​Think about God's Divine Nature Within Us (1:18)

Third, think about God's Divine Nature Within Us (1:18)

God says, "Look ahead and be careful of judgment" in the first barrier. He says, "Look around and see how good I have been to you," in the second barrier. But with this third barrier, God says, "Look inside yourself and know that you were born from above and have the divine nature."

James used birth as a metaphor for desire that leads to sin and death (James 1:15). He also used it to show us how to win over sin and temptation. In 1 John 3:9, the apostle John used a similar idea when he wrote about "his seed," which means the divine life and nature that lives in the believer. Take note of the traits of this new birth.

It is heavenly. Nicodemus believed he needed to re-enter his mother's womb to be born anew, but he was mistaken. It is from above. This birth is not of the flesh; it is from above (John 3:1–7). It is God's work. We did not create our own human birth, nor can we create our own spiritual birth. It was God who did the miracle when we put our faith in Jesus Christ.

It is kind. We didn't work for it or deserve it; God gave us spiritual birth because of His own grace and will. "Which were born, not of blood [human descent], nor of the will of the flesh [human efforts], nor of the will of man [human assistance], but of God" (John 1:13). No one can be born again because of their family, their decisions, or their faith. God is the one who makes the new birth happen.

It is through the Word of God. The Word of God and the Spirit of God are the two parents of divine birth, just as two parents are required of human birth. John 3:6 says, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever" (1 Peter 1:23). The word of God is used by the Spirit of God to make the miracle of the new birth happen. The Word of God is "living and powerful" (Heb. 4:12), so it can bring life to the sinner's heart who trusts Christ. This life is that of God.

It is the best birth. This is the best birth that could happen. James told Jewish believers we are "a kind of firstfruits of his creatures," which would have meant something to them. The Jews of the Old Testament brought the firstfruits to the Lord to show how much they loved and obeyed him. "Honor the Lord with your wealth, and with the firstfruits of all your increase" (Prov. 3:9). The child of God is the best and highest of all the things God has made in this universe! We are like God. For this reason, we should not fall for Satan's tricks or want sinful things. A higher birth must mean a better life.

God says that He can't accept the old birth because He gives us a new one. In the Bible, God turns down the firstborn and accepts the secondborn. He chose Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, and Abel over Cain. He says that you need a second birth and that your first birth was not good enough.

This new birth experience helps us resist temptation. We will fail if we let the old nature (from the first birth) take over. We got our old nature (the flesh) from Adam, who was a failure. But if we yield to the new nature, we will win because it comes from Christ, who is the Victor.

A child in Sunday school explained it in a way that was easy to understand. "Two men live in my heart: Adam and Jesus. Someone has to answer when temptation knocks. I send Jesus to answer because I will sin if I let Adam answer. Jesus is always the winner!"

Of course, this new nature needs to be fed the Word of God every day so that it can be strong enough to fight the battle. The Holy Spirit used the Word of God to provide you spiritual birth, and He uses it to make you stronger spiritually. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4).

We can't blame anyone else for our sins, no matter how many excuses we make. Our own wants lead us to sin and temptation. It's not God's fault. But God has put these three things (God's judgment, God's goodness, and God's divine nature) in place to keep us from sinning. If we pay attention to the barriers, we will receive a crown (James 1:12). If we break through the barriers, we will find a coffin (James 1:15). Which one will it be?