In this teaching, Shawn explores the spiritual principles found in Numbers 15 and 16, focusing on the significance of intentionality in our relationship with God. Shawn delves into the concepts of defiance, outward religious symbols, and the deeper meaning of spiritual rebirth. The message challenges us to move beyond superficial observances, emphasizing the importance of a sincere, heartfelt connection with God. Through the examples of biblical figures like Korah and the rebellious heart, we are reminded that true faith is evidenced by inward transformation and genuine love, not merely outward appearances.

Chapter 15 Overview

So, onto chapter 15. From verse 1-29, YAHAVAH gives Moses specific instructions on the offerings the Nation should make when they enter the promised land, and this includes the offerings strangers should also make.

Not gonna cover the details. At verse 29, however, we read the following:

Numbers 15:29-30

Numbers 15:29 Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them.
30 But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

These passages seem to have God speaking to the deliberate purposeful intention to rebel, and in cases like these, there is zero mercy from Him in that day and age. It seems that in our world today, there is a standing principle going on—

We are all free, and He will not impose Himself upon our free choice in terms of punishment, but neither will He accept platitudes, actions, or words that are not sincere.

I think He has always been this way.

YAHAVAH continues and says why such a person should be cut off, adding:

Numbers 15:31

31 Because he hath despised the word of YAHAVAH and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.

Again, because the iniquity performed has been paid, the “being cut off” today (meaning, God is not walking with them) is for the iniquity of a rebellious heart that disregards Him and His blessings. This seems to be the picture for the world today and in the world to come.

It is not out of non-love, for God is love, so there must be intention to it, and perhaps it’s akin to allowing His creations to wander away to the mud until they freely choose to exit that state with the pigs and to return to their Maker.

The Example of Defiance

Interestingly, Moses seems to now give us an immediate example of one such soul from that day and says, beginning at verse 32:

Numbers 15:32-36

32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day.
33 And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.
34 And they put him in ward because it was not declared what should be done to him.
35 And YAHAVAH said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.
36 And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as YAHAVAH commanded Moses.

The context tells us that this was a perfect example of what YAHAVAH had just said. In other words, he wasn’t gathering out of ignorance or desperate need but out of straight defiance of the command given at Sinai to not labor.

We could re-read verse 31 to perhaps establish his state of mind as it says:

Numbers 15:31 (Revisited)

31 Because he hath despised the word of YAHAVAH (That word disdain comes from BAWZAW, and it means he had disdain in his heart for God) and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.

It was therefore on these grounds he was punished to the utmost application of the law—verses 33-36.

The Sabbath and Defiance Today

Now, for anyone who tries to follow a Sabbath day today, there should also be a direct application for those who purposely or defiantly break it.

Scripturally, it is death, as prescribed in Exodus 31:14, where God says:

Exodus 31:14

14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

Similarly, with Christ, who is our rest today, those who choose to defiantly not rest in Him will also be cut off from the Kingdom realm—with the reason being their own intent and motive.

The Command for Fringes

Then we read something new beginning at verse 37:

Numbers 15:37-41

37 And YAHAVAH spake unto Moses, saying,
38 Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue:
39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of YAHAVAH, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring:
40 That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God.
41 I am YAHAVAH your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am YAHAVAH your God.

What was this? In essence, it was a spiritual prop materially used by the Nation to constantly remind them to obey God and His commands.

Symbolism of the Blue Fringe

Some Rabbis suggest that the blue is to reflect the ocean or the skies, which is emblematic of depth in their relationship with Him, but I’m not so sure on that.

It was, however, another outward identifier that the people of the Nation used to constantly remind them of the covenant God made with them. It also may have functioned so that upon entering the promised land, they could see from a distance who was part of the covenant or Nation and who wasn’t.

Entering into the promised land filled with peoples from a similar background but with very dissimilar beliefs made this blue threading very practical.

The Cultural Significance

In what manner? You may not realize the importance of this culturally or sociologically, but you will in the coming months.

For now, understand—like the Law, and all of its material observances (except to not covet), and the material tabernacle, and the material offerings, and the material priesthood through a direct line of one specific genealogically-connected line of material men—the blue thread or fringe along the border was an outward indication and symbol of that people and their relationship to God.

