It is an absolute miracle to be born again! Yes, you have probably heard that term “born again” before, but maybe you are not sure what it actually means. Well I am talking about a “new birth” that must take place in YOUR own life, IF you have a desire to enter Heaven after you die. Am I trying to say that a person must be born again? Yes, that is exactly what I am trying to tell you, because that is exactly what Jesus told Nicodemus, a Jewish ruler when he spoke to him:
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:1-3)
Even though that man Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews, he still had no understanding of what it meant to be born again. Jesus told him that he would not be able to “see” the kingdom of God without the new birth. Jesus was talking about having the “spiritual sight” that would only come by the Spirit of the living God!
Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, 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 3:4-6)
Nicodemus knew enough about his natural (physical) birth, which was his birth in the “flesh” but he did not know about the spiritual birth, or being born of the “Spirit.” If a person dies without having experienced this new birth in the Spirit, then they will die in their own sins (John 8:24) and ultimately go to Hell!
Have you been regenerated by the Spirit of the living God? Have you been born again? Are you trusting in your “own righteousness” or have you put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? Are YOU hoping that your own “good deeds” or your own “good life” will SAVE you on the last day? Well, you can forget about that, because nobody has ever been SAVED that way.
But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; (Titus 3:4-6)
The Jewish apostle Paul was a Christian persecutor, and he consented unto the death of many Christians also, but then he got saved. (Acts 26:1-23) Paul understood for the first time what it meant to be born again, and what it meant to have the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and not his own righteousness. After Paul got saved he naturally had a burden for his fellow Jewish brethren, whom he knew were lost, and hell-bound, without a living faith in Jesus the Christ (Messiah)!
Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. (Romans 10:1-4)
Are you ready to meet your maker? How about your loved ones, wife, husband, children, grandchildren etc . . .? Near the end of his life the famous preacher John Wesley was asked why he always seemed to preach on the same topic of being born again. John Wesley answered the person by saying, “Because You must be born again”!
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. (1 Corinthians 2:14)
For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. (1 Corinthians 1:19-21)
