Jesus tells Nicodemus that one must be "born again" or "born from above" to see the kingdom of God. Being born again is a spiritual transformation that comes through faith in Jesus Christ. It is an act of God whereby one receives eternal life upon believing. The Bible indicates being born again means becoming a child of God. One needs to be born again because all humans are inherently sinful and spiritually dead due to sin. Only through salvation in Jesus Christ, who paid the penalty for sin, can one be born again and have a relationship with God.

1. The born again Christian - 7th
May 2016
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you,no one can see the kingdomofGodunlessthey are born
again.”(John3:3).
What doesitmean tobe a born-againChristian?The classicpassage fromthe Bible thatanswersthis
questionis John3:1-21. The Lord JesusChrististalkingto Nicodemus,aprominentPharisee and
memberof the Sanhedrin(the rulingbodyof the Jews).Nicodemushadcome toJesusatnightwith
some questions. AsJesustalkedwithNicodemus,He said, Jesusreplied, “VerytrulyItell you, no one
can see the kingdomofGodunlessthey are born again.”4
“Howcansomeonebe born whenthey are
old?” Nicodemusasked.“Surelythey cannot enter a secondtime into their mother’swomb to be
born!”5
Jesusanswered, “Verytruly I tell you, noone can enter the kingdomof Godunlessthey are
born ofwater andthe Spirit. 6
Fleshgives birthto flesh,but the Spirit[b]
gives birthto spirit. 7
You
shouldnot be surprisedat my saying,‘You[c]
must be born again.’ (John3:3-7).
The phrase "born again"literallymeans"bornfromabove."Nicodemushadareal need.He neededa
change of hisheart—aspiritual transformation.New birth,beingbornagain,isanact of God whereby
eternal life isimpartedtothe personwhobelieves aswe canlearnfrom 2 Corinthians5:17, “Therefore,
if anyoneis inChrist,the new creation hascome:[a]
The oldhas gone,the new is here! We can obtain
furtherunderstandingfrompassagesfoundin Titus3:5; 1 Peter1:3; 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1-4, 18).
John 1:12, 13. These passages indicatesthatbeing"bornagain"alsocarriesthe ideaof "becoming
childrenof God"throughtrust inthe name of JesusChrist. “
He savedus, not because ofrighteous
thingswe had done, butbecause of hismercy. He saved us throughthe washingofrebirth and
renewal by the Holy Spirit”( Titus3:5).,
The questionlogicallycomes,"Whydoesapersonneedtobe born again?"The apostle Paul in
Ephesians2:1, "Asfor you, youwere dead in yourtransgressionsandsins” We were “dead”due to sin
of mankind aswe learnfrom Genesis6:5, “The LORD saw howgreat the wickedness ofthe humanrace
had become onthe earth, andthat every inclinationofthe thoughtsofthe humanheart was onlyevil
all the time”:In additiontothissinthat we inherited,our ownsinfulness addstothiscontinuouslyin
our lifetime.We canlearnwhenPaul tells the Romans thatwe are all sinners: We mustknow that
sinnersare spiritually“dead”; Butwhenone receivesspiritual life throughfaithinChrist,the Biblelikens
it to beinggiven arebirth. A newbirthafterreceivingsalvationfromJesusChrist…the onlyone whocan
do so!. As Christianswe mustknowthatonlythose whoare born againhave theirsinsforgivenand thus
able to steadfastly beginarelationshipwithGod.
How doesthatcome to be…adownrightsinnerbeingacceptedasa childof God? We can readin
Ephesians2:8-9 states, "Forit is by grace you havebeen saved,throughfaith—andthisisnot from
yourselves,it is the gift ofGod— 9
notby works, so that no one can boast."One isNOT saved
automatically byutteringsome worldsalone! The personhasto deeply feel hisorherown ongoing
sinfulnessandthrough steadfastfaithinJesusChrist thatHe alone candeliverandsave thatperson
frometernal deathanddestruction. Itisonlywhenone issaved that,he or she has beenbornagain,
spirituallyrenewed,andisnowachildof God byright of the new birth.TrustinginJesusChrist,the One
whopaidthe penaltyof oursinwhenHe diedon the cross,is the meansto be "born again. "Therefore,
if anyoneis inChrist,the new creation hascome: The oldhas gone,the new is here!" (2 Corinthians
5:17).

2. If you have nevertrustedinthe Lord JesusChristasyour Savior, one needsto considerthe promptingof
the HolySpiritas He speakstoyour heart…You needto be bornagain. Thenyouneedtopray the prayer
of repentance and steadfastlydesire to become anew creationin Christ.We can learnthrough John
1:12-13 "Yet to all who received him,to those who believedin hisname, he gave the right to become
childrenof God— childrenborn not of natural descent, nor ofhuman decisionor a husband’swill,but
born ofGod".
If you wantto accept JesusChristas yourSaviorand be born again,here isa sample prayer. Butone
needtoknowthat simply sayingthisprayerorany otherprayerwill save you.Itis only faithandyour
trustingin JesusChristthatcan save youfrom sin.Thisprayerissimplyaway to expresstoGod your
faithinHim and thankHimfor providingforyoursalvation. "God,Iknowthat I have sinnedagainst you
and am deservingofpunishment.But JesusChrist took the punishmentthat I deserve so that through
faith in Him I could be forgiven.I place my trust in You for salvation. Thank You for Your wonderful
grace and forgiveness—the giftofeternal life!
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the
kingdom of God unless they are born again.