YOU MUST BE
BORN AGAIN
These are the words Jesus spoke to
one of the most religious men of his day (John 3:1-8). Nicodemus
had come to Jesus one night to inquire about His new doctrine.
Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews. He believed in
God, he prayed, fasted, tithed, attended worship services, read
the Scriptures and tried to keep high moral standards. Yet, with
all these credentials, Jesus told him he had to be born again in
order to enter the kingdom of God.
The Word and
the Spirit
Jesus said, "… Unless
one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."(John
3:3). "… Unless one is born of water
and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:5). Later
in the book of John he said, "You are already
clean because of the word which I have spoken to you" (John 15:3). Paul
wrote that Christ gave Himself to sanctify and cleanse the church
with the washing of water by the WORD (Ephesians 5:26). Peter
wrote that we are born again "… not of
corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which
lives and abides forever, (1 Pet 1:23). The WORD
is the seed that comes into your heart and causes faith to grow.
Not only must you have God's Word
in order to be born again, but you must have God's Spirit. It is "not
by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to
His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and
renewing of the HOLY SPIRIT" (Titus 3:5).
There are several ingredients
needed in making concrete. You need sand, cement, and water
primarily. There is plenty of sand in the desert, but concrete
doesn't appear just because it's there. There is an abundance of
water in the ocean and plenty of sand, but the ocean is not full
of concrete. Likewise in order for you to be saved, the Word and
the Spirit must be mixed with repentance and faith in your heart.
Believe and
Confess
"… The word is
near you, in your mouth and in your heart (that is, the word of
faith which we preach): that if you CONFESS with your mouth the
Lord Jesus and BELIEVE in your heart that God has raised Him from
the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one BELIEVES unto
righteousness, and with the mouth CONFESSION is made unto
salvation" (Rom 10:8-10).
Your faith in God's Word is
expressed with your heart (believe) and with your mouth
(confess). If you truly believe in your heart that God raised
Jesus from the dead, there is no reason you should not be willing
to confess him as Lord. The moment you believe in your heart upon
Jesus and confess Him as your Lord and Savior, you are born
again.
"But as many as
received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of
God, {even} to those who believe in His name," (John
1:12).
Saved by
Grace through Faith
There is a mixture of God's grace
and power with your will and faith. It is not just all of God,
and certainly it is not just all up to you. It takes both GOD'S
ABILITY and YOUR WILLINGNESS to bring about the new birth.
"For by grace
you have been SAVED through
FAITH, and that NOT
OF YOURSELVES; it is the gift of God, not
of works, lest anyone
should boast" (Eph 2:8-9).
We could never be saved except by
the pure grace of God. Man is certainly undeserving according to
his own merits. It is God's power working through His Word and
Spirit that brings about the new birth. Yet without an attitude
of repentance and faith, God's power will not work in a man's
heart. Man's will must be obedient to God's will before he can
receive God's blessings.
A New
Creation
"Therefore, if anyone
is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away;
behold, all things have become new" (2 Cor
5:17).
The new birth makes you a brand
new creation. You are created after the image of Jesus Christ (Colossians
3:10). This is done by RENEWING THE MIND WITH GOD'S WORD, and
submitting your body to the authority of that word (Romans
12:2, Ephesians 4:23-24).
Into God's
Kingdom
Giving thanks unto the
Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the
inheritance of the saints in light: HE HAS DELIVERED US FROM THE
POWER OF DARKNESS, AND TRANSLATED US INTO THE KINGDOM OF THE SON
OF HIS LOVE, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the
forgiveness of sins" (Col 1:12-14).
When you are born again, you are
taken out of Satan's kingdom of darkness, and you are placed into
the kingdom of Jesus, the kingdom of light. It is not something
you just hope or wish for. It is fact. The child of God does not
have to be lorded over by Satan ever again. "Therefore
if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed" (John
8:36).
The Law of
the Spirit of Life in
Christ Jesus
This new kingdom is a spiritual
kingdom; but just because salvation is basically a spiritual
rebirth does not mean that is has no effect on your body, mind,
or everyday living. It can and should have a great impact on
every part of your life.
In every society, there are
certain laws that govern the actions of the inhabitants of that
area. It is the same in spiritual life. There are laws for those
in Satan's kingdom, and there are laws for those in God's
kingdom. The new birth gives you a new law. "THE
LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS Has made me free from
the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:2).
The law of life includes love,
joy, peace, happiness, prosperity, abundance, health,
contentment, and blessings. These provisions are made for the
Christian in the New Covenant. It is law-spiritual law. You must
enforce it in your life. God will back you. His Word is true
and unchanging.
Forgiveness---Remission
of Sins
The day you make Jesus your Lord
and Savior you are forgiven of all your sins; in fact you were
legally forgiven when Jesus gave His life as a ransom for you.
But you do not experience that forgiveness until you receive it
by faith.
Although a person may have
committed many sins, the chief sin of the unsaved is NOT
BELIEVING ON CHRIST (John 16:9). When a person gets that
straightened out, the root of the problem is solved. The blood of
Christ cleanses the heart the moment a person believes and
confesses Him as Savior. Thus all the past sins are remitted or
taken away by the powerful cleansing work of His blood (1John
1:7). "…We have redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his
grace; (Eph 1:7).
Water
Baptism
It is clear from the scriptures
that water baptism is important to the believer. In the Great
Commission Jesus told His disciples, "…He
said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the
good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will
be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned" (Mark 16:15-16). Matthew
records these words of Jesus in the 28th chapter and
the 19th verse: "Go therefore and
make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" Jesus himself was
baptized by John in the Jordan River (Matthew 3:13-17)
At the close of his message on the
day of Pentecost, Peter told the Jews, "…Then
Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins;
and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
(Acts 2:38). Luke Records, "Then those who
gladly received his word were baptized; (Acts 2:41).
Paul was baptized after his
conversion (Acts 9:18). He later baptized the believers at
Ephesus (Acts 19:1-6). Those at Cornelius" house were
baptized after they had received the
Holy Ghost (Acts 10:44-48). The Philippian jailer and all
his household were baptized after they had believed on Jesus (Acts
16:31-33).
Assurance of
Salvation
"And this
is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this
life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not
have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have
written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that
you may know that you have
eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of
the Son of God" (I Jn 5:11-13).
If you meet the conditions given
in God's Word for salvation, you can know you are saved. God's
Word says that you can know. That is what you must stand on - His
Word - Not your feelings, emotions, church membership, high
morals, or sincerity.
Pray this
prayer out loud
Heavenly Father, in Jesus' name
I repent of my sins and open my heart to let Jesus come inside of
me. Jesus, you are my Lord and Savior. I believe you died for my
sins and you were raised from the dead. Fill me with your Holy
Spirit. Thank You Father for saving me.
In Jesus name, Amen
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