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Why Did Jesus say you Need To Be "Born Again"
By Hiram E. Sutton
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This bible phrase of "Born Again" has been maligned by the world
trivialized and for the most part
forgotten by the institutional church but it is one of
the most important scriptural teachings in the Bible if not
the most important as it pertains to the state of ones
eternal existence. Jesus said its requirement "must be met" in
order to
see the |
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[7] |
According to the Bible Jesus said, "you must be born again". Notice the following encounter of Jesus with a Pharisees name Nicodemus:
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;
2 this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
3 Jesus answered and
said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is
born again he
cannot see the
4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”
5 Jesus
answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is
born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter
into the
6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh , and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
First of all notice that Jesus tells Nicodemus, a ruler, a religious man, a Pharisee who credentials consisted of being a member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council, one steeped in religious tradition and practice. Despite all of Nicodemus credentials it was necessary that he be transformed from the inside by being born again by the Spirit of God (John 3:5). His religious background was of no value as it pertained to the the new birth.
Another point to notice:
In verse 5 Jesus responds to Nicodemus inquiry by telling
him,"...unless one is born of water and
the Spirit he cannot enter into the
To a
Jewish teacher such as Nicodemus
so familiar with the symbolical application of water, in every variety
of way and form of expression, this language was fitted to show that
what Christ was in referenced to was no other than a thorough spiritual
cleansing by
the operation of the Holy Spirit who is, "the source of
the New Birth". The element of water and
operation of the Spirit are brought together in a prediction of
Notice what Ezekiel says in:
Ez 36:25–27
25 “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.
26 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
27 “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.
The following things are evident in these verses from Ezekiel:
It is God who is the author and source of all that entails
salvation. Notice God's five time repetition of the word "I" in
It is God who will cleanse us from our sin
God's work of salvation starts internally from the heart
Because of God's indwelling Spirit the internal workings
of salvation can be seen by our external works of obedience to God
Nicodemus being a master teacher in Israel should have recognize and understood what Christ was saying to him (John 3:9-10) from what Ezekiel wrote centuries before, but this vital truth given by the Holy Spirit had been obscured and lost in the the reigning formalism and tradition of the Pharisees. Much like today Church tradition and the precepts of man have obscured the truth of scripture.
It is the
triune God who is the source of the "New Birth". This is
clearly stated by the Apostle Paul in Titus 3:5:
Titus 3:5
5
He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in
righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
6 whom
He poured
out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
7 so that being justified by His grace we would be
made heirs according to the
hope of eternal life.
God the Father saves us according to his mercy Titus 3:5,7
We are renewed by God the Holy Spirit Titus 3:5
We received the Holy Spirit through our relationship with Jesus Christ our savior; the Son of God. Titus 3:6
It is clear from scripture that the origin and source of salvation originates from God himself and not man (John 1:12-13). Salvation is available through faith in the person of Jesus Christ.(John 1:12, John 3:16). It is the Holy Spirit of God that regenerates and renews us making the born again experience effective and real in the life of the believer. (Titus 3:5)
1. Through the word of God
for you have been born again not of seed which is
perishable but imperishable, that is,
through the living and enduring word of God.
18 In the exercise of
His
will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a
kind of first fruits
among His creatures.
Rom 10:8-11,13
8 But what does it say? “THE
word is near you, in your
mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are
preaching,
9 that
if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and
believe
in your heart that
God
raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting
in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in
salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER
believes in Him will not be
disappointed.”
12 For
there
is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is
Lord of
all, abounding
in riches for all who call on Him;
13 for “WHOEVER
WILL call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
12 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,
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
Why Do I need to be "Born Again"
Top
Condition of the Heart(nature)
In
The heart is more
deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?
Notice the words
Jeremiah uses to describe the human heart:
deceitful - sly, insidious, slippery
desperately
sick -
incurable as to its condition from the stand point
of man but not of God
This depraved heart
condition has been with mankind from birth, showing there is no
innocence in the heart notice what David said in
5 Behold,
I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my
mother conceived me.
