Born Again?

Born Again?

 

 

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.  Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.  …No one has ever gone to heaven and returned.  But the Son of Man has come down from heaven.”---------John 3:3, 5, 6, 13

 

 

The Apostle John is speaking about Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee, who had come to speak with Jesus one evening, to inquire about how a person could enter the Kingdom of God.

Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be ‘born again’ and if he is not ‘born again’ he will not see the Kingdom of God.  Nicodemus doesn’t understand what Jesus means so he asks “What do You mean?”  “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”

Then Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.  Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.”   Jesus was saying to Nicodemus that, a person has to experience a physical birth in order to be able to then experience a spiritual birth.  No human can produce a spiritual birth, ONLY the Holy Spirit of God can give us spiritual birth. 

 

He also tells Nicodemus that, “No one has ever gone to heaven and returned.  But the Son of Man has come down from heaven.”  Now I know this topic is somewhat controversial, because of all the books and the hype that has been made over people dying and going to heaven, then returning to their earthly life.  I don’t know what they experienced or believe they experienced, but I personally believe what the Word of God says about Jesus’ words to Nicodemus:  “NO ONE has EVER gone to heaven and returned.”   Except for Jesus, himself.   And that the ONLY way to see the Kingdom of God is to be born again.

 

In order for a person to go to heaven, they MUST be born a second time, but the second birth is birth from the Holy Spirit, a spiritual birth, that happens when the Holy Spirit comes to indwell us at the time we receive God’s gift of salvation, then we have been ‘born again’, we have then experienced the second birth.  And we not only will see the Kingdom of God, but we will be a part of the Kingdom. 

 

If you have NEVER experienced the ‘second birth’ you have the opportunity to do so NOW, by:  CONFESSING your sins to God and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU and is ALIVE, in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and the opportunity to see the Kingdom of God and to be a part of that Kingdom.  Do it NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s waiting!!!