The Apostolic record makes it more than plain that all such shakable things ended with Christ overcoming sin and death and the Holy Spirit being given.

Again, the importance of this will be made more clear before the end of the year.

Paul’s Writings on Outward Symbols

But this caused Paul to write:

Romans 2:28-29

28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

It caused him to add in:

Romans 7:22

22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man.

And to say in:

2 Corinthians 4:16

16 but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

Everything, folks, is about the inward relative to God, as we will read even here in the Tanakh Book of 1 Samuel 16:7 where it says:

1 Samuel 16:7

7 for YAHAVAH seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but YAHAVAH looketh on the heart.

The Heart of the Matter

Herein is the tie to the man breaking the Sabbath and God telling Moses and Aaron to put Him to death. It wasn’t just the act of picking up sticks, per se, that could have been done out of desperation, like a cow in the mire, which God would wink at, nor was it by accident—also forgiven.

The point is the heart of the man was defiant.

Today, to focus on outward conditions of anything on earth that can be seen by men and will appeal to men are fig leaves, and while they may impress others, God sees the heart.

We suggest that at the least, and as a means to distance our faith from the things of the flesh, Christianity refuse to associate itself with any sort of cultural or external mandates, and that they are all humbly replaced by personal faith and agape love.

There is a huge basis for this in something very sociological and of this world, which we are beginning to understand, but that is for another time.

The Origin of the Blue Fringe

In any case, the external blue thread or fringe began here.

By Yeshua’s day, these external reminders of God’s Law would be used in ways far from their original intention, as Yeshua says in His famous chapter against the Jews of that time:

Matthew 23:5-7

5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.

All of this speaks to religion over a heartfelt, humble relationship every individual can humbly have with their Maker.

Chapter 16: The Rebellion of Korah

At chapter 16, we are presented with more cautionary tales and principles. We will go to about verse 22 and start at verse 1:

Numbers 16:1-3

1 Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men:
2 And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown:
3 And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, “Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and YAHAVAH is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of YAHAVAH.”

The English reading of this passage seems to sound like this was a group of evildoers (which they ultimately were), but the Hebrew best describes all of it as the direct leadership of Korah himself.

For those of you who come from an LDS background, you may be familiar with the BOM name, Korihor—which I believe was stripped from this story and rebranded a bit by the LDS founder.

Remember, God had just wiped out ten of the twelve spies, which indicates how hard Korah had to have been for him to do what we are about to read him doing.

A Better Translation

So, the better reading is: “Now Korah, son of Yitsar son of Kohath, son of Levi, HE TOOK even Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, son of Peleth, SON OF REUBEN.”

Numbers 16:4-5

4 And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face:
5 And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, “Even to morrow YAHAVAH will shew who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him.

In 2 Timothy 2:19, Paul writes to Timothy the following:

2 Timothy 2:19

19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

The idea is that Paul may have been referencing this passage—whether he was or not, the principle remains the same—God’s foundation—from the faithful before this moment in the narrative on out to the present day—is sure. How is it sure?

“God knew (and knows) them that are his.”

The Foundation of God

Again, how? Because God looks upon the heart. Those who are His are His from their heart.

You can dress right, have a blue border, wear white shirts and a tie, never smoke or drink or fool around, but if your heart is not for Him, HE knows it, and that is all that matters. By and through this knowledge, Paul seems to say, “the foundation of God stands sure.”

The Greek word, themelios, means something put down, laid, and is translated “foundation” here, and it relates especially to the foundation of a building or structure.

Extrapolation of Paul’s Teachings

Metaphorically extrapolating this out, however, Paul seems to extend the thing put down and assigns it to the building itself, as he adds in the next two verses some interesting information.

For clarity, let’s reread verse 19, then the next two verses:

“The Lord knoweth them that are his,” “And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

Then he adds, describing what that last line means:

2 Timothy 2:20-21

20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

God’s Choice of the Holy

Going back to our text in Numbers 16, we read Moses say at verse 5:

5 Even to morrow YAHAVAH will shew who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him.

To draw those chosen to draw near unto Him is the opposite of what Paul says in 2 Timothy where he writes:

“And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

The Insurrection of Korah

In the story of Korah, those part of this insurrection who were not for God will be drawn to Him and removed physically, alluding to the same principle Paul says:

“The Lord knoweth them that are his,” when he says, “And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

Korah and such will be removed because of their iniquity in the Old Testament; in the Apostolic Record, Paul admonishes the Saints of that day who name or assume the name of Christ to choose to depart from iniquity themselves, or as Paul puts it in verse 21:

21 If a man therefore purge himself from these…

So, the thinking is, “those who are His from the heart will also depart from iniquity.”

