You Must Be Born Again

I’d like to discuss the requirement to be born again in order to make it to heaven.  Many people have had some kind of religious experience, but they have not been born again. Some people have been in church since they were children, but they have never been born again. If you were to take a survey in most churches around the world, asking people if they have been born again, I suppose very few would honestly be able to say they have been. So to begin, let’s see what the Lord Jesus Christ said about being born again.

He told Nicodemus, who was a religious leader of his day, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  (Joh 3:3).  That means you cannot see the kingdom of God unless you are born again.

Then He said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”  (Joh 3:5). That means you cannot enter the kingdom of God unless you experience this second birth, which is one of water and the Spirit.  This is simply another way of saying that you must have a new birth of the Spirit of God, and that it is not enough to be born naturally as all humans are.  When He referred to being born of water, He was speaking about water baptism.

He also said, "Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'” (Joh 3:6-7). That means it is absolutely necessary to be born again, since He used the word “must”.  It’s not an option but an obligation.

How to Be Born Again
But how can a person be born again?  Nicodemus wondered the same thing. He asked, "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?" (Joh 3:4). The Lord explained to him that He, the Son of Man, would be lifted up on a cross.

"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. (Joh 3:14-15)

That was a reference to His role as the Messiah, or Christ, as I explained in my article, The Son of Man. And He was referring to His sacrificial death by crucifixion in the place of sinners, so that they could have eternal life.

You see, when God delivered the Israelites from Egypt and they were in the wilderness, some of them were bitten by snakes and died, because of their sin. So God told Moses to make a bronze serpent and lift it up on a pole for people to see.

“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.’ And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.” (Num 21:8-9)

Jesus explained to Nicodemus the similarity between the bronze serpent and Himself. It was a type or picture of Christ. In the same way as the Israelites were saved from death by looking upon the bronze serpent fixed to a raised pole, so anyone who would look upon Jesus Christ nailed to a cross and lifted up, would have eternal life.

Jesus continued, "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.  (Joh 3:16).  This means that God loves you so much He sent His Son to die on the cross for you, so that if you would believe in Him, you would not perish, but have eternal life. He said, “whoever believes in Him,” and that includes anyone.  It’s good news, because if it were not for the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, we would all perish in hell.  That’s because we have all sinned and fallen (Rom 3:23).  Nobody has lived up to God’s perfect, glorious standard. Paul called that “falling short of His glory”.

It’s wonderful to know that we can be saved from the terrible fires of hell by believing in Jesus.  But it’s not enough just to know it; you need to do it. You need to personally repent of your sin and put your faith in Jesus alone to save you. Look to Him as the Israelites looked upon that bronze serpent. Without Him you will surely perish. He died on the cross for you, and God raised Him from the dead on the third day! He is alive forever. Will you trust Him to save you?

New Life in Christ as LORD
I would also like to explain what it means to believe in Him. It’s not simply agreeing that He’s the Savior of the world or that He died on the cross. It means you must undergo a radical conversion by the power of the Holy Spirit. God will change your whole life. It begins the moment you repent of all your sins, confess that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. You must surrender your whole life to Him, and ask Him to come live inside your heart to be your Lord and Savior. Once you do that, He will begin to transform you into His own image by the power of the Spirit.

Some people stop at John 3:16 and don’t go any further. But I’d like to quote the remaining verses in that passage, since they explain to us about the person who truly believes in Jesus with saving faith.

Jesus said to Nicodemus, “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God." (Joh 3:17-21)

The Lord contrasted those who believe in Him with those who do not. On the one hand, he who believes in Him and is born again is not judged. He comes into the Light, so that it may be plainly seen that his deeds have been done in the sight of God. He practices the truth. Notice the emphasis on the deeds and the practice of one who believes in Jesus. That’s what Jesus meant in John 3:16 by believing in Him and having eternal life. If a person claims to believe in Him, yet his life is not changed, then He does not know the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord described such a person in exact opposite terms from the way He described the one who truly believes in Him. The one who does not believe in Jesus has been judged already. He still loves the darkness rather than the Light, for his deeds are evil. Since he does evil, it shows that he hates the Light. He does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. Once again, notice the emphasis on the deeds of the one who does not believe. Therefore, it doesn’t matter if a person says they believe in Jesus as their Savior, if their life has not been changed. If one continues to practice evil, after he has believed in Jesus, then he still loves the darkness rather than the Light. He has rejected the Light. If he fears that his deeds will be exposed, then he reveals that actually his deeds are evil.

