You have undoubtedly heard the term 'born again' many times in the past. What does it mean to be 'born again'? What's in it for me? Read on and find out that God wants to be your friend! He wants to know you personally, and cleanse you from your sins! All He asks for in return is your unconditional love and obedience! I don't know about you, but to me, this is good news! This is why the message presented here is called the Gospel, or the 'good news'!
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. -Gen.1:1 NASB
Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, "The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" -Exodus 3:13-14 NIV
Know, recognize and understand therefore this day, and turn [your mind] and heart to it, that the Lord is God in the heavens above, and upon the earth beneath; there is no other. -Deut 4:39 AMP
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. -Psa 19:1 NIV
For that which is known about God is evident to them (mankind) and made plain in their inner consciousness, because God [Himself] has shown it to them. For ever since the creation of the world, His invisible nature and attributes, that is, His eternal power and divinity have been made intelligible and clearly discernable in and through the things that have been made- His Handiworks. (i.e., all of creation) So, [men] are without excuse- altogether altogether without any defense or justification; (of not knowing and recognizing God.) -Romans 1:18 AMP (Emphasis in parenthesis is mine.)
For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. -Col. 1:16-17 NASB
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. -Rev. 4:11 KJV
The earth is the Lord's, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it. -Psa 24:1, 50:12 NASB
It is clear to see, there is an all powerful God who created the world, and rules over all of it. This includes us, as we were created for His pleasure.
The answer to this question is simple. Man rebelled against God, and God rejected him.
Most everybody knows the creation story. (If you don't, it's too lenghty to quote here. It is in Genesis 1-3 in the Bible.) To make a long story short, God created the heavens and the earth. He created man in His own image (With a body, soul and spirit), and placed him in the garden of Eden. God walked with man in the garden, just as we would walk through a garden with a friend.
God gave man just one simple instruction-- not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And, man couldn't even do that! God discovered that man had eaten of the tree, and in His perfect wrath, He cast him out of the garden, and sentenced mankind to die. Furthermore, God no longer walked side by side with man.
It didn't take very long for mankind to show just how depraved he was. A few years after this incident, the first murder was committed. Eventually, God destroyed all of mankind-- except eight souls-- in a flood. (Genesis 6-8 records the story of the flood.)
Man's depravity continued, and soon there were wars, incest, homosexuality, idol worship, and every imaginable evil practice. This practice is known as sin. God provided a standard of conduct-- the LAW (Which included the Ten Commandments) (Exodus 20:1-17), so mankind knew that they were sinning. Yet, they continued (and still continue) the practice. What does the Bible say about man's sinful behavior?
God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, To see if there is anyone who understands, Who seeks after God. Every one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one. -Psa 53:2-3 NASB
... -For there is no man who does not sin- ... -1Kings 8:46 AMP
... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ... -Rom 3:23 AMP
Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine; the soul that sins, it shall die. -Eze. 18:4 AMP
For the wages of sin is death; ... -Rom 6:23 KJV
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft; haterd, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. -Gal. 5:19-21 NIV
If the soul that sins must be put to death, as the words of God indicate, there must be a shedding of blood to put the sinner to death. Indeed, we find in the Bible:
For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; It is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. -Lev 17:11 NIV
[In fact], under the law, almost everything is purified by means of blood, and without the shedding of blood there is neither release from sin and it's guilt nor the remission of the due and merited punishment for sins. -Heb. 9:22 AMP
But, God loved his people. (God is love. 1 John 4:8) In fact, He loved his people so much that He wanted to overlook their sins. But, God couldn't do that as He must mete out perfect justice, as we have seen. So, what did God do? He provided a substitute: the blood of animals. The people of the nation of Israel -God's chosen people- were required to sacrifice animals for their sins.
And the Lord said to Moses, Say to the Israelites, If anyone shall sin through error or unwittingly in any of the things which the Lord has commanded not to do, and shall do any one of them, ... When the sin which he has commited is made known to him, he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has commited. The offender shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill it at the place of the burnt offering. And the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. ... and the priest shall make atonement for the man, and he shall be forgiven. -Lev. 4:1,28-31
But, these sacrifices were not quite perfect. They had to be offered every time you sinned. I don't know about you, but if I had to do this every time I sinned, I would be spending all of my income on spotless female goats!
God loved his people so much that He had a permanent solution to this problem in mind. In fact, this solution wasn't just for His people (The Israelites), but for all of mankind! The solution was for God to send his only son as a sacrifice for sin!
This event had been prophesied for hundreds of years in advance. It finally came to pass when Jesus was born to an Israelite virgin in a stable in Bethlehem.
Jesus led a perfect life. When 30 years old, His public ministry began. For the next three years, He went from town to town throughout Israel, preaching the good news that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. But, the Jewish religious authorities were envious of His ministry, because it showed how far short of the mark their ministry was. Eventually, they arrested Jesus, and put Him to death on a Roman cross. He was buried in a tomb later that day, and a guard posted at the tomb.
Three days later, the tomb was found empty, and the guards had fled. Jesus soon appeared to his followers, quite alive. He remained with them for about forty days before ascending into heaven.
Shortly after Jesus ascended, the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus' followers. They proceeded forth, preaching redemption from their sins by the death and ressurection of Jesus.
That good news, the redemption from our sins, has been spreading over the entire world ever since those days. Now, let's see what Jesus has done for us.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. ... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. -John 1:1-3,14 NIV
Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. (of faith.) -Heb. 4:14 KJV (Emphasis in parenthesis is mine.)
