NEW BIRTH
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17
Jesus answered, “I assure you, everyone must be born again. Anyone who is not born again cannot be in God’s kingdom.†Nicodemus said, “How can a man who is already old be born again? Can he go back into his mother’s womb and be born a second time?†Jesus answered, “Believe me when I say that everyone must be born from water and the Spirit. Anyone who is not born from water and the Spirit cannot enter God’s kingdom. The only life people get from their human parents is physical. But the new life that the Spirit gives a person is spiritual. Don’t be surprised that I told you, ‘You must be born again.’….The only one who has ever gone up to heaven is the one who came down from heaven—the Son of Man. “Moses lifted up the snake in the desert. It is the same with the Son of Man. He must be lifted up too. Then everyone who believes in him can have eternal life.†Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life. John 3:3-7, 13-16 (ERV)
New birth! This is what Christianity is all about: born again, anew in Jesus Christ. Nicodemus did not understand it as Jesus told him about this new birth. So many of us today don’t understand this concept. Salvation is available to all who seek. You cannot earn it. It is a free gift from God.
In Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus explains this new birth, being born again, as not being a physical birth like when we entered this world as a newborn baby. Jesus was talking about a spiritual birth, or rather a spiritual re-birth. When we were born as an infant, we inherited characteristics of our parents. But one characteristic we inherited came from an ancestor who lived long ago. That characteristic is sin, Adam’s sin. No matter how hard we work doing good things, we cannot earn our way into heaven or rid ourselves of sin. We receive our sinless ‘ticket’ when we are born again (a spiritual re-birth). It is a free gift from God; it is often called ‘grace’. The Holy Spirit gives us this spiritual re-birth, a new life in Jesus Christ. And how do we get this gift? The scripture above tells us how…that everyone who believes in Him would not be lost but have eternal life. (John 3:16b) It is our willingness to believe in Jesus Christ as God’s One and Only Son. When we express this belief, our Heavenly Father grants us this free gift, eternal life with God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit.
Being a “good person†will not get your ticket punched. We must believe in Jesus Christ as God’s One and Only Son, seeking His forgiveness for our sins, and believe that He died on a Roman cross for you, for me. As He died, Jesus took on our behalf, the punishment that our sins required, that God meted out (required for our forgiveness) and He gave us His cloak of Righteousness (a free gift). No longer clothed in our sin, we are now clothed in Jesus’ righteousness. Our ticket (pass, seat, audience, etc.) has been “punched†allowing us to come before a Holy God, our Heavenly Father. No one covered in sin can come before our Heavenly Father: our sin must be removed, punishment must be meted out, and we are clothed in Christ’s Righteousness. That is what “born again†means.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 [NIV]
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:22-23
…but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is a “free gift†from God. It cannot be earned. It is grace pure and simple. Thus we receive eternal life with our Triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
The term new birth brings yet another connotation to mind. When one’s marriage hits hard times and the family unit is shattered by Satan’s influence upon one or more individuals of the family, what do we do? Do we just give in and go the route of divorce? Divorce is truly the death of that family unit and it becomes the end to all the positive influences that a walk with Jesus Christ can be on that family. We can, however, fight back! Jesus Christ offers us new birth, a reconciliation with God, with ourselves, and with our spouse and family members. When divorce looms, we are becoming slaves to Satan. Jesus Christ offers us salvation, freedom from sin as we become slaves to our Father God. We are born again. We experience a new birth.
When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:20-23
New birth! Eternal life with Jesus Christ! Nothing can top that, not anything!
Standing firm until parted by death,
Ben in Texas
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17
Jesus answered, “I assure you, everyone must be born again. Anyone who is not born again cannot be in God’s kingdom.†Nicodemus said, “How can a man who is already old be born again? Can he go back into his mother’s womb and be born a second time?†Jesus answered, “Believe me when I say that everyone must be born from water and the Spirit. Anyone who is not born from water and the Spirit cannot enter God’s kingdom. The only life people get from their human parents is physical. But the new life that the Spirit gives a person is spiritual. Don’t be surprised that I told you, ‘You must be born again.’….The only one who has ever gone up to heaven is the one who came down from heaven—the Son of Man. “Moses lifted up the snake in the desert. It is the same with the Son of Man. He must be lifted up too. Then everyone who believes in him can have eternal life.†Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life. John 3:3-7, 13-16 (ERV)
New birth! This is what Christianity is all about: born again, anew in Jesus Christ. Nicodemus did not understand it as Jesus told him about this new birth. So many of us today don’t understand this concept. Salvation is available to all who seek. You cannot earn it. It is a free gift from God.
In Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus explains this new birth, being born again, as not being a physical birth like when we entered this world as a newborn baby. Jesus was talking about a spiritual birth, or rather a spiritual re-birth. When we were born as an infant, we inherited characteristics of our parents. But one characteristic we inherited came from an ancestor who lived long ago. That characteristic is sin, Adam’s sin. No matter how hard we work doing good things, we cannot earn our way into heaven or rid ourselves of sin. We receive our sinless ‘ticket’ when we are born again (a spiritual re-birth). It is a free gift from God; it is often called ‘grace’. The Holy Spirit gives us this spiritual re-birth, a new life in Jesus Christ. And how do we get this gift? The scripture above tells us how…that everyone who believes in Him would not be lost but have eternal life. (John 3:16b) It is our willingness to believe in Jesus Christ as God’s One and Only Son. When we express this belief, our Heavenly Father grants us this free gift, eternal life with God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit.
Being a “good person†will not get your ticket punched. We must believe in Jesus Christ as God’s One and Only Son, seeking His forgiveness for our sins, and believe that He died on a Roman cross for you, for me. As He died, Jesus took on our behalf, the punishment that our sins required, that God meted out (required for our forgiveness) and He gave us His cloak of Righteousness (a free gift). No longer clothed in our sin, we are now clothed in Jesus’ righteousness. Our ticket (pass, seat, audience, etc.) has been “punched†allowing us to come before a Holy God, our Heavenly Father. No one covered in sin can come before our Heavenly Father: our sin must be removed, punishment must be meted out, and we are clothed in Christ’s Righteousness. That is what “born again†means.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 [NIV]
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:22-23
…but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is a “free gift†from God. It cannot be earned. It is grace pure and simple. Thus we receive eternal life with our Triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
The term new birth brings yet another connotation to mind. When one’s marriage hits hard times and the family unit is shattered by Satan’s influence upon one or more individuals of the family, what do we do? Do we just give in and go the route of divorce? Divorce is truly the death of that family unit and it becomes the end to all the positive influences that a walk with Jesus Christ can be on that family. We can, however, fight back! Jesus Christ offers us new birth, a reconciliation with God, with ourselves, and with our spouse and family members. When divorce looms, we are becoming slaves to Satan. Jesus Christ offers us salvation, freedom from sin as we become slaves to our Father God. We are born again. We experience a new birth.
When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:20-23
New birth! Eternal life with Jesus Christ! Nothing can top that, not anything!
Standing firm until parted by death,
Ben in Texas
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
