Romans 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

The definition of vicarious is to live one’s life through the life of another. Being born again is a spiritual matter. We are seen by God as dying with Christ, being resurrected in Christ and living our life in Christ. How God sees us greatly matters. God is not deluded. He knows the truth.

Faith is that bridge between the spiritual realm and the world where we live. We see with earthly eyes that do not see that realm. We hear with earthly ears that do not hear God. Being born again we are given spiritual eyes and ears that see and hear God.

Job 33:4 The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.

Think of being born of the spirit in the same way as being born of water. We come out into the world and take our first breath. The spirit within us takes its first breath in the spiritual realm and breaths the breath of the Almighty. Jesus upon taking a place in our hearts breaths live into us once again.

John 3:8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Note closely the words “hearest the sound thereof”. This is the spirit heard within our souls once we are born again. As with all new sounds our first reactions are, “What was that?” Do we really understand at the first hearing of the spirit?

Ezekiel 12:2 Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.

In order to see God and hear God, the rebellion needs to stop. God is calling for the rebellious to surrender. No one’s eyes and ears are opened until the rebellion in one’s heart is ended.

We must first accept that we are in rebellion. We must also come to a point of understanding that we cannot be saved on our own.

Acts 16:30b-31a Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,

In most wars a soldier can surrender to anyone but in this spiritual war surrender can only be made to the atoning work of Jesus Christ who died for our sins. We must believe that Jesus came from God, was crucified, was raised from the dead, and is seated on the right hand throne of God. It is not just one thing that must be believed, it is all of them.

Belief, trust and faith meet at the cross of Christ. It takes all three, the body, soul and mind to surrender to Christ. It is an acknowledgment that you cannot change without God’s intervention.

“With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” This is repeated three times in Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27 and Luke 18:27.

In the gospel of John it is said this way.

John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Being born again is the only way we can see and hear God.