David alludes to his sinful nature. He was born in sin, that is with a nature prone to do evil. The verse does not plead the sinfulness of his nature as an excuse for his conduct. Rather he is confessing that sin has infected his very nature..[2]
In
21 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries,
22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness . [1]
Jesus "also spoke of sins of neglect, good left undone, the barren tree, the unused talent, the priest ignoring the injured, and the love never shown (Matt 25:41–46). He especially condemns sins against love—unbrotherliness, implacable hostility, selfishness, insensitivity (Luke 12:16–21; 16:19–31). And he condemned self- righteousness and spiritual blindness (Matt 23:16–26; Mk 3:22–30). Jesus spoke of sin as sickness (Mark 2:17) and sometimes as folly (Luke 12:20). Nevertheless, Jesus declared that fallen humans can be cured with God’s help (Luke 7:36–50)."[5]
Not only does Jesus
address the external acts of the human heart but even the sinful
thoughts which originate from the heart.
Notice what Christ says
in
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You
shall not commit adultery’;
28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at
a woman with lust for her has already
committed adultery with her in his heart .
Matt 5:21-22
21 “You have heard that
the ancients
were told, ‘You
shall not commit
murder’ and ‘Whoever
commits murder shall be
liable
to the
court.’
22 “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his
brother shall be
guilty before
the
court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You
good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty
before
the supreme
court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be
guilty enough
to go into the
fiery hell.
In addressing the Galatians Paul says the following concerning the fallen nature of humanity
19
Now
the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are:
immorality , impurity, sensuality,
20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife,
jealousy, outbursts of anger,
disputes, dissensions, factions,
21 envying, drunkenness,
carousing, and things like these, of which I
forewarn you, just as I have forewarned
you, that those who practice such things will
not inherit the kingdom of
God.
In verse 19 Paul says that the deeds of the flesh i.e. our nature, are evident; they are plainly recognized or known whether they be displayed in private or public. In summary Jeremiah, Mark, Matthew and Galatians clearly gives God's assessment of the nature of man. They show that man's inclination to sin is the result of what he is on the inside, which is sinful and depraved when measured against the standard of God which is the ten commandments.
The Deception of the Heart
This sinful state of man which manifest itself through sinful thoughts
and deeds has created a separation between man and God. Since God is
holy and just he must and will judge sin. Therefore those who "are
not" trusting Christ and practices the sinful acts mentioned by
Christ as a way of life will not inherit the
9 Or do you not know that the
unrighteous will not inherit the
10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards,
nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the
The Foolishness of the Heart
Another symptom of ones sinful state is a person who is not "born again" cannot
accept or receive the things of God. This is due to the condition of
their heart; they count the spiritual things of God as foolishness and
they are not capable of understanding them nor are they willing to
accept them.
Note Paul's comment in
14 But a natural man does not accept
the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to
him; and he cannot understand them, because they
are spiritually appraised
The love of
the heart
In Jesus conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus stated that "...men loved darkness rather than the light...'. (John 3:19). This is the desire of a person not born of the Spirit of God. There is a high regard even appreciation of the darkness that is lived in and practiced as a way of life.
The love of evil stems from evil in the heart of man (Matt 9:4, Mark 7:21-23). Mans deeds reflects and affirms his affection for darkness.
In practical terms man welcomes, is fond of and pleased with the practice of his sinful deeds. His deeds of sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, sorcery, enmities, strife (Gal 5:19-21). The one who practice such deeds shrinks from the light and hates it because it exposes their sin (John 3:20). While the one born again willingly comes to the light so that their real motives may be revealed. (John 3:21)
1. Sins brings Shame - Sin carries with it shame which can be clearly seen in the fall of our first parents, Adam and Eve, who had their innocent and pure perspective changed. They felt shame in their nakedness and hid themselves from God after committing their act of disobedience (Gen 3:7-8).
2. Sin brings with it a sense of Guiltiness' - When Adam and Eve was confronted with their sin rather than repent of their disobedience they responded with the evasive language of blame by justifying their sinful actions, pointing the blame elsewhere (Gen 3:12-13). Adam tries to blame God (Gen 3:12), who put the woman there, and Eve, who gave him the fruit. Eve tries to blame the serpent (Gen 10:13). Adam and Eve like us today found it hard to take responsibility for what they had done.