In other words, those who have faith in Christ will evidence this faith by the love they show, and this is always seen in a departure from iniquity and not embracing such, with iniquity being defined as failing to love as He commands.

Real faith = real agape love.

The Meaning of Iniquity

IOW, not from the heart faith will often manifest in not from the life love.

The word translated to iniquity is adeekeea and does not mean sin, which is hamartia, but means injustice or what is not fair. Those who are His will depart from what is “unjust.”

Summary of Korah’s Rebellion

In any case, let’s read the passages to tell the tale, but they can be a tad bit confusing, so let me do a summary first, and then we will read the passages in question.

Korah was a Levite like Aaron and Moses. He was the son of a man named Izhar, who was the brother of Amram, who was the father of Moses and Aaron.

Therefore, Korah was their cousin. When the Nation was at Sinai, God’s installation of this Aaronic priesthood, along with what became the Levitical service in the tabernacle, was in many ways a huge revolution as the old priesthood passed away that was held by the heads of each family and given specifically to Aaron and his descendants.

While the Nation was camped here at Kadesh, Korah, who appears to have recruited Dathan and Abiram along with 250 princes, whom Moses calls “men of renown,” forms a conspiracy to overtake what God established.

The Logic of the Conspiracy

Their logic was Moses and Aaron had taken too much upon themselves, and the former system should be restored among all the people.

We will read how on the morning after the uprising, Korah and his associates presented themselves at the door of the tabernacle, and “took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon.”

When these unauthorized men offered up what scripture calls in other places, “strange fire,” God destroys them by the real fire from heaven.

Also, Dathan and Abiram “came out and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children,” and it reads that it came to pass “that the ground clave asunder that was under them; and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up.”

Then a plague right after moved among those who sympathized with the rebellion, and that was stayed by Aaron appearing, it says, “between the living and the dead,” and making “an atonement for the people.”

The Severity of the Punishment

So, that is the summary. Note the severity with which YAHAVAH treats their attempt to reach him with a sacrifice that He did not ordain?

I cannot overemphasize the importance of this picture, as I suspect any and every effort to reach Him by any other means by which He has established and given the world (meaning faith on His Son) will be met with the same direct emphasis in the hereafter.

People have called me a universalist. Please understand that the only universalism I agree with is the universal victory Christ has had for the world and that His Spirit is universally calling and converting people irrespective of their religious affiliations.

But if anyone believes that they can enter into His Kingdom through any one or anything other than humble, broken faith in His Son or the Spirit of His Son given them, they will be sorely mistaken.

God Knows the Hearts

Again, God knows the hearts—and the heart of any person not humbly receiving of Him alone I believe will have to face unsettling correction—as unsettling as these material events like being swallowed up by the earth, being plagued, and being consumed by heavenly fire—before they will enter therein.

Universalist? Not by ANY stretch of the imagination. But balance this emphatic stance with the Love of God, the Victory of God, and the Spirit of God truly reaching into all seeking souls.

Got that?

Numbers 16:6-7

6 This do; Take you censers, Korah (those are things that bore fire) and all his company;
7 And put fire therein, and put incense in them before YAHAVAH tomorrow: and it shall be that the man whom YAHAVAH doth choose, he shall be holy: ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.

That last line appears to be Moses using their own words and throwing them back in their faces! Also note, Moses invites these insurrectionists to come in and do the job given to Aaron, which is similar to Moses wishing all the Nation were walking about prophesying when the others were given that spirit.

Numbers 16:8-12

8 And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi:
9 Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of YAHAVAH, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them?
10 And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also?
11 For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?
12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, We will not come up.

So, these two were bitter from the heart and refused to follow Moses and reply to his invitation, saying:

Numbers 16:13-15

13 Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us?
14 Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey, or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up.
15 And Moses was very wroth, and said unto YAHAVAH, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.