It doesn't matter what such a person says with his mouth about Jesus, if his deeds are still evil. He must turn from the darkness to the Light, so that it may be plainly seen that what he has done has been done in the sight of God. Even though he may claim to believe in Jesus, if he does not obey the Lord, he still stands condemned. He will not see life, since the wrath of God remains on him. That is what the apostle John meant when he wrote at the end of the third chapter of his gospel, "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." (Joh 3:36, NASB).

The original Greek word for the expression "does not obey" in John 3:36 is "apeitheo", which means "disobedient, or obey not." That word "apeitheo" comes from another word that means "disobedient", so the gospel explicitly warns us against disobeying the Lord. The word may also be used to mean "to disbelieve (wilfully and perversely), not believe, or unbelieving." (Strongs).

Likewise, Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” (Mat 7:21).  Notice the requirement that one must do the will of the Lord’s Father in heaven in order to enter the kingdom of God. The emphasis again is on what a person does. The Lord laid stress on one’s deeds. Put that together with what Jesus told Nicodemus that you must be born again to enter the kingdom, and you will clearly see that they are one and the same. A person who is born again must do the will of God, and his faith must be accompanied by action.  It’s not enough to call Jesus “Lord.”

Jesus said, "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.'” (Mat 7:22-23). The same emphasis here is on one’s deeds. Those who practice lawlessness do not enter the kingdom of God. They do not enter heaven. The Lord will tell them to depart from Him and say He never knew them, even though they call Him Lord. It all goes back to their deeds.

Some people like to think that because we are saved by grace that there are no rules to follow. Well, I have news for those people. The apostle Paul said that Jesus became the source of salvation for all who obey Him. (Heb 5:9). There are still commandments that we must obey. So when you make Jesus your Lord, you agree that He will be the Master of your life and He will determine what you may and may not do. Always remember that as you walk out your faith, once you have first been born again.

Attribution notice: Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.  "All God's Children" painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.

Author's note: You are invited to read Evidence of the Second Birth, From Religion to Relationship, Where will you go when you die?, Few will be saved, Knowing the Lord, Costly Grace, The Cost of Discipleship, Doulos Training School, By Grace Alone,  All Things Are New!, Holy Washings - Part I, Entering the Kingdom of God, The Obedience of Faith, Walking in the Perfect Will of God, Deleted Scriptures in the Bible?, The Law of Christ, Law of Love in the New Testament, The Judgment Seat of Christ, and Is Obedience Optional?. The Home page of this blog also has more articles. You may access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Entering the Kingdom of God

There have been many kingdoms down through the ages. Kingdoms come and kingdoms go. Some are very famous, like the Babylonian kingdom or the Roman Empire. The kingdom is the realm in which a king has dominion. It includes the territory in which the king reigns and everything in it, especially the people.

Kingdoms offer something to the people. It may be that a kingdom provides a place of peace for people to live. It may also provide the hope of prosperity, where there are many opportunities for gainful employment and service to the king, and where everything is well managed without oppression. People want to enter into such a kingdom.

For example, during the time of the Roman Empire, there was Pax Romana or the Roman peace. The Romans built roads, and established seaways for shipping. There were laws established to govern the land that made it possible for people to enjoy justice. As a result, people sought to be citizens of Rome. Some people paid a lot of money to buy their Roman citizenship, while others were born as Roman citizens.

We see the same today where for decades people have immigrated to the United States of America. Some enter legally and pay a great price, and others do so illegally. Why do they do this? They do so in the hope of a better life, safety from harm, freedom and a bright future.