There is another sense in which we are guilty before God and that is in a legal sense because we have all violated the law (ten commandments) of God (James 2:10). Because of this violation the law of God condemns us (Rom 3:19). For the law was created because of transgressions (Gal 3:19).
3. Sin brings Fear - Sin also brings with it the fear of the divine presence (Gen 3:10). Adam runs from God and tries to hide. Adam’s reaction helps us understand our own sense of alienation from God when we sin. But God’s search for Adam and Eve reminds us that, even when we sin, God does not abandon us. He continues to care.
Today many are running from God rather than running to God. This same fear will be displayed by those living during the great tribulation who through their disobedience have aligned themselves against God (Rev 6:15-17). All those living apart from a relationship with Christ not only live in fear of God there is also no peace (Is 48:21).
For those of us who are trusting Christ we have peace with God through Christ (Rom 5:1-2)
4. Separation from God - Sin has placed a separation between man and God, it has caused God to hide his presence and turn a deaf ear to our cries Unless it's the cry for salvation from a repentant heart.
Is 59:1-2
1 Behold, the Lord's hand is not so short
That it cannot save;
Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear.
2 But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your
God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does
not hear
5. Sin enslaves - Every one that practices sin as a way of life demonstrate that they a slave to sin (John 8:34 cf 1John 3:4-8)
6. Penalty of Sin - Sin places us under the judgment of God (Rom 2:5-8, Eph 5:5-6, John 3:36) . Judgment arose from the one(Adam) transgression resulting in condemnation to all men (Rom 5:16-17). Sin pays the wages of death (Rom 6:23), in this case eternal death. Sin will never cut its pay.
Not only does sin bring eternal consequences
but also immediate consequences. Adam and Eve not only died spiritually
but eventually died physically. When murder is committed a life is
immediately taken, when a lie is told
One's sin carries
with it consequences which is eternal death i.e. eternal separation from
God in the
Can I earn my salvation through works?
No! The Bible states that all of our works are as filthy rags before God and salvation can only come about by the grace of God. (Is 64:6)
Salvation is a gift
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. [1]
Salvation is not obtained by works of righteousness but by God's Mercy
Titus 3:5
He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
Salvation's Requirement
28 Therefore they said to Him, “What
shall we do , so that we may work the
works of God ?”
29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the
work of God, that you believe in Him whom
He has sent.”
How Do I
become "Born Again"
Top
God has only ask that we put our faith in the person of Christ, for it is him "alone" that can save us from the power and penalty of sin and provide us eternal salvation.
Repent of your Sins
19 “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord ;
To repent means to change of mind and purpose and life, to which remission of sin is promised.[4] The repent heart is conscious of the quilt of sin (Ps. 51:4, 9), it's pollution, (Ps. 51:5, 7, 10) and of the helplessness to remedy one's condition to "God's satisfaction(Ps 51:11; 109:21,22)."
Repentance comprehends a need for mercy, without which there can be no true repentance (Ps. 51:1; 130:4).[6]
Believe and Trust in Christ Alone
“For
God so loved the world, that He gave His
only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”
Will I see a
Change in my Life
Top
Yes, all who have had an encounter with the living God will not remain the same. Like those before us the life changing power of God is still in operation today and is consistent with the Biblical teaching and examples found in scripture. Our character and nature will be continually conformed to the image of Christ, though not all at once but in an ongoing maturing process. Consider some of the following as found in Scripture:
There are at least 3 areas where change should and will occur . They are:
1. Initial change - involves a mental awakening of the following:
a
deep conviction about our sinful nature
“Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord ,
“Though your sins are as scarlet,
They will be as white as snow; Though they
are red like crimson, They will be like wool.
The word ”reason“ (hebrew - yāḵaḥ) is a law term used of arguing, convincing, or deciding a case in court. The people were to be convinced by their argumentation with God that He was right and they were wrong about their condition [4]
a conviction of judgment to come
John 16:8
8 “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;
Therefore it is God who brings about a mental awakening of ones sinful condition and judgment we are under.
2. Increasing spiritual maturity - Upon of accepting God's plan of salvation, there should be an ever increasing spiritual maturity. This should manifest itself in the character of the believer
23 gentleness, self-control ; against such things there is no law.
