Are you truly born again?

“There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

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.”
(John 3:1-7).
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To have a relationship with God, one must necessarily be born again. Man lost his position and relationship with God when he sinned against God, through his disobedience to the clear and unambiguous commandment of God. In Genesis 2: 15-17:

“And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

We see God’s generosity and kindness in verse 16 when He commanded man saying: “…Of EVERY tree of the garden thou mayest FREELY EAT.” In verse 17, God gave another important instruction to man, which was clearly in contrast to the first commandment. The instruction begins with the word “BUT” signifying the contrast. “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt NOT eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof THOU SHALT SURELY DIE.”

In Genesis 3:1-10, man blatantly disregarded and disobeyed God’s commandment, and hence, had to face the consequences of his disobedience. Man ran away from the presence of God when he heard the voice of God in the garden. Man died spiritually, and was separated from God, as God had warned him.

The conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus Christ in John chapter 3 presents to us how we can regain our lost relationship, fellowship and position with God. Jesus tells Nicodemus in two verses: “Verily, verily, (truly, truly), I say unto thee, except (unless) a man be born again, he can neither see nor enter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3 & 5).

Today many people use the expression “I am a born again believer” to indicate that they are Christians, and yet they do not understand what being born again really means. Many use the term because they have heard others using the expression. They are confused, just as Nicodemus was, but Jesus makes it very clear that without being born again, no one can enter God’s kingdom. We must therefore seek to understand this concept of being born again so that we can appropriate it.

What does “being born again” mean? It means to be “born anew”, it also means to be “born from above”. It is a spiritual birth which puts a repentant sinner back into the family of God, a position he lost as a result of sin. The new birth is a recreation or regeneration. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says:

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

The Lord Jesus Christ emphatically teaches us through His conversation with Nicodemus that the new birth, or the birth from above, is made possible and effectual, only through “water and of the Spirit”. There is no other way or means by which man can get it right with God, but to be birthed through water and the Spirit. As I have already indicated elsewhere, some teach that “water” means baptism, that is, water baptism, others teach it is spiritual baptism. I believe that “water” in this context refers to the Word of God. The process for the new birth or salvation is one which does not demand water baptism. Rather, the Spirit uses the power of the Word of God to bring the sinner to the point where he sees his need for Christ, and places his faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross, and accepts Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour and Lord. (Please take time to read: Psalm 119:9; John 15:3; Ephesians 5:26-27; 1 Peter 1:23).

The Bible references cited above give credence to the fact that “water” in John 3:5 is symbolic of the Word of God. It is very clear that baptism is not a prerequisite for the new birth. Water baptism is for those who have been born again. Baptism is an obedience to God’s command, which comes after salvation. (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-42; Acts 8:36-38). Indeed, if “water” in John 3:5 is baptism, then the thief who believed on Christ as his personal Saviour on the cross could not have received the soothing and satisfying words from the dying Saviour, “Today, thou shalt be with me in paradise”. Luke 23:39-43). No man can see or enter the Kingdom of God with being born again or anew. Are you truly born again?

If you know you have not experienced the new birth, you can be born again today and now. This is what you must do:

1. Accept that you are a sinner – Romans 3:10, 23-25; 6:23

2. Believe that Jesus died for you on the cross – John 3:14-18; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 5: 8

3. Confess your sins and receive Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour and Lord – Romans 10:9-13

If you humbly and honestly pray and ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins, and receive Him into your heart as your personal Saviour and Lord, He will save you from your sins and cleanse you with His precious blood, which He shed on the cross for you. It is only when you have gone through this process of salvation that you can say you are born again. I pray to God that you can humbly but boldly declare that you are truly born again. Shalom.

OUR PRAYER
Lord, many are confused about the way to get to you through the new birth. Please open the understanding of those whom you died for, to appreciate the provision you have made for their redemption. Help us to explain to others your love for them through the cross, that they might be saved. Amen.