So there are many similarities with the Kingdom of God. This is the realm in which God Almighty reigns and where his government has been established. Many people would like to enjoy the hope, the peace, protection, prosperity and bright future afforded by living in this kingdom. But in order to do so, they first need to enter the kingdom. There is a very specific way to enter a kingdom.

Jesus Christ was the self-representation of the Kingdom of God on earth. If you want to know what the Kingdom of God is like, simply look at the life of Jesus. And He taught us how to enter His kingdom.

You Must Be Born Again
Let’s begin by looking at a conversation that took place at night between Jesus and a Pharisee. 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 one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." (Joh 3:1-2).

Nicodemus was a Jewish ruler who believed that Jesus came from God and that God was with Him. When Nicodemus declared this belief, Jesus had a very interesting response to 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." (Joh 3:3). The first thing Jesus spoke of was the need to see the kingdom of God. You can’t see it the same way you can see other kingdoms. In order to see this one, you must first be born again.

But even this Jewish ruler was unsure what it meant to be born again. 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?" (Joh 3:4). Nicodemus knew that Jesus could not be speaking of a natural second birth. This would be humanly impossible.

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. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (Joh 3:5-6). From Jesus’ answer, we learn two very important things. First, Jesus clarified and defined what He meant by being born again. He said we must be born of water and the Spirit. Secondly, He said that this is necessary in order to enter the Kingdom of God. In doing so, Jesus revealed a close relationship between seeing and entering the Kingdom of God. You’ve got to be able to see it before you can enter it. And if you truly see it, you will want to enter it.

So being born again is being born of water and of the Spirit. Jesus further explained, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (Joh 3:6). So we know that when a mother gives birth, she gives birth to a child with flesh and bone. But when the Spirit of God gives birth, He gives birth to spirit. When you are born again, you are born of the Spirit. Jesus said this must happen to enter the kingdom. He said that unless it has happened, you cannot enter the kingdom. Yet how many people attend churches all their life that have never been born again!

When you are born again, Jesus Christ takes up residence in you by the Holy Spirit. You are a new creation. Old things have passed away and all things have become new. Your life starts over. Your sins are washed away and you are given a brand new life. It cannot happen without you knowing about it. You will know if you have been born again. You will be able to point back to a time when your life was completely changed by God. If you cannot identify a point in your life when this happened, then you haven’t been born again.

So how can you be born again? Jesus explained, "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.” (Joh 3:16). You need to believe in Jesus, God’s only begotten Son, and you will have eternal life.

A Greater Righteousness
Jesus also said, "For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Mat 5:20). The scribes and Pharisees were pretty righteous people in their own eyes and in the eyes of others. But not in God’s eyes! They had an outward righteousness that came from the law. But it was a self-generated kind of righteousness, and their hearts were not right.

God is truly righteous. His righteousness is perfect. How would you like to have that kind of righteousness? You can. In fact, you must have it, in order to please God. Your own righteousness is like filthy rags. You obtain the righteousness of God by receiving it as a gift from Him and you receive it by believing in Jesus Christ.

Let me tell you something: you can’t go on living an unrighteous life and enter God’s kingdom. You can’t enter heaven that way. The apostle Paul said, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1Co 6:9,10).

There’s got to be a change in your life. Paul went on to tell the Corinthians that some of them once were this kind of people, but they had been washed, sanctified, and made righteous by Jesus Christ. I can say to you today that I was once among that list of people who will not inherit the kingdom. But I have been washed, sanctified, and justified. I've entered the kingdom.

Do the Heavenly Father’s Will
Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” (Mat 7:21). There are so many people who call Jesus “Lord” that do not do the will of God. They do not act on what Jesus said. But the only way to enter the kingdom of heaven is to do the will of Jesus’ Father in heaven.

Become Like Children
Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Mat 18:3). Notice He said you must be converted and become like children. A change has to happen in your life. You’ve got to become like children. A child is trusting of his father. He’s gentle, caring, innocent, loving. He hasn’t been polluted by the world yet. You’ve got to change and become like that. This is necessary in order to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Give What You Have and Follow Jesus
And Jesus said to His disciples, "Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Mat 19:23). And Jesus, looking around, *said to His disciples, "How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!" (Mar 10:23).

