"BORN AGAIN"
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT IT
???
1. It is an Absolute Necessity if we want to be a part of the Kingdom of
God & Go to Heaven when we Die.
John 3:1-3 & 7
2. It is a Spiritual Rebirth .
John 3:3-7
3. There are 2 Basic Elements which are Required to Bring About the
Born Again Experience.
John 3:5 ; John 6:63 ; & Titus 3:5
a. Water
b. Spirit
4. Definition of Terms
a. Water -- Refers to the Cleansing Work of the Word of God &
the Washing that takes place in our Inner Man when
the Holy Spirit takes the Holy Seed of the Word of
God & Regenerates us Spiritually ( gives us New
Life ) & Renews our Inner Spirit .
John 15:3 ; Ephesians 5:26 ; I Peter 1:23 ; & Titus 3:5
1.) This is Similar to the Work that the Holy Spirit Performed in
Overshadowing Mary & Causing her to Conceive in her Womb as
God's Seed was provided to Impregnate the Virgin's Egg & Bring
Forth the Living Word of God in the Person of His Son Jesus
Christ.
I Peter 1:22-23 ; Luke 1:35 ; & John 1:14
2.) Jesus said His Words were Spirit & Life , & it was the Spirit
that "Quickeneth" ( Gives Life ).
John 6:63
IN OTHER WORDS :
There is Spiritual Power in the Word of God to Give New
Life to those who will Receive It's Testimony & that of the
Holy Spirit who Bears Witness to It's Truth .
John 15:26-27 ; Acts 5:30-32 ; Romans 1:16 ; I Peter 1:22-25
b. Spirit -- Refers to the Ministry of the Holy Spirit who Bears
Witness to the Truth of the Word & Performs the
Work of Creating New Life in a Human Spirit Through
the Regenerating & Renewing Power of the Word of
God.
I John 5:4-13 ; Titus 3:5-7 ; II Corinthians 3:2-18 ;
James 1:21-25 ; I Peter 1:22-25 ; & John 6:63
5. The Message of the Word of God that Brings About the Born
Again Experience &, thereby, Saves a Human Soul from the
Penalty of Eternal Separation from God in the Lake of Fire .
I Peter 1:23-25 ; James 1:21 ; Mark 1:14-15 ; I Corinthians 15:1-4 ;
Acts 20:17-25 ; & Romans 1:16
*** It is the Gospel ( the Good News ) of the Kingdom of God !
a. Repent & Believe the Gospel
b. Repentance Toward God & Faith Toward the Lord Jesus
THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the Power of God Unto Salvation to
Every One that Believes . The Gospel is the Good News that Jesus
Died For Our Sins & that He was Buried & Rose Again from the
Grave on the Third Day ( in Accordance with the Scriptures ). We Must
Believe that What Jesus Did on the Cross is Our Only Hope of Heaven because the Judgement of God Upon Sin was Satisfied by the Suffering of His Son. *** Romans 1:16 ; I Corinthians 15:1-4 ;
Isaiah 53:6-11 ; I John 1:7 - 2:2 ; John 19:30 ; & Hebrews 10:10-14
REPENTANCE TOWARD GOD
The Repentance Toward God which is Necessary for Salvation ( or
for a Person to Be Born Again ) is a Change in a Man's Thinking Regarding the Ultimate & Eternal Profitability of Living his Life in
Opposition to the Will of God Revealed In & Through His Word , the
Holy Bible. This Change in a Man's Thinking whereby he Acknowledges the Truth that he Cannot Prosper in the Ultimate Sense if he Lives his Life in Disobedience to the Word of God & that he'll Ultimately Go to Hell If he Continues to Live without any Regard to the Commandments of the Bible Will Ultimately Bring About a Change in the Overall Direction of a Man's Life. *** Matthew 16:26 ; II Chronicles 24:20 ; II Timothy 2:24-26 ; Luke 13:1-5 ; I Peter 2:25 ; & Isaiah 55:6-9
SALVATION IS TWO-FOLD
Salvation is Judicial and Attitudinal . By this is Meant that Salvation
Deals with Our Legal Standing Before God and with Our Attitude to-
ward God ( Regarding Our Rebellion Against Living Our Life in Submission
to His Will ).
Our Legal Standing Before God is that we are Condemned as Sinners
who will Eventually be Eternally Separated from God in the Lake of Fire, IF we are Not Saved ( or Born Again ).
