What does it
means to be
BORN AGAIN?
One day a man named Nicodemus came to Jesus
with admiration and praise of His teaching and power. Nicodemus was a ruler of
the Jews and well acquainted with the Old Testament scriptures. But Jesus said to this religious and moral
man-
"Assuredly I say unto you, Except a man
be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3
Nicodemus could
not understand this and exclaimed, "How can a man be born when he is old?
Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be Born?" You see, Nicodemus was thinking about
another physical birth, (many other people today think that the New Birth is
something physical like joining a Church, taking the sacraments, turning over a
new leaf, etc.) but Jesus was talking about a spiritual birth. Everyone of us has been born physically, but
to get to heaven we must be "Born of God"-we must have a
spiritual change,
a spiritual birth within our lives.
To clarify this to Nicodemus, Jesus
continued,
"Assuredly, I say unto you, Except a
man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of
God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit." John 3:5,6
There are Two Births
Birth #1
Physical birth which we all have had:
Jesus referred to this as being "born of water" or "that
which is born of the flesh is flesh."
Birth #2
Spiritual birth which is only possible by the power of the Holy Spirit:
This is being "born of the Spirit," because "that which is born
of the Spirit is spirit"
In order to be born of the Spirit (Born
Again) one must come to Jesus Christ in obedience and faith. The Apostle Peter in writing to born again
believers said,
"Seeing you have purified your souls
in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto sincere love of the brethren, see
that you love one another with a pure heart fervently: being born again, not of corruptible seed,
but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides for
ever." I Peter 1:22,23
The new birth is
accomplished by the power of the incorruptible seed, Jesus Christ who is the
everlasting Word of God. The Bible further promises...
"But as many as received Him, to them
gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name,
who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of
man, but of God."
John 1:12,13
Through receiving
Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the miracle of the second birth takes
place in our lives. We are born of God!
"Whosoever believes that Jesus is the
Christ is born of God..." (I John 5:la)
But being a born
again child of God is not the natural condition of any person. Only those who
have "received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God."
How may I "receive" Christ?
Receiving Jesus Christ involves two basic
things: turning from sin in repentance and believing in Him as our Savior and
God. Jesus preached and greatly emphasized in all His ministry-
"The time is fulfilled, and the
kingdom of God is at hand, repent, and believe the gospel." Mark 1:15
Peter preached on
the day of Pentecost,
"Repent, and be baptized every one of
you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
Acts 2:35
Peter's Spirit-filled message was
repentance and faith in the person of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.
For the Jews to be baptized in the name of Jesus the Christ meant a new faith
(Christianity) and a new way of life. Baptism is an outward testimony of one's
repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
1. Repentance- God promises forgiveness to
all who will truly confess and turn from their sins.
"If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness."
I
John 1:9
To be sorry that
we have sinned against a holy God and to repent is the door way to
the new birth.
"Repent therefore, and be converted,
that your sins may he blotted out..."
Acts 3:19a
"He that covers his sins shall not
prosper; but whoever confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy."
Proverbs 28:13
"Let the wicked forsake his way, and
the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord, and He will
have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon." Isaiah 55:7
Repentance
involves confessing, forsaking and doing away with sin in all its forms. God
will give us power to do such if we will look to Christ in faith.
2. Faith - True faith in Jesus Christ means absolute trust. Forsaking All I Trust Him. While
repentance is the door way to receiving Christ, the key that opens the door to
the New Birth is faith. (Many receive not because they believe not) Remember
our scripture in
John 1:12-
"But as many as received Him, to them
gave he power to become the sons of God, EVEN TO THEM THAT BELIEVE ON HIS
NAME." Now, to believe in Jesus Christ means to totally commit our lives
to Him, to fully believe that His sacrifice on the cross atones for our sins,
to follow His teachings in the New Testament, to rely upon Him alone as our
salvation, and to live a life of trusting Him as our all in all: This is
victorious faith-
"For whosoever is born of God
overcomes the world, and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our
faith. Who is he that overcomes the
world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God."
I John 5:4,5.
Reader, if you will open your heart right
now and trust Christ to be your Savior, you will experience what it means to be
born again. As you pray now, confess your sins to Christ. Tell Him that you are
leaving the ways of sin, never to return to such a life again. Pour out your
heart to Him. Tell Him every secret. He is ready to cleanse you from all
unrighteousness. As you open your heart
to Him in repentance, it will be easy to trust Him to forgive you. He has
promised and He will as you now believe!
If
you would like someone to pray with you and give further counsel, please
contact me at any time. We are sending forth this. message with a sincere
desire to lead people to know Christ as their personal Savior.
-Pastor
Wayne Steury
Berne Church of the Nazarene
605 Sprunger ST
Berne, IN 46711