Why is it so hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven? It’s because he is in love with his worldly wealth and possessions. He cannot stand the thought of giving it away to others. He doesn't want to get out of his comfort zone.

This is what happened when a rich man came and asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. The man had kept the commandments since he was a boy, but Jesus told him he lacked one thing. Isn’t that amazing! He lacked just one thing. He needed to sell his possessions and give to the poor, then follow Jesus. But the man went away sad. He could have had treasures beyond compare in heaven for eternity, but he could not see his way to parting with his earthly wealth.

You need to give up your possessions and follow Jesus in order to enter the kingdom.

Remove Anything That Hinders
Jesus said, "If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell.” (Mar 9:47). He said you need to remove whatever causes you to stumble. Get rid of it. Don’t protect it or try to keep it a secret so you can continue in sin. Aggressively remove from your life anything that causes you to stumble.

You need to bring that thing into the light. Tell a trusted friend, who is a mature believer in Christ. Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. (Jam 5:16). This is missing from the lives of most believers. But it's required in order to be a disciple. Make yourself accountable to a fellow believer who will be gracious, but will not give you a pass to continue in your sin. You don't need someone who will put a pillow under your head and lull you back to sleep with excuses why your sin is ok. If you're a guy, confess to a brother in the Lord. If your a female, confess to a sister in the Lord.

There will be plenty of people who are thrown into hell, because they were unwilling to get rid of the things that caused them to stumble. They enjoyed their sin too much. But there will also be plenty of people who enter the kingdom of heaven who took drastic measures to remove anything that hindered the presence of God in their lives.

Enter the Kingdom Through Many Troubles
The apostle Paul went about strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God." (Act 14:22). He didn’t teach that being a disciple was an easy life. And neither did Jesus, who also said we would have tribulations. This means pressure, anguish, persecution, and troubles.

If you're like me, you've got plenty of these. We could wish they would just go away. But they often bring about a brokenness in us, as well as greater intimacy with God. While we may experience these in our lives, we can be encouraged, because Jesus Christ has overcome the world.

It is Only Possible with God
When Jesus spoke about how hard it is for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of God, the disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." They were even more astonished and said to Him, "Then who can be saved?" (Mar 10:25-26). You see, when his disciples heard Him teach on this, they could not see how it was humanly possibly for anyone to be saved with the standard set so high.

Looking at them, Jesus *said, "With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God." (Mar 10:27). This is the key. Humanly speaking, it is in fact impossible to enter the kingdom of God. With man, it’s impossible. That’s why people need Jesus. With Him, it is possible to enter the kingdom. This is the reason Jesus came and died on the cross.

But His disciples had already left everything to follow Jesus. Peter began to say to Him, "Behold, we have left everything and followed You." Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel's sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.” (Mar 10:28-30). You don’t ever have to worry that the price you’ve paid is too high. Jesus promises great reward in this present age and the age to come.

Putting it All Together
So we can see from God’s Word that if you want to be a citizen of God’s kingdom, you need to enter it. In order to enter, you must be born again. You need a new life. You need Jesus to come and live inside you by His Spirit. You need a greater righteousness than what pious people have. You need one that’s not man-made. You need the righteousness of God Himself. Nothing else will do. And the only way to have it is to receive it by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

You’ve got to do the Heavenly Father’s will. There’s no other way. You can’t expect to inherit the kingdom if you live your life the way you want to live it. If you go on living for yourself, you’ll perish. So do what Jesus said. Act on His Words.

One thing He said was that we must become as children. A change has got to take place inside of you that people can see. Your attitude and behavior must change. He also said you need to be a giver. Give what you have and follow Jesus. Part with your earthly possessions for His sake.

And get rid of anything in your life that hinders the constant presence of God. It’s not going to be easy. We'll have troubles and hardships. In fact, Jesus said straight up that it’s hard to enter the Kingdom of God. But with God it's possible, and it’s worth it. He promises a great reward in this life and the next.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: Also see All Things Are New!  And you may find my complete collection of blogs at Writing for the Master. You are invited to attend Doulos Training School.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.