The Importance of Righteous Anger

Moses was pushed to his limit, and the obstinance of these men made him blaze up red or become angry.

It’s an interesting subject, anger. I believe that we, being made in God’s image, possess this trait for a reason. Let’s speak of it briefly in this age of the Spirit.

We assume that Yeshua was angry with the money-changers in the temple when he overthrew the tables, but the scripture only ties the word anger once to him.

There are several things that appear (and I emphasize that word) to have made Him angry or at least annoyed.

• Peter
• Faithlessness
• Religious predatory behavior appears to be what drove him to overturn tables twice, but he was never said to be angry.

Yeshua’s Anger

Chapter 23 of Matthew is filled with angry words, but the word anger is never used when He assigned them.

The only time anger is associated with Yeshua is when He was dealing with the religionists of His day and where we actually read the word anger being used. It’s in Mark:

Mark 3:1-5

1 And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.
2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.
3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.
4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.
5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

The word for anger there is the same in other passages that speak of the word in negative terms—orgay.

He appears to have been in control of His anger completely, as seen when He sits down and actually makes a whip to use to clear the temple, and so His anger appears to have been measured and without any intent to cause harm.

YAHAVAH’s Anger in the Old Testament

In the Old Testament, however, we repeatedly read of YAHAVAH getting angry, but, of course, that must be taken into context, and I think we are very safe in saying that His anger was also controlled perfectly as well—even if it looks like He is impetuous or full of wrath.

Speaking to believers in his day, James 1:20 says:

James 1:20

20 The anger of man does not accomplish the righteousness of God.

I would have to completely agree, as the passage straightly calls this anger, “the anger of man.”

Just like “the spirit of man” or “the wisdom of man” or “the strength of man,” our anger will fail in doing His will.

My Struggle with Anger

You all know I struggle with anger and have my whole life and continue to battle it. That said, I have also seen that anger is appropriate in some circumstances and ought not to be avoided when used as a tool to cause people to think when other means have not worked.

Sometimes reason or longsuffering will not suffice, so in these cases, anger is a form of love.

I tend to believe that when our anger is “a form of love,” then an individual will not have any problem following Paul’s advice to the believers at Ephesus when he says:

Ephesians 4:26

26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath.

If I have anger that lasts beyond the expression of it, and I wrestle with letting it die for more than a few minutes, for me, it is a sign of “unrighteous anger,” and I am personally led to bring God in as a means to change.

If I’ve been angry for more than a few minutes—literally—I know it’s the anger of man and not good.

That said, when I am led to use righteous indignation in a situation (not condemning anger, but real passion to bring about a reaction), I know it is purposeful and intentional when I can immediately smile and wink at the person involved or persons observing and when I feel no hatred or animus for the person I’ve directed it to in my heart.

These are some of the tools I’ve learned to use to see if I am sinful in my anger or operating by the Spirit of Agape.

Numbers 16:16-22

So, back to Numbers 16 verse 16:

16 And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before YAHAVAH, thou, and they, and Aaron, tomorrow:
17 And take every man his censer, and put incense in them, and bring ye before YAHAVAH every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; thou also, and Aaron, each of you his censer.
18 And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron.
19 And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the glory of YAHAVAH appeared unto all the congregation.
20 And YAHAVAH spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
21 Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.
22 And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?

The God of the Spirits of All Flesh

We will end talking about this line, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh,” as it deserves some attention.

It is interesting that Moses and Aaron both believed that human beings are dualistic in the least as they said, “the God of the spirits of all flesh,” and that in the least, these two components are utterly distinct.

We will read in Numbers 27:16 something similar which says:

Numbers 27:16

16 Let YAHAVAH, the God of the spirits of all flesh.

Job 12:10 adds a variation, saying:

Job 12:10

10 In whose hand is the soul (nephesh) of all living; and the spirit (ruach) of all flesh of man.

The Creation of Man

What can we say? I propose a view many do not agree with, and I understand why because it’s not exactly balanced with all expressions of scripture perfectly—in other words, there are passages that undermine some of the certainty of what I am about to say.

But let’s try it out.

We read in Genesis of the creation of Man:

Genesis 2:7

7 And YAHAVAH God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

So, we have YAHAVAH forming man’s flesh from the dust of the ground.

