Unfortunately there are countless individuals sitting in some churches today who believe they are born again but I am here to clarify that sitting in the church does NOT make you any more of a follower of Christ than sitting in a garage makes you an automobile or sitting in a barn makes you a horse. There is a BIG difference between knowing ABOUT Christ and actually knowing Him. It is very possible to believe in God and NOT be saved for even the devils believe and tremble (James 2:19). If the Holy Spirit doesn’t dwell inside you then you are NOT saved (1 Corinthians 6:19). NO ifs, ands, or buts. This term “born again” first appears in John chapter three. This chapter discusses a man of the Pharisees whose name is revealed to be Nicodemus. He asks Jesus to explain how a man can be reconciled to God and see His kingdom. Jesus replies, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Many people have religion but few people have ever undergone a spiritual rebirth like the one Jesus describes. To be born-again is a miracle of God, by which Christ Jesus comes into your body to live, literally in the form of the Spirit of God. Romans 8:9, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you, now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is NONE of His. To understand essentially what being born-again means, we must first understand that there are two births. The first of these two births is the physical birth. You were born into the world from your parents. When Jesus speaks of being “born of water,” He is referencing the physical birth. The second of these births is a spiritual birth which means to be born of the Spirit. Your spirit is DEAD in sin when you are born into this world. You and I are born void of God with an inherited sin nature from Adam (Ephesians 2:1,2). The ONLY exception is the Lord Jesus who came as God in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16). Unsaved people are unable to understand God, nor His Words, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14). God prohibited Adam and Eve from eating of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 2:17, “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.” Notice, God said they would die “the day that thou eatest thereof.” Adam and Eve did not die PHYSICALLY; they died spiritually. When they disobeyed God’s command, sin and death entered the human race. From Adam until the present time, we are all born spiritually dead. When a sinner believes on Jesus - trusting Him alone to forgive every sin and transgression against God - then God the Father and God the Son make Their home in him/her in the form of God the Holy Spirit (John 14:23). If you have not already acknowledged Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, there is no better time than now to do so. The Holy Spirit guides me, comforts me, teaches me, chastises me, convicts me, encourages me, empowers me, strengthens me and LOVES me so much more than any human ever could. I could not live without His constant presence in my life. When I read the Word, He illuminates passages and the Word comes alive but only with Him can I understand and receive what God wants to speak into my Spirit. God desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4) but He will never force you to accept Jesus (Joshua 24:15) because we have all been given free will just as Adam and Eve were given the choice to either partake in sinful transgressions against God or to obey. Salvation is a FREE gift, though (Romans 5:15; 6:23), paid for by His precious blood (1 Peter 1:18,19; Revelation 1:5). You must accept God’s offer or it all will inevitably be forfeited when you die physically. He died for every man but if it had only been for you, He would not have even considered doing any less. Romans 5:8, “For one God demonstrated His own unfailing and unmerited love for you in this: While you were still a sinner, Christ died for YOU!! For God so loved the world that He gave His ONE and ONLY Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life!! You are a whosoever! EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED!!! ~Romans 10:13 Praise God!!
Posted on: Thu, 22 Aug 2013 19:43:09 +0000
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