You Must Be Born Again!

John 3:7 “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”

Man seems to want to make there own rules concerning salvation. God said that one must be born again if they are going to enter the kingdom of God when they die. This is the rules that God has set down and they will be followed. This poor ignorant Jewish ruler named Nicodemus had no idea what the new birth consisted of or how that it was accomplished, but Jesus with much grace and mercy explained in detail how it was accomplished. John 3:5 "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." The two births mentioned are (1.) The natural birth “Except a man be born of water” and (2.) and the spiritual birth “and of the Spirit” and without the second birth one cannot enter the kingdom of God. I know there are some out there that believe there must be other ways to heaven without the new birth or at least without being born again by the Holy Spirit and through Jesus Christ but there is none other way. God said in John 10:1 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber." And thieves and robbers are not welcome in Gods kingdom. There is one way to God and that is through Jesus Christ and those that try another way will fail in their attempt. God went on to say in John 10:9 “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” If you enter by the door then you are welcome, and this makes a lot of sense because if you come to my house you are always welcome but please enter through the door and not the windows.

Now some may be confused as to what God meant by “and of the Spirit” John 3:5 so please allow me to explain. Salvation is not by our will or our choice or our decision but it is by the Holy Spirit of God. It is not by our “turning over a new leaf” or by “works which we have done” but rather it is by the Holy Spirit. God said in John 6:61 - 63 "When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? (62.) What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? (63.) It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." It is the Holy Spirit that make one alive spiritually; man cannot wake himself from the dead no more than a man in a grave can make himself alive. God also tells us in John 1:12 - 13 "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (13.) Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." I know many men will have their own opinions to what I am saying but they are wrong and God is right. One must hear the scriptures and then obey them and when God says that we are born of God and by God then that is the way it is regardless of other opinions. God concluded in John 5:39 "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." The scriptures are the final authority and they conclude that salvation is thru Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit. Therefore we will conclude with this verse: 1 Corinthians 2:12 “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.” Thank you Lord for my salvation!