The fruit of the Holy Spirit, it is the very nature of himself who is in union with Christ through the new birth.
3.
New aspirations and actions
Strong desire for God's word
2 like newborn babies,
long for the pure milk of the word, so that
by it you may grow in respect to salvation...
This new nature will have a strong longing for
the word of God just as a new born babe longs for milk from its mother’s
breast when hungry. Just as there is physical growth that takes place
when a babe partakes of milk there is a spiritual growth when a person
studies and applies the word of God to their lives. The new nature will
also have a drive and desire to know and do the will of God.
Desire to tell others about Christ
Desire to pray for others
(John 5:44-45)
A love for other believers
A love for others in general (Mark 12:31,
Luke 6:27,32)
Obedience to God
A desire to pursue
good works that please God according to the word of God. These works
are the result of salvation provided by God not the means to be
save and are performed
through the
spiritual gift that the Holy spirit has given all those who have
been born again.(1 Cor 12:4-7)
Desire to pursue the will of God
according to the word of God.(Matt
4:4)
A ever maturing Christ like character that reflects the fruit of the
Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22-23)
4. Continual repentance as God reveals sin in the life of the believer
The testimony of those whose life was change by the
power of God.
Acts 22:4 -
Apostle Paul persecuted both man and women until death even having them
imprisoned before accepting Christ. After Paul's encountered with Christ
he wrote over half of the New Testament and eventually died as a martyr.
Paul's change
resulted in a new focus for his life. It was a focus centered on the
person of Jesus Christ. It was a change that gradually conformed his
character and behavior to that of Christ. The same is true of those one who
have encountered the living Christ. This has been evidenced in and by the saints
through out the Church age.
Acts 7:59-60 -
Stephen who was willing to give his life for testimony of Christ.
If you have
understood the following:
1. You are a sinner and stand guilty before
God and incapable of saving yourself
3. There is a need to repent of your sins, that is a change of mind and agree with God concerning your spiritual state.
4. Believing in Christ is not a
license to continue practicing your old way of life
5. Should you die without accepting the free
gift of salvation you would go to hell
6. You now understand that Christ gave
himself as a sacrifice to God the Father by dying on the Cross, shedding
his blood for the sins
that you committed
7. You should now do
the follow:
8 But what does it say? “The
word is near you,
in your mouth and in your heart”—that
is, the word of faith which we are preaching,
9 that if you
confess with
your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God
raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in
righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in
salvation.
11 For the Scripture says,
“Whoever
believes
in Him will not be disappointed.”
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Prayer of Salvation
Jesus I confess you as Lord and I believed that God raised you from the dead.
For Your name’s sake, O
Lord, Pardon my
iniquity, for it is great.
The troubles of my heart are enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses. Look upon my affliction and my trouble.
Hide Your face from my sins And blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God
Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;
According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my
transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my
sin.
For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me.
Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil
in Your sight,
Thank you Lord for your mercy and grace and begin the author and
finisher of my faith
It is in the name of Jesus that I pray these things. |
If you have prayed the above prayer and God has indeed open your eyes to his salvation
(1) Find a group of believers to fellowship with (***)
(Click here to read about how to identify a Good Church)
(2) Now Get Baptized
[***] How to identify a good Bible church
[1] Jamieson, Robert ; Fausset, A. R. ; Fausset, A. R. ; Brown, David ; Brown, David: A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments. Oak Harbor, WA : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997, S. Jn 3:5
[2]Smith, J. E. (1996). The wisdom literature and Psalms. Joplin, Mo.: College Press Pub. Co.
[3] Strong, James: The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible : Showing Every Word of the Test of the Common English Version of the Canonical Books, and Every Occurence of Each Word in Regular Order. electronic ed. Ontario : Woodside Bible Fellowship., 1996, S. G2588
[4]Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 1:1036
[5] Elwell, W. A., & Comfort, P. W. (2001). Tyndale Bible dictionary. Tyndale reference library (1203). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.
[6] Easton, M. (1996, c1897). Easton's Bible dictionary. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. - provided the base for this statement.
[7] The Gospel of Jesus Christ by Way of Life