For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. -Heb 4:15 NASB
But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ should suffer, He (Jesus) has thus fufilled. -Acts 3:18 (Emphasis in parenthesis is mine.) NASB
For the law,(The Ten commandments, etc.) since it has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very form of things, can never by the same (animal) sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? But, in those sacrifices, there is a reminder of sins year by year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
Therefore, when He (Jesus) comes into the world, He says, "Sacrifice and offering Thou hast not desired, but a body Thou hast prepared for me; In whole burnt offerings and sacrifice for sin thou hast taken no pleasure. Then said I, behold, I have come [In the roll of the book it is written of me] to do Thy will, O Lord."
After saying above, 'Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast not desired, nor hast Thou taken pleasure in them'; [which are offered according to the law], Then He said, 'Behold, I have come to do Thy will.' He takes away the first (animal sacrifices) in order to establish the second. (The one-time offering of Jesus.)
By this, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
And every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, (Jesus) having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until his enemies be made a footstool for His feet.
For by one offering, He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. -Heb. 10:1-14 NASB (Emphasis in parenthesis is mine.)
For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men... -1 Tim 2:5-6 NIV
And when the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, brought spices that they might annoint Him. And very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?"
And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, even though it was extremely large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter, 'He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He said to you.'" -Mark 16:1-7 NASB
He looked ahead and spoke of the ressurection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay. This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. -Acts 2:31-33 NASB
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, but took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. -Phil. 2:5-11 KJV
Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. -Acts 2:36 NIV
He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He might come to have first place in everything. -Col 1:18 NASB
... I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen- That the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles. -Acts 26:22-23 NIV
Remember that at that time you (The Gentiles) were seperate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But, you who were once far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in His flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God by the cross, by which He put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have acess to the Father by one Spirit.
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household. -Eph 2:11-19 NIV (Emphasis in parenthesis is mine.)
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! -Rom. 5:8-9 NIV
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; -Eph. 1:7 KJV
But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the ressurection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at his coming. -1 Cor. 15:20-23 NASB
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. -Rom 6:23 NASB
And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 1 John 5:11-12 NIV
and He Himself bore bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. -1 Pet. 2:24 NIV
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, annointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has commited sins, they will be forgiven him. -James 5:14-15 NASB
As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed. -Acts 5:15-16 NIV
Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed her light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then the sign of the son of man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and beat their breasts and lament in anguish, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory- in brillancy and splendor. -Matt. 24:29-30 AMP
And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war.
And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself. And he is clothed in a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called the Word of God.
And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.
And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." -Rev. 19:11-16 NASB
I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. ... They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. [The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.] This is the first ressurection. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first ressurection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
(After the thousand years.)
And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night, forever and ever. Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then, death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
(After the white throne judgement.)
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ... "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." -Rev. 20:4-6,10-14, 21:1,3-4 NIV (Emphasis in parenthesis is mine.)
This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. -1 Tim 2:3-4 NASB
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentence. -2 Peter 3:9
As you can see from the above Bible passages, God loved us enough to send hid Son to die for sins and rise again to give us everlasting life. All that remains to do is receive it.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever beleives in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. -John 3:16 NSABYet to all who receiveth him, to those who beleived in his name, he gave the right to become childern of God. -John 1:12 NIVI tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and beleives him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemmed; he has crossed over from death to life. -John 5:24 NIVBecause if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart beleive [adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth] that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person beleives [adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ] and so is justified [declared righteous, acceptable to God], and with the mouth he confesses- declares openly and speaks out freely his faith -and confirms his salvation. The scripture says no man who beleives in Him -who adheres to, relies on, and trusts in Him -will ever be put to shame or be disappointed. -Rom 10:9-11 AMPIf we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. -1 John 1:8-9 KJVNow, when they had heQUOTE> Now, when they had heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles,"Brethern, what shall we do?" And Peter said to them,"Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." -Acts 2:38 NASBRepent therefore, and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; -Acts 3:19 NASBPray this prayer to receive Jesus as your savior:
Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner, and I need You to straighten out my life. Come into me now, and cleanse me from my sins. Help me to turn from my sinful ways. I ask that You become Lord of my entire life. Help me to listen to You and be obedient. And, I know that you will give me new life and refreshing. I ask these things in Your precious name. Amen.
You may not realize it, but you have just prayed the most important words you will ever say!
What do I do now?
There is so much more to the Christian life than can be covered in this short tutorial. Here is some advice for walking on with Jesus:
Read your Bible daily. (Suggestion: start with the book of John.)
All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. -2 Tim 3:16-17 NASBPray to God. (And don't forget to thank Him.)
... The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. -James 5:16 NIVPray without ceasing; In everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. -1 Thess. 5:17-18 NASBWorship God. Worship is a state of mind where we honor God above all else. This can involve singing, praising, meditating, prayer, even dancing!
Ascribe to the Lord, O sons of the mighty,
Ascribe to the Lord Glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord, the glory due to His name;
Worship the Lord in holy array.
-Psa. 29:1-2 NASBFind a church that teaches that Jesus Christ is Lord, and get involved in it.
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another. ... -Heb 10:25 NIVMAY GOD BLESS YOU IN YOUR NEW-FOUND WALK WITH HIM!
If you have any questions, don't be afraid to email me at the address below!
All scripture identified with NASB is from the New American Standard Bible.
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All scripture indentifed with NIV is from the New International Version.
All scripture identified with AMP is from the Amplified Bible.
All scripture identified with KJV is from the King James Version.
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Send mail, comments, material contributions, flames, etc. to:
Tim Stoffel
tim@lionlamb.us