You must be Born Again
What Does It Mean To Be Born
Again?
This term “born again” first
appears in the Bible in John chapter three...
An unsaved man once said to me,
“That born again stuff makes no sense to me.” Perhaps you feel the same. There
are “How To Be Saved” articles all over the internet (and I am thankful for
them all), but many people want a complete explanation of what it means to be
“born-again.” Why do we need to be born again? What does it mean? That is my
purpose in this article, that is, to explain this great Biblical doctrine in
layman's terms. Please give me a moment and I will make it as plain as you've
ever heard. Most people have religion, but very few people have ever been
Biblically born-again. Unless you are born again, you absolutely cannot go to
Heaven (John 3:5).
Simply put, to be “born again”
means to have He (Jesus) Who is the beginning born in you. In Revelation 1:8
Jesus said, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the
Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Alpha and
Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, respectively. Man
by birth is spiritually dead, which I will explain further in a moment. To be
born-again is a miracle of God, by which Jesus Christ comes into your body to
live, literally in the form of the Spirit of God. Romans 8:9, “But ye are not
in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.
Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
To understand what it means to be
born-again, it is necessary to understand that there are TWO BIRTHS. The
“first” birth is the PHYSICAL BIRTH when you were born into this world from
your mother and father. When the Bible speaks of being “born of water,” it
is speaking about the physical birth (NOT baptism). The “second” birth is
a SPIRITUAL BIRTH, which means to be born of the “Spirit” (that is, God's Holy
Spirit). Why does a person need to be born spiritually? What is a
“spiritual” birth?
The Bible teaches that man is
created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). There is one God according
to Deuteronomy 6:4; but He exists in the three Persons of God the Father, God
the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Bible refers to this triune nature of God
as the Godhead (Acts 17:29; Romans 1:20, Colossians 2:9 - King James Bible
only). Colossians 2:2 refers to the Godhead as “the mystery of God, and of the
Father, and of Christ.” The Godhead wasn't meant to be understood; but rather,
believed as sound Biblical doctrine by God's children.
Likewise, mankind is created in
God's image in the form of a body, soul and spirit. Our earthly body is
the tabernacle (2nd Corinthians 5:1-4) of the soul and spirit. The body is a
temporary dwelling place of man's soul and spirit. Our soul is composed of
the heart (to feel), the mind (to think), and the will (to decide). Hebrews
4:12 makes a distinction between man's soul and spirit, “For the word of God is
quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the
dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a
discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Animals have souls, but not a
spirit. Man's spirit returns to God upon death. Ecclesiastes 12:7, “Then shall
the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God
who gave it.” Animals have a mind to think, and a heart to feel and a will to
decide; but animals do not have a spirit to discern spiritual matters. This is
why humans have an inherent need for religion (God). It is the spirit of man
that makes humans totally different and unique from animals.
Man's spirit is dead in sin when
we are born; that is, we are born void of God with an inherited sin nature from
Adam. The only exception is the Lord Jesus Christ Who came as God in the flesh
(1st Timothy 3:16). Our spirit is dead in trespasses and sin the Bible
says...
“And you hath he quickened, who
were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to
the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the
spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:1,2)
The unsaved person cannot
understand God, nor His Words, because they are spiritually discerned...
“But the natural man receiveth
not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither
can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1st Corinthians
2:14)
The reason why you need to be
“spiritually” born is because you have never been spiritually born to begin
with. So when the Bible speaks of being “born again,” it actually means
“born for the second time.” You were born physically into this world, but
you were born without the Spirit of God in your soul (spiritually
dead). Yes, God created you, but He gave you a freewill to decide for
yourself where you will spend eternity.
God never forces anyone to accept
Jesus as their Savior. He simply offers a warm invitation to anyone who wants
to have their sins forgiven and go to Heaven. Salvation is a free gift (Romans
5:15; 6:23), paid for by the precious blood of Jesus Christ (1st Peter 1:18,19;
Revelation 1:5). We must accept God's gift of eternal life or it WILL be
forever forfeited when we leave this world (die).
God commanded Adam and Eve not to
eat of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 2:17, “But of the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the
day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Notice, God said they
would die “the day that thou eatest thereof.” Interestingly, Adam and Eve
DIDN'T die physically the day they ate the fruit and disobeyed God's command.
Why?
The reason is because they died
SPIRITUALLY instead of physically. When Adam sinned, sin and death entered the
human race. The Bible teaches that from Adam until present time, mankind has
been born spiritually dead, inherited down from Adam's sin. This is why
humanity MUST be born-again. This is only possible through the Holy Spirit of
God, which makes us alive again (quickened the Bible says) by faith in Jesus
Christ as our Savior. We are saved by repenting of our unbelief and believing
the Gospel that Jesus DIED, was BURIED and RAISED up three days later.
