Born Again???

Jesus tells Nicodemus in John 3:3 that unless a man is Born Again he will not enter into the kingdom of God. 

I know that for many years, before I was actually Born Again, I didn’t quite understand those two words.  I understood, and believed, that Jesus died on the cross for me, and my sins, but I didn’t understand that I actually had to be Born Again to accept what Christ had done for me.

When Christ sacrificed himself on the cross for all of us we didn’t have to do anything to receive this gift.  Meaning, there was no amount of good deeds, or earthly work, that we could do that would atone us for what Christ had already sacrificed.  

An example I like to use is Mother Teresa.  While we all know that Mother Teresa was a wonderful woman, and was an extremely selfless woman, there was no amount of good works she could have done, or did do, that would equal the sacrifice that was already made for her.   Even Mother Teresa would not have gotten into Heaven based on her works here on earth.   Mother Teresa needed to be Born Again to enter into the kingdom of God.

I believe there is a very large misconception in the world that if we are good people, are kind, helpful, God fearing people we will be able to get into Heaven just based on that.   What this also does is keeps people from entering into Heaven, I believe, because they look at themselves, and what they lack, and the many things they did wrong, so why even try.  I think this lie influences people to give up on pursuing God.   This is a lie from the enemy!!

When Jesus told Nicodemus all he had to do was be Born Again, Nicodemus says, how is that possible?  How can I enter back into my mother’s womb as a man or as an adult?  We all know logically that is impossible, but that is because we are thinking with our minds and logic and the things of God surpass human understanding.

 

What Jesus is asking us to do is to Believe.  He is asking you to believe that he did in fact hang on the Cross, and suffer a death that no human will ever understand.   He wants you to Believe that he paid the ultimate sacrifice for your sinful life. 

We have to confess with our mouths, and believe with our hearts, that Jesus died for your sins, on the cross, and that God raised him up three days later, to sit at the right side of God in Heaven.

When you pray the Prayer of Salvation, or are Born Again, you are asking for God to live inside of you.  I know again, logically, how is that possible?  Well we know that a person cannot physically come and live inside of you, but a spirit can. 

God is a spirit; he is not flesh and bones, as we are here on earth.   We are actually spirits as well, but we are spirits in a body, so when we see each other we are seeing the outer shell, or the casing of the person.  When you look at someone you are rarely seeing their spirit, you are seeing their flesh and bones.

When you think of God as a spirit being, and not a human being, then you can understand that God the spirit can live inside of you.   Jesus told the disciples ,after God raised him from his death, that he must leave this earth to take his seat in Heaven, with God, so that the Holy Spirit aka God’s spirit, can live inside of everyone.

Jesus is God’s word, or the Bible, made flesh, so when he came to earth he was just like you and I, encased in a body of flesh and bone.   This body limited Jesus to only being able to be in one place at one time.  When Jesus was raised into Heaven to be with God he was able to be replaced, so to speak, with the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is able to be in multiple places at once, because he is a Spirit. 

When you are Born Again the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of you and allows you inner man or your spirit to be made whole, and perfect in an instant.   I will tell you this; if you try to intellectualize this process it will be very difficult for you to understand.  This is where Faith and Trusting the Word of God comes heavily into play. 

God wants to be with you at all times and to do that, he gave us his Spirit.  His Spirit will direct you in the will of God for your life.  The Holy Spirit hears directly from God on his purpose for your life and he then helps direct you and keep you on the track that God has for you. 

We will often say, I had a hunch, or a feeling in my gut, that this was wrong for me to do, well that’s the Holy Spirit directing you.   As a believer I will say, this doesn’t feel right in my spirit.  I don’t have peace about this situation, or vice versa.   We are all saying the same thing but with different vocabulary.  The non-believer doesn’t recognize the Holy Spirit, because they haven’t been educated on what the Holy Spirit is, so they speak from their limited understanding.

To be Born Again is a choice that we must make with our Hearts, and our mouths, and then we receive the Free Gift that Jesus died for us to have.  This gift is free because there is nothing we could do to receive it, but believe in what Jesus has done for each and every one of us. 

We all come to this path in different ways but once we have arrived we all receive the same gift and an ability to carry God on the inside of us.  We no longer are the guiding force in our own lives; we are now living for God and allowing his ultimate wisdom to show us the way to go. 

We are made perfect in an instant, in our spirit man, and then God works with us to take what has been deposited inside of us, and move it from the inside out.  Sometimes this can be a painful transition, as almost any change can be ,but the life that you will now have will be worth the temporary pain. 

When you are Born Again, and accept Christ as your savior, you instantly avoid spiritual death.   Your name is written in the Lambs book of Life.  Jesus was considered the Lamb, as he was our sacrifice.  The Book of Life is where God places the names of all of those people who have accepted Jesus as their savior.  To have your name written in the Lambs Book of Life is saying that you will have eternal life with God.  Though your body, your flesh and bones, will die, your spirit, your soul will forever live on.  

This all will make sense when you understand that your body is just the vessel here on earth.  Just like your car is the vessel used to transport you from one place to another, your body is given to you to live your life here on earth. 

We can over spiritualize the two words Born Again, and make is something that God never intended it to be, and allow two words to keep you from your life, in eternity with God, or you can do as Nicodemus did, and understand that what is of Flesh dies of Flesh, and what is of Spirit is alive with Spirit. 

Come to Jesus and accept his free gift of salvation and have your name added into the Lambs Book of Life!!  

 

Prayer of Salvation 

God I want to thank you for Jesus.  I want to thank you for sending him to be the sacrifice for my sins.  I thank you Lord that my sins of yesterday, today and tomorrow have been forgiven with the Blood of Jesus.   I believe God that you sent Jesus to the earth to die on the Cross for me.  To shed his perfect Blood for me.  To cleanse me of my sins.  I believe Lord that you raised Jesus on the third day and you sent your Holy Spirit to live inside of me.  I believe that Jesus is sitting in Heavenly places with you Lord.  I believe this with my heart and I confess with my mouth, that Jesus is my Lord and Savior and you are my God.  I believe that today my name is written in the Lambs Book of Life and I will spend eternity with you Lord.  I thank you for sacrificing your son Jesus, your precious gift for my sins and I ask you Lord to send the Holy Spirit into my life to live on the inside of me.   I accept and receive today these free gifts from you God and purpose my life for your kingdom.  In Jesus’ Holy Name, Amen.