Why Do I Still Struggle After Being Born Again?
1) Direct Answer
You still struggle because the new life is in you, but your body and human spirit have not been redeemed yet. The Holy Spirit in your inner man wars against the flesh. That conflict is a sign of life, not a sign that you were not born again. God allows the fight to train you, prove you, and make you an overcomer.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- The Bible says, “The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh” (Galatians 5:17). That’s the battle you feel.
- Paul said he delighted in God’s law “after the inward man,” yet felt another law in his members (Romans 7:22-25). Then he declares, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1-2).
- We “groan within ourselves, waiting for…the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23). The soul is reborn now; the body’s redemption is future.
- Those sealed “with that Holy Spirit of promise” are “sealed unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30). God keeps what He births.
- “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for His seed remaineth in him” (1 John 3:9). The Seed in the soul cannot deny the Word. When a believer stumbles, he is grieved and confesses (1 John 1:9), and has “an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).
- God chastens sons (Hebrews 12:6-8). Correction is proof of sonship, not rejection.
- “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). “God…will…make a way to escape” for every temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13).
- Put on the whole armor of God and use the Sword of the Spirit, the Word (Ephesians 6:10-18).
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- New birth changes your nature. You love the Word and hate sin. The struggle remains because you’re still in the same body with old habits pressing from the outside. The Seed inside cannot disbelieve the Word, but the flesh must be crucified daily. Feed the inner man with the Word and prayer, and starve the flesh by refusing its avenues (eyes, ears, thoughts, companions, places).
- Condemnation is the enemy’s voice; conviction is the Spirit drawing you to confess and walk on. If you can sin without grief, that’s danger; but if it pains you and drives you to Christ, that’s life.
4) Short Reinforcing Counsel
- Stay in the Word daily; speak it back to temptation.
- Pray and watch; avoid the doorways of the old life.
- Confess quickly; don’t hide. The Blood answers the accuser.
- Fellowship with the faithful; put on the armor.
- Remember: the battle means you’re alive. God started the work, and He will finish it.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
You must be born again
61-1231M §107
..., Billy, you never quoted one bit of God's Word. You talked about some mother that had done gone on, or something like this, and got everybody to crying." Said, "You're not born again upon things and sensations of this earth; you're born by the Word." Said, "Billy..." Oh, he cut the wind right out of me. I'm glad he did. See? See? Not jumping up and down, hollering, that isn't it. It's the Word that makes alive. The Word's quickened. Not experiences; the Word!
You must be born again
61-1231M §89
Someone said not long ago (I believe I quoted it here before, I don't know), said, "Why in the world don't you leave them women and men alone," to me. Said, "The people believe you to be a prophet." I said, "I am not." "But the people believe you to be. Why don't you teach them how to receive visions, how to do the works of God like that?" I said, "How can I teach them algebra when they don't know their ABC's?" How can you take a child out of kindergarten and give him a college education today, teach him square-roo...
Questions and Answers, Part 4
64-0830E §60
...oolish virgin will live eternally, but they will be separated from the new Jerusalem where Christ will dwell with the bride? Here are those who do not have the Holy Spirit, born again as the Scripture speaks of being born again. If the natural birth requires water, blood, and spirit, does not the spiritual birth require all three stages of grace before the person is truly born again? Absolutely, I just explained that this morning---the same, on the same thing. You've got to have all stages. You're begotten of the S...
You must be born again
61-1231M §117
You might not be a theologian. Look at the blind man that was born blind. Jesus healed him. He had been born ... from birth he didn't even have eyeballs. And Jesus made him well, healed him. And when that man came to see, and the Pharisees questioned him, said, "Who was He?" They couldn't deny that something had been done. Now, the man was not a theologian. He couldn't argue like preachers would do, little technique things. He couldn't explain to them. He didn't know the Testament. He didn't know how the Messiah wa...
Faith
56-0815 §6
And then, if you don't... Just like salvation: you accept Christ, and the first thing you know, immediately the devil take... How many in here is borned again? Let's see your hands. Praise the Lord for that. How many was tempted and went through temptation immediately after you was borned again? Let's see your hands. Everyone of you. Sure. If you didn't, you wasn't born again. See, you've got to have... Every son that cometh to God first's got to be chastised, child trained, no exception, every son, every person th...