In 1 Samuel, Saul is anointed by by Samuel, who tells him he has been chosen to lead the Israelites as their first king.
He gives him instructions, which include this: “As you approach the town you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, tambourines, flutes and harps, being played before them, and they will be prophesying. The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them, and you will be changed into a different person. Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.”
The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them, and you will be changed into a different person.
This is one of the few mentions of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, compared to the New Testament, where Jesus teaches dozens of times regarding the Holy Spirit, and the necessity of being born again. But this Old Testament passage, from 1 Samuel 10:6 is unusual because it is so plain, direct, and simple. And radical.
“The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them, and you will be changed into a different person.“
You will be changed into a different person. That’s a really serious statement. And it’s true. When the Holy Spirit comes upon a person, it does change them, radically, they become a different person, with different hopes, different desires, different values, and a different personality. The reason for this is simple and extraordinary. It’s because they have had a change of soul. Their old soul has been upgraded to a new soul, their heart of stone transformed into a heart of flesh.
All Christian can expect this process, this is the process of Christianity. A transformation of the mind through the transformation of their soul, as Christ is formed within.
This is what it means to be born again.
