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Are You Saved? - The Born Again Experience
Are you born again? What does it mean to be born again? Is it necessary for everyone? These are just a few of the questions people have about this vitally important subject. Here I will attempt in brief to explain this necessary experience in the Kingdom of God.
The term, "born again" is mentioned twice in the book of John chapter 3, verses 3-7 in the New Testament part of the Bible. In 1 Peter 1:23, the Greek word used for "born again", is (anagennao), which refers to the act of regeneration, describing the complete spiritual change which occurs when Christ enters the life of an individual. But why is this necessary? In order to understand this we need to go back to the beginning, and study the process of what happened to mankind in history in the Garden if Eden.
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them, He also created man, male & female, as spiritual beings first, with a soul, in His own image and blessed them. Genesis 1:27,28. After that He formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into him the breath of life, literally meaning, the "Spirit of God," and he became a living soul. (Gen. 2:7) Then God commanded him, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat, for in that day you eat of it, you shall surely die". Gen.2:16,17. When the Woman(Eve), and Man (Adam), sinned against God by disobeying Him, they died a spiritual death and brought a curse upon themselves and mankind. In Chapter 3 we see that after they disobeyed God(sinned),it wasn't their physical bodies or their souls that died, but their spirits. See Romans 6:23; "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life Christ Jesus our Lord". Since then all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God,(Romans 3:23), and people's sin have separated them from God. (Isaiah 59:1,2) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:10)
But we are not without hope, because while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly,(Romans 5:8), giving us a chance to repent (Acts 17:30 ), of our wicked ways and ask for forgiveness for our sins. (1 John 1:9) When we are forgiven by Jesus Christ (remember it was through sin that brought about our spiritual death), He removes the death from our spirits, and gives us the gift of eternal life,(Romans 6:23b), and at that moment, we who were once (spiritually)dead in our trespasses, are made alive(born-again), in Christ,(Ephesians 2:1) by the power of the Holy Spirit,(Titus 3:4,5) and we become a new creation in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17) The evidence, is that the old sinful life with its habits, is passed away and all things become new. Without the clear evidence of this life change, it is doubtful that we are born again.
When it does happen, our bodies become a temple of the Holy Spirit, bringing forth the good fruits of the Holy Spirit too. (Galatians 5:22,23). So if we claim to live in the Spirit, then we need to walk by the Spirit too!(Gal.5:25 / 1 Timothy 1:7) If there is still sin in our spirits, then we would still be spiritually dead, and the Spirit of God would not be able to dwell in a dead sinful spirit. (2 Corinthians 6:16). So it is necessary to be born again, or born of the Spirit in order to belong to Christ, and to enter the kingdom of heaven. This is what Jesus was talking about in John 3:5, when He said that unless one is born of water and the Spirit,(meaning the Holy Spirit), he cannot enter the kingdom of God. In Romans 8:9 it says, that "if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His."
So, in closing, is the need to be born again optional or "only for some", as some would say? Well if you want to call yourself a Christian (Christ-like and a child of God), according to the Holy Bible (which is every Christian's final authority), and you want to go to heaven, then it is a must. That's why Jesus said, "Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again'. (John 3:7)
If you wish to be born again, (Saved), you can follow some simple steps according to the God's Word,(The Holy Bible).
- 1. Repent (Turn from your sinful wicked ways). Mk.1:15 / Acts 17:30 / 2 Cor. 7:10
- 2. Confess (Ask the Lord Jesus to forgive you your sins and to cleanse you) 1 John 1:9 Also see the necessary confession given to us in Romans 10:9,10.
- 3. Give your life completely to Christ and receive Him as your personal Savior. John 1:12
- 4. Acknowledge the gift of God's Holy Spirit, and that you are His temple, bought with a price,(1 Corinthians 6:20), and let Him lead your life. (Romans 8:14)
Then you are ready to become His disciple(student), and to enter into the wonderful plan that God's has for your life, and the assurance of eternal life also. (1 John 5:11-15)
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask, and we will do our best to guide you according to the Word of God.
Brian G. Fielhauer, Senior Pastor, New Life Fellowship, Shimla, India
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