You Can Be Born Again!
You can have God’s forgiveness for your sins, God’s power to lead a new life, and the assurance that you are His child and will live with Him forever someday in heaven. To enjoy this new relationship with God, Jesus said the Bible teaches that “You must be born again…born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (from the Bible, John 3:7;1:13). What is this new kind of birth?
The New Birth
It’s not inherited. We are not automatically born into God’s family because we have Christian parents. All of us are born with a sin nature and have sinned against God. To be fit for Heaven after this life on earth, we must be reborn spiritually. “Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).
It’s God’s idea, not ours. God loved us even when we were in rebellion against Him. “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
It’s impossible for you alone. Resolving to live a good life or merely conforming to a religion is not enough. The new birth is not turning over a new leaf, but God giving you new, spiritual life. “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).
How to Be Born Again
“As many as received Him [Jesus], to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believed on His name” (John 1:12).
Believe. The first step into the family of God is to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died for your sins and rose again from the dead. You must be willing to confess that you are a sinner unable to save yourself and believe that only Jesus can save you. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life” (John 3:36).
Receive. It is not enough to merely believe (intellectually) that Jesus can save you from your sins; you must be willing to admit that your sins were so bad before a holy God that you could never pay the penalty for them yourself. Agree with God that it took Christ’s death in your place to make salvation possible for you. Turn from anything else you might be counting on to earn your way into heaven. Receive Jesus as your Savior from sin’s punishment by placing your full trust in Him alone for your eternal salvation.
Become. Next, God works a miracle in you! Because you have received His Son as your Savior, God forgives your sins, and you are born again spiritually. At that moment you become a member of God’s family! You then possess eternal life with a new, spiritual nature from God Himself.
Today You Can Be Born Again!
If you believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose again to bring you new life, you can be born again right now! Pray to God, admit that you’re a sinner in need of His forgiveness, tell Him that you believe that accepting Jesus’ death for you is the only way you can be right with God. Then place your trust in Jesus Christ alone as your Savior. Thank God for what He has done for you by placing you in His family!
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” Jesus (John 5:24)