God that was in mankind died the very day he sinned in the garden. Man’s soul and body began to rule his life. Fallen mankind started reflecting Satan’s image. In order to become a child of God we must die to our fallen nature and transition into a new life with God. A new life can only begin when the old life dies; this is how we are born again in the Spirit of God.

If there is no death there cannot be another birth. Many people want to have two natures – where they continue to live and enjoy the world’s way, yet they say they are born again in the spirit and kingdom of God. This cannot be so. The whole process of a birth is coming from one realm of life into another. When a child is born it is an act of bringing forth an offspring, a person that is a descendent, lineage and heritage from his parents. A born again person has God’s Spirit in them.

John 12:24-26 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

The body has not changed. It is still accustomed to the same habits and self-indulgences, but the Spirit of God living in us desires a new way of life. A false teaching from Satan wants to keep people blind to the truth of God’s word and that they are a new creation. The old way of life now may be a habit but it is not what we want or enjoy because we are now in Christ. The spirit has been born again but the body and mind must be transformed into the new life. A baby once it is born can no longer eat or breath the same way as it did while living within the mother. They must learn and be taught a new way of living, in this new world. So must we be taught how to operate and living in God’s kingdom.

Romans 12:2  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. NIV

People who are born again into the kingdom and family of God are told to renew their minds or to change the way they think. Some people get confused and do not understand that their spiritual nature has changed even when they continue in old habits. They no longer enjoy these old addictions or habits. They are no longer part of the old world system. They are adopted into a royal family but need to be taught and trained how to operate in this new life, new family and this new kingdom.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

God tells us His Word is spirit and life and we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice and be transformed from the old way of living by the washing of the word. This is why the enemy attacks the Bible and discourages the reading of the word of God, to keep the children of God in darkness. So they will be blind and not know or understand their authority as a child of God.

Many people have been born again into the kingdom of God but fail to appropriate their ability and influence in the world. They do not know or understand who they are or how to operate in His kingdom. This is why so many people live far beneath their potential and calling because of a lack of knowledge. Many do not know the word of God, and act out of ignorance. It is not a willful rebellion but need to learn how to act better

Hosea 4:6a  my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.

John 6:63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.

A repentant heart no longer wants or enjoys living in sin but is looking for a way out. Repentance is a change in heart; we no longer set out to sin. Our hearts long for right living but may not know how to obtain it. It is the truth that one knows, understands, comprehends and appropriates that will set us free. Thanks to Jesus who came to set us free from the curse of sin and death and lived His life as an example. It is God the Father Who is transforming us into the image of His dear Son and our job is to submit our will.

John 8:32  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Remember, every born again person is to be transformed into the likeness of Jesus. This is done by beholding who He is in the word of God. The word is spirit and it gives life and power to us, who were once dead and in bondage.

2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

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