Born Again

What can it mean?  How can a person be born again?  Here’s Jesus’ answer to that question:

“There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:  The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.  Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”  (John 3:1-7)

Jesus tells us here that there are two kinds of births, the physical and the spiritual.  We all understand physical birth but what is this spiritual birth?  Jesus tells us here that without it we cannot even see the kingdom of God, much less ever enter it. 

What and where is this kingdom that cannot even be seen without undergoing a second birth, whatever that is?  Jesus says it is a spiritual birth but what is that?  Is it just a change of one’s mind or is it something more?  Everyone is born with a spirit within us that makes us different from a dead body that has no spirit.  Does that spirit die when we die or does it continue to live in another realm, one we cannot see? 

Jesus tells Nicodemus here that this spiritual birth occurs after the first birth and implies that not everyone experiences it.  So, the world is populated by two kinds of people, those born twice and those born only once, those with and those without this spiritual second birth.  This is a very different world from what our school teachers teach our children today. 

Which is correct?  Is it what we were taught a few decades ago or what is being taught today?  They are two very different stories.  Which story is true and which is false and how do we decide?  Is the Bible true or is it just a set of fairy tales that somebody made up a long time ago?  It tells us that we were created by a Being that always existed and always will exist.  It tells us that He created everything that exists and gives life to all that live. 

This is far more reasonable than the idea that all the life we see around us, this complex world full of living beings, just sprang into existence accidentally.  Yes, the Bible is the Word of the Creator God.  It is true though every man is a liar. 

There is a life that follows this life.  Jesus told Nicodemus and God tells us today that there are two and only two possible destinations for us after we leave this life.  It is heaven for all that have been born again and Hell for all that have only been born once. 

To which group, dear reader, do you belong?  Have you been Born Again?  Will you spend eternity in Heaven with God’s people or in Hell with the lost?  If you’re not totally certain that it is the former, it is the latter terrible end you will suffer.  But while there is life there is hope but don’t delay.  There are very few true and many false death-bed repentances.