Then we have YAHAVAH breathe into the formed body’s nostrils what Moses calls, “the breath of life” (which is ruach in Hebrew or pneuma in Greek), and then we have the Man BECOME a living soul (nephesh in Hebrew and psuche in Greek).

A living soul man became. How? By God breathing His breath (ruach or spirit) into his body of flesh.

The Spirit and the Soul

In this creation, in the Garden, Man’s body was made alive by the Spirit or breath of God by Man becoming a living SOUL. (A living sentient personal being with his own personality and faculties which help us navigate this life.)

First, YAHAVAH formed the flesh of Man. Then YAHAVAH’s SPIRIT animated the Man, and he became a LIVING SOUL.

Man is Body, made alive by God’s breath, which gave Man a “living” operating system called a soul.

The Spirit that animated the flesh was from God and will return to God who gave it at our death. But the souls of human beings personally continue on as us—personally responsible freewill creations made in His image.

The Fall and Spiritual Death

Here is where I differ from where I used to teach in the past—yes, I’ve changed on this in my understanding, and the change is being made clear here and now—ready?

In the Garden, Man was made alive by the Spirit of YAHAVAH, which is the Spirit of Life and all living.

When Adam and Eve rebelled, they died spiritually, meaning the Spirit that gave them life died, and Man was left to operate only by His fleshly-directed soul—or His mind, will, and emotions—without the inner spirit of God included.

This is the way most people have operated in their lives ever since. The scripture describes Man as having died in the day that they ate of the tree—so again, spiritual death or separation from God, our Creator, occurred there and then.

The Continuation of Life in the Soul

But the Spirit of Life that made man a living soul—its properties of giving life or quickening the flesh of man to life—continued forward in human beings once Adam and Eve reproduced and operated as a human soul.

This is why and how “God is the God of the Spirits of all flesh of Man.” (as Job wrote). He ignited us with the spark, Adam fell, but that ignition continued on in our souls.

What makes this view a little imbalanced is that the scripture will say in places “that God is the God of all flesh” and does not mention man specifically.

The Distinction of Mankind

Here is where one new distinction comes forth, as I do believe God is the God of the life-giving spirit in ALL material creatures, and that when Adam and Eve rebelled and fell and died spiritually, Man became as all other living flesh (animals), but being made in His image, Man was in possession of a far more advanced soul or mind, will, and emotion.

This soul was capable of hearing and seeking God when He called and spoke, while it was also freely capable of rejecting Him directly.

This brings us to the most important change I have become convinced of in this day and age of fulfillment.

The Spiritual Rebirth of Man

When Yeshua came and told Nicodemus that “to even see the Kingdom of Heaven, He had to be born from above,” this statement was predicated on the Holy Spirit falling to earth because of the sacrifice of sin by Christ, making it possible to bring souls back to the Edenic state in that day by them choosing faith in what was promised to them/then—

HOWEVER,

Once a few of His own elected to believe on Him, and to receive the life-giving spirit from above that animated Adam, and once He collected those who experienced this in that day, then Yeshua took that Bride, and He reset the world back to the Garden State, as the last Adam, forevermore.

I now believe that all people, in the reset reconciliation on earth, are literally like Adam at the Creation, having a body of flesh, and animated by the Spirit of life freely given them and are, like Adam, operating by that spirit of life.

This means all souls are capable of choosing God by the Spirit within them or of choosing to continue to just operate by their own mind, will, and emotions or souls—like Adam and Eve did.

This means that rebirth today is more akin to recognizing what is already within all of us, then choosing to lean into that spirit of life and to let it reign, or to deny it and act accordingly.

Personal Reflection on Rebirth

This said, I now believe that what I experienced at the roadside was not a rebirth in the sense that I was spiritually dead at the time—I was not—I was ardently seeking from birth—but it was more my getting to the point where I was ready to recognize and receive the revelation of God in me, and in that recognition, was made free.

So while the end result is almost the same, being born from above today is more about being able to recognize God in us through Christ rather than the spirit entering us for the first time in our existence.

A New Perspective on Rebirth

This is a game changer in the game of outreach and in how we see all human beings. Whether rebirth from above because we are dead in sin or recognizing God in us because of His son, the end results are the same.

But this view is far more consistent with fulfillment than what I have taught in the past.