Have you been Born Again?

It is Necessary? “Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; 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 man can do these signs that You do, unless God is with him.’

Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’

Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born again when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?’

Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:1-5). It is absolutely necessary to be born again in order to be pleasing to God.

Misconceptions The new birth is not reform. We may need to reform our lives, but reform is like polishing a watch that does not run. It may need to be polished, but polish will not correct what is internally amiss.

The new birth is not simply becoming religious. Nicodemus was religious, but he needed to be “born again”.

The new birth is not simple a change of heart. God wants us to have a change of heart. This change of heart is repentance and God does command all to repent (Acts 17:30). But the new birth is not repentance.

The new birth is not being overwhelmed by the Spirit. Each individual has the capacity to accept or reject God’s message. Even Paul, who was chosen as a special messenger to the Gentiles, could have rejected God’s purpose for him. He said to Agrippa, “I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19). He was obedient; he could have been disobedient. The choice was his. But Paul chose to obey God.

Obedience to the Truth In order to be born again there must be an appreciation of God’s grace in sending His Son to die for our sins. In the realization that we are not good enough to commend ourselves to God, we thank Him for the gift of His Son, realizing that through Him we can have forgiveness for sin. The new birth is through faith in Christ, accepting Him as Lord and Savior.

Those having faith in Jesus Christ will obey Him. “Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable, but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding Word of God.” (1 Peter 1:22-23)

The Spirit and the New Birth The special work of the Holy Spirit is in the realm of revealing and confirming God’s message. Jesus promised His disciples the Holy Spirit to, “guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). This truth is to be heard and obeyed with the understanding that we can have forgiveness of sin through Christ, who has made atonement for us. The Spirit has revealed what we are to do --- the truths to be obeyed. “And this is the Word which was preached to you” (1 Peter 1:25).

Obedience From the Heart Sincere, heartfelt obedience is necessary. “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves to sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching ...” (Romans 6:17). These believers in Rome had obeyed from the heart and at the point of baptism they were freed from sin (Romans 6:3-4). Note. This spiritual new birth, or “newness of life” begins at the point of baptism!

Water and Spirit Jesus commanded baptism in water (Matthew 28:19-20). Those who were baptized had been convicted of sin by the revealed truths of the Spirit (John 16:8-11). The new birth is a baptism in water with sincere obedience from the heart to the convicting message of the Spirit. It is being born of water and the Spirit (See Acts 2:38).

Examples of Conversion The book of Acts should be studied, paying special attention to the examples of conversion. In chapter eight we may read of a man who was riding along in his chariot. He was asked by Philip, the evangelist, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The man invited Philip to join him, and as they rode along together Philip preached Jesus to him. When they came to some water the man said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” Notice the desire to be baptized in response to the convicting message of the Spirit. Philip baptized him and the man went on his way rejoicing. He was born again!

Have You Been Born Again
According to the Bible Pattern? Have you, in response to the message of the Spirit, repented toward God, confessed your sin, and with faith in Jesus Christ, been baptized in obedience for the forgiveness of your sins, to the truth of the Bible? Have you truly been born again?

WHAT CAN YOU DO? You can accept the authority of Christ by doing what He commanded (Matthew 7:21; John 14:15; 15:10-14; Luke 6:46). Notice the pattern for becoming a Christian as revealed in the Scriptures. The Gospel was heard, resulting in faith (Romans 10:17). Repentance of (turning away from) sin (Acts 17:30) and confession of Jesus as the Son of God followed (Romans 10:10). Believers were baptized INTO Christ for the remission (forgiveness) of sins (See Matthew 28:18-20;Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 8:35-39; 22:16; Romans 6:3-5; Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:12; 1 Peter 3:20-21), and added to His church (Acts 2:47). Christians were taught to be faithful even to the point of death (Revelation 2:10).

WE WELCOME YOU Following the instructions of the Scriptures, members of Christ’s body assemble as congregations for worship, encouragement, and Bible study. The congregation in your community welcomes you to investigate the Bible with us. With a spirit of brotherly love we would seek to reconcile any differences by following the Bible ONLY. We recognize the Bible as God’s inspired word, the ONLY reliable standard of faith and practice. We desire the unity for which Christ prayed and which the Bible emphasizes in the expression, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” Together we seek to maintain “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

A friendly welcome awaits you. We do not wish to embarrass you in any way. You will not be asked for contributions. We assemble for Bible study and worship each Sunday morning and we welcome you to meet with us. We would be happy to talk to you about your questions and we want to be of encouragement.

Please contact me, Dennis Crawford, at BibleTruthsToU@gmail.com or 253-396-0290 (cell) for comments, questions, further Bible information, or for the location of a congregation belonging to Jesus Christ near you.