To be “spiritually” born means
that God's Holy Spirit “quickens” us (or makes us alive). When a sinner
believes on the Lord Jesus as the Christ—trusting Him alone to forgive all
sins—then God the Father and God the Son come into one's heart in the form of God
the Holy Spirit (John 14:23). The “Holy Spirit” is “God within
us.” The old man is the flesh. The old man cannot be tamed. There is
nothing good about the flesh. When we get saved (born again), the old man
doesn't change. Rather, the new man (which is Jesus Christ) comes to indwell
(live) within our body. 1st Corinthians 3:16, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth
in you?”
I have God living in my body in
the form of the Holy Spirit. I was born-again at age 13. Romans 8:9 tells
us that the Spirit of Christ dwells within every believer. I am not God, but I
have God's Spirit living in my body. The Godhead indwells every
believer. The Holy Spirit of God guides me, comforts me, teaches me,
rebukes me, chastises me, convicts me, encourages me, empowers me, loves me,
strengthens me, and so much more. The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to
do these things. This is why it is critically important for every believer to
live in their Bible (and make sure you have a reliable Bible—I only use the
faithful King James Bible).
A person cannot understand the
Bible without the presence of the Author, and God is the Author. When you
become born-again (or born for the second time), God's Holy Spirit comes into
your body (1st Corinthians 3:16), never to leave (Hebrews 13:5), and you will
begin to understand many new things for the first time in your life...
“Therefore if any man be in
Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things
are become new.” —2nd Corinthians 5:17
It is ONLY through the Precious
Word of God that anyone can be born-again. Surely, no one can be born into
this world again physically. There is no turning back the hands of time.
However, you most certainly can be born again, spiritually, into God's family
through the Spirit of Christ... “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the
Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not
the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (Romans 8:9).
How To Be Born Again Biblically?
The way we become “born again” is
found in the Word of God...
“Being born again, not of
corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and
abideth for ever.” —1st Peter 1:23
We are born again by the Word of
God. Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1,14: Revelation 19:13). The
following statement sums it up pretty good...
If you're born once, then you die
TWICE;
If you're born twice, then you die ONCE.
If you're born twice, then you die ONCE.
If you don't receive Jesus Christ
and become a born again Christian, then you will sadly burn in hellfire for all
eternity (John 3:18,36; Revelation 20:15; 21:8). Perhaps you say with the
man I mentioned earlier, “That born again stuff makes no sense to me.” Well,
most people can't explain how a black cow can eat green grass, give white milk,
and then it's turned into yellow butter—but they still eat it! My friend, you
don't have to figure everything out to be saved, you just need to trust upon
Jesus, the Christ, the only begotten Son of God.
Again, being born-again means
having He Who is the Beginning (Jesus Christ) born in you.” Revelation 1:8, “I
am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending, saith the Lord, which is, and
which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Isn't that beautiful. When a
person is born-again, the Spirit of Christ comes to live in that person's body.
“Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His” (Romans
8:9b). This birth comes about only through faith in the Son of God.
The GOOD NEWS (the Gospel) is
that it is very EASY to have the second birth, i.e., a spiritual
birth. God came down to this earth 2,000 years ago and took upon Himself
the form of a man. That man was the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:1,14; 1st
Timothy 3:16). Literally, the GODHEAD became incarnate (Colossians 2:9—King
James Bible).
Jesus was born of a virgin
(Isaiah 7:14). Jesus never sinned even once (2nd Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews
4:15). Jesus died, was buried and rose again after three days (1st
Corinthians 15:1-4). Jesus shed His precious blood to pay for all our sins
(Colossians 1:14; 1st Peter 1:18,19), and applied that blood to the Mercyseat
in Heaven (Hebrews 9:12, 24-26). My friend, if you believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the only begotten Son of God Who died, was buried and rose again for
your sins, and you've made that your hope for Heaven by believing on His name,
then you are a born-again child of God.
Jesus is the Savior Who paid for
our sins. If you realize that you're a guilty sinner, then you simply need to
believe on the Gospel of Jesus Christ to have your sins forgiven. Believe
that Christ died and was resurrected, shedding His precious blood to wash away
your sins. All God the Father asks is that we come for salvation by way of the
cross upon which His Son Jesus Christ died.
Repent And Believe The Gospel
Anyone who teaches salvation or
bettering humanity without including the cross of Jesus Christ is teaching
religious humanism. No one can be saved apart from the cross. Having faith in
Jesus in not God's plan of salvation. Many people believe on Jesus, but they
have left out the cross. To be born anew by the Spirit of God you must include
the death, burial and resurrection of Christ Jesus. That is the Gospel
according to 1st Corinthians 15:1-4.