Romans 3:23 ; Romans 6:23 ; Revelation 20:14-15 ; John 3:18
The Law of God Demands Satisfaction , because the Holiness of God
is Offended By Our Sin , so It Demands the Punishment of Death ( both
Physical & Spiritual ). Physical Death is the Separation of the Spirit &
Soul from the Body. Spiritual Death is Ultimately the Eternal Separation
of the Unsaved Man or Woman from the Presence of God in the Lake of
Fire. On that Day some 2,000 Years Ago Jesus Christ Satisfied the
Father's Law by Suffering the Wage of Our Sins on the Cross as a
Sacrifice for Us. He Suffered Spiritual Death when His Father Turned His
Back on Him, and He Said : " My God, My God, Why Hast Thou Forsaken
Me." He Suffered Physical Death when He Bowed His Head & " Gave Up the Ghost." Just Before Jesus Bowed His Head He Cried Out with a Loud
Voice Saying : " IT IS FINISHED " in John 19:30. Salvation is a Finish-
ed Work !!! We Can't Add Anything to It as Our Hope of Heaven, or It is
Made Void. That is Why Salvation is a Gift from God Through Faith in
the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Man Must Believe that the Legal & Judicial
Aspect of Salvation was Satisfied by the Lord Jesus ( & Him Alone ) on the Cross, and he Must Receive the Gift of God ( Salvation ) by Faith in the Sacrificial Work of Christ Alone -- Apart from Any Works of Righteousness that a Man may Do. I Peter 2:24 & 3:18 ; Ephesians 2:8-9 ; Titus 3:5; Isaiah 53:10-12; John 3:16-18; Romans 3:20-28; Galatians 2:16
Our Attitudinal Standing Before God is that We Have All Rebelled
Against God's Will & His Authority Over Our Life. We Have Stubbornly
Chosen to Believe In Our Own Judgement about what is Right & Good for
Our Lives MORE than we Have Believed In God's Judgement about what
is Good & Right for Our Life, and We Have All Been Like Sheep Turning
to Our Own Way & Going Astray. We Have Believed that we Can Live
Our Life In Our Own Way -- Rather than God's Way -- & that we'd Be
Better Off than we Would be Going God's Way as Revealed in the Bible.
God COMMANDS Every One of Us to REPENT of this Attitude of
Rebellion Toward Him. Unless we Repent, we will Perish !!! Our Way
May Seem Right to Us, but In the End Our Way will Destroy Our Life & Our Eternal Soul as well. We Must Admit to Ourselves that God's Way is Right and that He Deserves to Be Obeyed by Us -- Instead of Being Ignored & His Word Cast Aside in Our Lives. We Must Turn Away from the Life of Rebellion & Self Will, & We Must Turn Toward God & a Life of Listening to & Following His Word as Our Good Shepherd & the Bishop of Our Souls. Acts 17:30-31 ; I Peter 2:25 ; Proverbs 16:25 ; Isaiah 55:6-9
LIP - SERVICE WON'T DO IT !!!
True Repentance Toward God & Faith Toward the Lord Jesus Christ
WILL PRODUCE CERTAIN FRUIT ! Jesus said that Many People Drew
Near to God with their Lips and Honored God with their Mouths, yet their
Hearts were Far From God - Instead of Truly Being Close to Him & Loving
Him. He said that Man's Religion & Worship Could be Vain & his Offerings
to God Unacceptable. He said that If we Love Him we'll Keep His Com-
mandments. He Also Asked Men why they would Call Him Lord and Not
Do the Things He Told them to Do. John the Baptist said that we Should
Bring Forth Fruits Worthy of Repentance. Jesus said that His Sheep would
Hear His Voice & Obey His Words. If we Say we are BORN AGAIN &
Saved we are No Longer to Be Following Our Own Agenda But HIS for the Rest of Our Lives with No Turning Back Ever !!! Matthew 3:8; Luke 13:1-9; Matthew 15:8-9; Luke 6:46; John 10:27-28; John 14:15; Luke 9:62
MAKE SURE TO GET THE ORDER RIGHT !
Salvation is NOT By Works of Righteousness we have Done. It is Not by Being Baptised or by Joining a Church or by Doing the Best that we Can that we are Saved. Listen Very Carefully, because Most Churches Teach their People to "Believe in God & Jesus, Do the Best You Can, and Hopefully You'll Make it to Heaven when You Die." This is Unscriptural. Salvation is a Gift that was Paid For By the FINISHED Work of Jesus on a Blood Stained Cross 2,000 Years Ago. We Cannot Add Anything To It, & We Cannot Take Anything Away From It. This is the Gospel Message that Saves the Soul of a Believing Sinner. The Good Works we Should DO are the Fruit of Salvation - Not the Root of it. Good Works Should Grow Out of Saving Faith; but Good Works Do Not Produce Salvation in Any Way, Shape, or Form. Salvation is a Gift ! Receive It TODAY ! Mark 1:14-15