You must be born again

When I was a young boy living in the backwoods of Central Michigan, I did not have much knowledge of God’s word because my parents didn’t go to church. Until the day my Dad got saved and we started going to church, my knowledge of God’s word was limited to an evangelistic message a Christian man brought to our one-room country school in the mid-1950s. Times have changed, now days it would be against the law for that man to come and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Even praying in the name of Jesus today is being scrutinized and rejected in many public areas.

The message of being born again, saved, not that many years ago was understood by many here in the United States, although not all people accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior whereas today there is much confusion and false teaching in what Jesus said “you must be born again”.

The person who rejects, doesn’t understand or know the Bible does not understand about being “saved.”

Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, didn’t understand about being born again, but Jesus made it quite clear in John 3:3. Jesus said to him, “most assuredly I say to you unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus did not understand Jesus because in verse 4 Nicodemus said to Jesus “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

Nicodemus was one with education; he was thoroughly trained in Jewish law and theology. Today we could say he went to a prestigious seminary but he had no idea about being born again or saved, much like many today with their ideas that do not line up with the word of God where unbelief abounds.

We see Jesus was talking about being born of the Spirit because God is a spirit. At the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden, man became dead unto God. All have fallen short, we must be born again and once saved, God’s spirit will dwell in our hearts, our innermost being, our spirit, we become alive unto God when we are saved.

Don’t be confused by theology or hearsay, because when the word of God says you must be born again, it is talking about a commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Romans 10:9-10 says 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.”

Man’s idea of being a Christian falls short of eternal life because it is not Bible-based. A while back I was talking to a man that liked the idea of one being a Christian, which he said he was. But he had his own definition of the Christian, it had nothing to do with being born again, his idea of being a Christian was somebody good like him. His theology was not based on the Bible, they were just empty words. His idea of being a Christian would not give him eternal life in heaven through Jesus Christ.

God loved the world so much he sent His Son, Jesus, that we may have eternal life starting the moment we accept the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, heaven is our reward. This world we’re just passing through, we are here just a short time when you compare it to eternity.

Jesus paid the price for all sins with his own divine blood when he died at the cross and rose from the grave. The Lord Jesus sits at the right hand of the father, but he will soon return for the Christians, those that are saved.

Lavon Barve ministers through Cup of Life Ministries in Wasilla email him at cupoflife@lbcolor.biz. This column is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman or its parent company, Wick Communications.