Acts 20:21 states: “Testifying
both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith
toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” Repentance and faith are inseparable. Repentance
is simply a change of mind that involves turning to Jesus Christ to be forgiven
of one's sins. We repent of our unbelief, and from dead works of
self-righteousness which cannot save (Hebrews 6:1). The words “believe” and
“believeth” appear 85-times in the Gospel of John; but the word “repent” isn't
mentioned even once. Obviously, the person who believes has repented.
Repentance unto salvation does NOT mean a change of life; but rather, a change
of mind.
Mark 1:15, “repent ye, and
believe the gospel.” The object of repentance is to believe the Gospel, not to
clean up one's life. When a man repents he believes. There is a popular false
teaching in MOST churches today that says a person must try to stop sinning to
be saved. That is self-righteousness. Why Did God Kill A Man For Picking Up
Sticks On The Sabbath Day? (don't add to the Gospel).
Salvation happens when a person
acknowledges their guilt of sin, and comes to God on the basis of being a
hell-deserving sinner; believing on Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, for
forgiveness. Acts 10:43 states: “To him give all the prophets witness, that
through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”
Jesus Came to Save Sinners!
You may pray a sinner's prayer if
you'd like, but you don't have to. Salvation is of the heart (Romans 10:10). If
you'd like to pray, simply admit that you are a guilty sinner for breaking
God's commandments. Tell Jesus that you believe He died, was buried and rose
again. Ask Jesus to forgive your sins and tell Him that you're receiving His
sacrifice as payment for your sins. It matters not exactly what you pray,
just as long as you realize these two main truths:
You are a guilty sinner under the
condemnation of God's Law!
Jesus is the Savior who died, was
buried and resurrected three days later. Jesus shed His blood to take away your
sins!
You might pray something like
this...
Dear Jesus, I know that I am a
Hell-deserving sinner. I believe that you are the Son of God, the Savior
Who died, was buried and resurrected three days later. I know You shed your
blood to pay for my sins. I now believe upon You as my personal Savior and
ask you to please forgive me of all my sins. Please save me and take me to
Heaven when I die. Amen.
Just take God at His word and claim
His salvation by faith. Believe, and you will be saved. No church, no lodge,
nor any amount of good works can save you. Remember, God does the saving. All
of it! Man's part is to believe. God does the saving. Being born-again is a
supernatural miracle of God in response to a man's faith in the Gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ.
God's simple plan of salvation
is: You are a sinner. Therefore, unless you believe on Jesus Who died in your
place, you will spend eternity in Hell. If you believe on Him as your
crucified, buried, and risen Savior, you receive forgiveness for all of your
sins and His gift of eternal salvation by faith.
You say, "Surely, it cannot
be that simple!" Yes, that simple. It is scriptural; it is God's plan. My
friend, believe on Jesus and receive Him as Savior today.
“I'm so tired of churches being
satisfied. Somebody needs to fire up for God and realize we don't have much
time left. Jesus is coming again. We better charge Hell and we better do
something about the fact that people need to be born again.” —Pastor Jeff
Owens, from the timeless sermon titled, “Our New Year Plan Glorifying Him.”
Salvation is NOT a prayer,
although you may prayer a sinner's prayer to express your heart's faith in
Jesus. We are saved by HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, i.e., the righteousness of Jesus
Christ which is charged to our account at the time of salvation. This is the
IMPUTED righteousness of Jesus Christ... “But to him that worketh not, but
believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
We are saved by God's grace through faith in Christ Jesus, because of the blood
that He sacrificed for our sins. Our part is only to believe.
Salvation is not a matter of
praying some special words. The publican merely cried out, “God be merciful to
me a sinner.” The thief on the cross simply asked Jesus to "remember"
him, and Jesus most certainly did. It was their faith in Christ and not
their words, that brought salvation. Both men acknowledged their guilt of sin
and turned to Jesus Christ for forgiveness. There is nothing “magic” about the
words you pray, it is your faith (trust) upon the Gospel of Jesus Christ that
brings salvation. It is your faith that causes you to call upon Jesus to
forgive your sins and take you to Heaven. God wants to save you more than you
could ever want to be saved (2nd Peter 3:9).
Salvation is very simple—we are
sinners and Jesus is the Savior. Christ died, was buried and rose from the
dead. Anyone who believes on the name of Jesus for salvation becomes a
part of God's family (Romans 10:13; Galatians 3:26). Eternal life is a free
gift—freely given and freely received. Salvation is receiving; not giving. Our
part is to acknowledge our guilt of sin and believe the Gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ to be forgiven.
