BORN AGAIN
Your first birth is not good enough to get you to heaven. Some think that because they were born in a Christian nation that they were born Christians. We were not born Christians but sinners (Psalm 51:5). That’s why the Bible says, “You must be born again!” There is much confusion on this, as we have all heard Hollywood actors, men on death row, politicians, etc., telling us they are “born again,” but with many, their testimony is not convincing. Nonetheless, the Bible says you “must” be born again (John 3:7). It is a spiritual birth.
“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. 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. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit” (John 3:3–8).
Man is a three-part being: “your whole spirit and soul and body” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). However, the Bible teaches us we were born spiritually “dead” (Ephesians 2:1–9). That is why we need God’s spiritual birth, which takes place at the moment we trust His Son as our Savior. The Holy Spirit comes into our spirit, which was born dead, and gives us His life. “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (Romans 8:9; see also 1 Corinthians 6:19; see SALVATION).
Our first birth is the “water birth” (John 3:5), when the water sack breaks. The next verses explain this, because in place of the word “water” it is called the birth of the “flesh,” but the word “Spirit” remains the same in both verses. One birth is given to us by our mothers (the first birth, “water” or “flesh”), and the other by God’s Spirit (with a capital “S”). In our physical birth we are given 80 years or so to live, but in our spiritual birth we are given eternal life. Only God’s Spirit can give this. It is “not of yourself”; it is not the gift of the church or the gift of the minister, but the “gift of God,” and if we want it, then we will have to go to Him to receive it (Ephesians 2:8).
We could no more give ourselves this spiritual birth than we could give ourselves a physical birth. We could not merit, work for, earn, or buy our physical birth; and it is the same with our spiritual birth. Someone else has to give it to us. Just as our mothers gave us the physical birth, so the Spirit of God must give us the spiritual birth. There is a major difference, however—we had no say in the physical birth, but we have to ask God for the spiritual birth: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).
“Ye must be born again,” Christ said. In order to “see” and “enter” heaven, we “must” be born again (John 3:3–7). This spiritual birth is when we trust His Son to save us. Religion, water baptism, the Lord’s Table, sacraments, etc., are all things, and many are trusting these things, but only a person can forgive sins. His name is Jesus Christ, and to ask Him is not something hard to do. “The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:8–10).
“The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). We cannot see the wind, but only what it does in nature, and so it is with the Spirit of God, Who we cannot see, but we can see the changes God brings in the life of an individual when His Spirit comes into a man or a woman. This can be illustrated by someone taking a pig and cleaning him up and sprinkling him with perfume, but he is still a pig. And he wants to go into the mud because that is the type of nature he was born with. The only way one could get a pig to stop playing in the mud would be if it were possible to give him a new heart. If a doctor could open up a pig and gave him the heart of a lamb, when the pig woke up, he would want to stay out of the mud and play in the grass with the other sheep. We need new hearts. Yes, Christians can still make mistakes and sin even after they are saved, as Peter or John the apostle (Galatians 2:11; 1 John 1:8–10). But when a lamb falls in the mud, he does not like it and feels unclean.
“ You must be born again!”
Your first birth is not good enough to get you to heaven. Some think that because they were born in a Christian nation that they were born Christians. We were not born Christians but sinners (Psalm 51:5). That’s why the Bible says, “You must be born again!” There is much confusion on this, as we have all heard Hollywood actors, men on death row, politicians, etc., telling us they are “born again,” but with many, their testimony is not convincing. Nonetheless, the Bible says you “must” be born again (John 3:7). It is a spiritual birth.
“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. 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. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit” (John 3:3–8).
Man is a three-part being: “your whole spirit and soul and body” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). However, the Bible teaches us we were born spiritually “dead” (Ephesians 2:1–9). That is why we need God’s spiritual birth, which takes place at the moment we trust His Son as our Savior. The Holy Spirit comes into our spirit, which was born dead, and gives us His life. “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (Romans 8:9; see also 1 Corinthians 6:19; see SALVATION).
Our first birth is the “water birth” (John 3:5), when the water sack breaks. The next verses explain this, because in place of the word “water” it is called the birth of the “flesh,” but the word “Spirit” remains the same in both verses. One birth is given to us by our mothers (the first birth, “water” or “flesh”), and the other by God’s Spirit (with a capital “S”). In our physical birth we are given 80 years or so to live, but in our spiritual birth we are given eternal life. Only God’s Spirit can give this. It is “not of yourself”; it is not the gift of the church or the gift of the minister, but the “gift of God,” and if we want it, then we will have to go to Him to receive it (Ephesians 2:8).
We could no more give ourselves this spiritual birth than we could give ourselves a physical birth. We could not merit, work for, earn, or buy our physical birth; and it is the same with our spiritual birth. Someone else has to give it to us. Just as our mothers gave us the physical birth, so the Spirit of God must give us the spiritual birth. There is a major difference, however—we had no say in the physical birth, but we have to ask God for the spiritual birth: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).
“Ye must be born again,” Christ said. In order to “see” and “enter” heaven, we “must” be born again (John 3:3–7). This spiritual birth is when we trust His Son to save us. Religion, water baptism, the Lord’s Table, sacraments, etc., are all things, and many are trusting these things, but only a person can forgive sins. His name is Jesus Christ, and to ask Him is not something hard to do. “The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:8–10).
“The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). We cannot see the wind, but only what it does in nature, and so it is with the Spirit of God, Who we cannot see, but we can see the changes God brings in the life of an individual when His Spirit comes into a man or a woman. This can be illustrated by someone taking a pig and cleaning him up and sprinkling him with perfume, but he is still a pig. And he wants to go into the mud because that is the type of nature he was born with. The only way one could get a pig to stop playing in the mud would be if it were possible to give him a new heart. If a doctor could open up a pig and gave him the heart of a lamb, when the pig woke up, he would want to stay out of the mud and play in the grass with the other sheep. We need new hearts. Yes, Christians can still make mistakes and sin even after they are saved, as Peter or John the apostle (Galatians 2:11; 1 John 1:8–10). But when a lamb falls in the mud, he does not like it and feels unclean.
“ You must be born again!”