Born Again!

Until I read the Bible, I had no idea that the words “born again” were in there. I was quite surprised!

Many years ago, as a young adult, I was invited by a friend of mine to go to an event at a Baptist church. We were both “practicing Catholics” at the time.

At the end of the event, everyone got into a circle to pray. I felt very strange! I had never prayed out loud before in a group setting. I thought to myself, there was no way I was going to say anything! I felt relieved when they announced the option to “pass” if you didn’t have anything to say.

Of course, when the prayer time came to me, I quietly muttered: “Pass.”

Afterward, one of the girls from this church came over to me and asked if I was “born again.”

I thought to myself, “Are you kidding me?” That sounded so crazy to me at the time. I replied by saying, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She questioned me further. I felt really dumb! I said I was Catholic. I didn’t know the slightest thing about defending my faith, but she certainly did!

I was so blinded by the truth, and I wanted to know more, but it would still be many, many years before I would understand.

In the Bible, Jesus’ words speak of being “born again” of “water” and of “spirit.”

I thought back to that time when that girl so long ago had questioned me about being born again.

The Bible describes Jesus Christ speaking to Nicodemus (a Jewish religious leader; a Pharisee who had come to Jesus at night to question Him). Nicodemus knew that God had sent Jesus to teach him and others, and he had noted the miraculous signs as evidence of this.

Jesus told Nicodemus that he would not see God’s Kingdom unless he was “born again,” but Nicodemus did not understand. How could a person be “born again” after already being birthed from their mother’s womb?

Jesus states the difference. A human can produce another human birth, but only the spirit can produce a spiritual birth. So, Jesus tells Nicodemus not to be surprised by this truth. (See John 3:6.)

Spiritual rebirth cannot be explained, Jesus tells Nicodemus, because it is spiritual. Jesus says in John 3:8: “The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus still did not understand how this was possible, as Jesus Christ noted that he's a respected Jewish religious leader!

I did not understand this for quite awhile myself. I merely heard the terms “born again” and thought it sounded really weird. Not anymore!

If you’re reading this and you think it’s crazy like I used to think, I am praying for you! Because if you’re not “born again” of the Spirit, it means you will die in your sins and you won’t be able to enter Heaven.

You have a choice. God loves you. Yet, God won’t force anyone to love Him back or accept Him in their heart. He gives us free will. I hope you will choose wisely so that you can be “born again” into the Kingdom of God. I want to see you in Heaven! God wants everyone to be there with Him someday!

Simply open your heart to God today. Believe that Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son died on the cross for your sins. Speak it aloud. Tell God you believe in Him and what He has done for us by allowing us direct access to Him, through His Son, and His Holy Spirit that He freely gives to us upon our belief in Him. Accept Him into your heart. Speak it aloud. Believe that Jesus rose from the dead to give you new life for you to be born again. Speak it aloud. Ask Jesus Christ to forgive you of all your sins, as only He can, and tell Him you will no longer commit those sins as you repent and He helps you to change. Speak it aloud. Accept His Holy Spirit into your life and you, too, can be born again. Speak it aloud. You are a new creation in Christ. Now, you must be baptized, too. This symbolizes the washing away of your old life of sin in front of a group of witnesses, and that the new life you will now live is by committing yourself to obey God and live out your days as a Christian. You will desire baptism now, as the Holy Spirit makes His home in your own dwelling inside of  you where you were once separated from Him by sin. Be born again by God, as only He can give to you. Believe, accept, become a new "babe in Christ." You will always be grateful for your choice both here and in the world to come for eternity! God was waiting for you all along to choose to love Him back. He loves what He has created. We are His creation. We were separated from Him due to sin. Now, we have been given this free will to choose to be born again into the Kingdom of God to receive Him (for God is love), and to regain our right relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. Amen! (See: Romans 10:9-10 and Mark 16:16)

Until we virtually meet again, may God call you to Himself to believe, repent, be baptized, and be born again! Hallelujah!

God’s Word for Today: “Jesus answered, ‘Verily verily, I say to you, unless you are born again (of water and the Spirit) you cannot see (or enter into) the Kingdom of God.’ ” (John 3:3 & 5)

Copyright © 2012 by Patricia Shehan