Breathing in the New Birth

Today our pastor used an analogy on breathing and how it is an example of our new life. The more I thought about it, the more it rang true.

We breathe in life, we breathe out death. We breathe in Christ, we breathe out sin (repentance).

Breathing is an evidence that we are alive. It shows that we have been born again. Anything that doesn’t breathe in is dead already. Anything that does not breathe out dies of carbon dioxide poisoning.

Breathing is an involuntary response of the one who is alive. Anything that lives, grows and matures. Not everyone grows and matures at the same rate, but if there is life, it does happen. It’s simply just a byproduct of it.

You can choose to hold your breath, but if you’re alive you will eventually get to the point where you are unable. You can choose not to exhale, but likewise, eventually you will have to. The body will fight restlessly to both inhale and exhale. It will be in utter turmoil if it can’t. Only when our will surrenders to the involuntary response to breathe will it find peace.

Only the dead find perfect peace in neither inhaling nor exhaling. Only the dead feel no compulsion to do so. Only the dead neither grow nor mature.