You see friend, there is no
religion involved here, ONLY Jesus. The big issue is that we are all
sinners, and that sin MUST be dealt with. The Word of God indicts all of us as
guilty sinners. Only through faith in Christ can we be justified, JUST-IF-I'D
never sinned. Those who DIE IN THEIR SINS without Christ (John 8:24) will stand
trial at The Great White Throne of Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). They will
die the Second Death and be cast into the Lake of Fire
forver. Those who DIE IN THE LORD (Revelation 14:13) already have eternal life.
If you're saved, you're already a citizen of Heaven. Amen!
The Second Death Verses Spiritual Death
Please understand that spiritual
death is not the same as the second death. Every man is born spiritually dead.
We are already spiritually dead by birth. In contrast, the second death is
being cast into the Lake
of Fire forever. The
first death is separation of our soul and spirit from our earthly body. The
second death is separation of our body, soul and spirit from God for all
eternity. Matthew 10:28, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not
able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul
and body in hell.”
Revelation 21:8, “But the
fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers,
and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake
which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
My friend, please don't go to
Hell. You don't have to die a second death. Because of sin we must all die a
physical death (Romans 6:23), but Jesus shed His blood and paid the price for
our sins so we wouldn't have to die a second death. Revelation 21:8 defines the
second death as spending eternity being tormented in a lake of brimstone and
fire. Is that what you want? The choice is yours.
Jesus said in John 3:5 to
Nicodemus (a Jewish leader), “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Being born again is not optional.
Whether Jew or Gentile, everyone must be born again. Being born again is not
giving your heart to Jesus. That's discipleship. Judas gave his heart to Jesus,
but the Lord said Judas had a devil (John 6:70). Forsaking sinful bad habits is
not salvation. That's consecration. Salvation is not turning over a new leaf.
That's reformation. Salvation is not cleaning up one's life. That's
rehabilitation. Salvation is not embracing the Christian philosophy. That's
education. Salvation is REGENERATION!!! Ye must be born again!!!
1st Peter 1:23, “Being born again,
not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth
and abideth for ever.” We are born again by the seed of the Word of God. We've
all been born of water (physically); but now we all must be born anew—a second,
spiritual, birth by the Spirit of God in response to our faith in the seed of
the Word of God.
Romans 1:16, “For I am not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to
every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” The Gospel
is the power of God unto salvation to every person that believes. That's the
way to be born-again. Believe the Gospel and the work is done! John 6:29,
“Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on
him whom he hath sent.”
If you've never been born-again,
you are missing out on a whole new world of spiritual understanding. 1st
Corinthians 2:9-10, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared
for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for
the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” Once you get
saved you'll begin to understand ALL THINGS and the DEEP THINGS OF GOD. Within
context, the Bible says that the things the eyes have not seen, and the things
the ears have nor heard, are the precious truths of God's Word. False cults are
formed when people try to interpret the Scriptures without the presence of the
Author, Who is God. Once you become born-again, the eyes and ears of your
spiritual understanding will be opened.
If you want to be saved, then
receive Jesus Christ, by believing that He died, was buried and rose again
three days later from the dead for your sins. Acknowledge your sinful condition
as Romans 3:19 teaches, “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it
saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all
the world may become guilty before God.” We are all guilty sinners. I am the biggest
sinner I know (and so are you if you understand the Bible, James 2:10).
Salvation is about dealing with our sins.
Religion can clean you up, but
only the blood of Jesus can wash your sins away (1st John 1:7). Religion wants
to fit us with glasses, but the Lord wants to open our eyes. God promises to
save the worst sinner, no matter what evil things you may have done, if you'll
simply believe upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:30-31).
Salvation is based upon the love and promises of God; not upon
“The new so-called fundamentalism
is known for building bridges to the liberals instead of burning the bridges.” —Pastor
Jeff Owens, from the sermon titled, “The So Called New Fundamentalism.”
“The Gospel is not a call to
repentance, or to amendment of our ways, to make restitution for past sins, or
to promise to do better in the future. These things are proper in their place,
but they do not constitute the Gospel; for the Gospel is not good advice to be
obeyed, it is good news to be believed. Do not make the mistake then of
thinking that the Gospel is a call to duty or a call to reformation, a call to
better your condition, to behave yourself in a more perfect way than you have
been doing in the past …
Nor is the Gospel a demand that
you give up the world, that you give up your sins, that you break off bad
habits, and try to cultivate good ones. You may do all these things, and yet
never believe the Gospel and consequently never be saved at all.”
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