Have you been born again?
Have you been born again?
Not “Did you pray the sinner’s prayer?” Not “Were you careful to follow the steps of salvation (hear, believe, repent, confess, be baptized)?” Not “Did you accept Jesus into your heart?” Jesus told Nicodemus he needed to be born again. What does that mean? Well, it’s similar to when we were born the first time: Other than being present, we have surprisingly little to do with the process.
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” –John 3:3 (NIV)
God reveals our need. Nicodemus was a righteous man, a godly man, a highly respected religious leader. But he felt the need for something more, something that all his doctrine, dogma, and ritual had not produced – intimacy with God. Even with his years of dedicated study, he was baffled by these words of Jesus. So Jesus began to clarify….
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. –John 3:5 (NIV)
That added context Nicodemus would have been familiar with, as he recalled the words of the prophet, referring to the redemption of Israel.
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. –Ezekiel 36:25-27 (NIV)
God gives us a new heart. Throughout Scripture, water is associated with cleansing. But God doesn’t stop there. Once something is declared clean by God, it is ready to be used for His purposes. Notice the first-person actions being taken, along with the outcome. Salvation isn’t just being forgiven to get back into God’s good graces, securing our “Get out of hell free card”, and going back to our old life, or worse – dutifully forcing ourselves into rote behaviors we hate until we either die or give up. He changes our hearts so we begin to value and prioritize and pursue different things than we once did.
Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. –John 3:7-8 (ESV)
God enables our belief. Theologians have long debated our role in our own salvation. Let’s be clear: It’s all God. Even our ability to come to faith in Him is a gift from Him.
But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God. –John 3:21 (ESV)
God transforms our lives – for our eternal good, for His eternal glory. A life that has been born again will begin to look different. It’s a process and the growth may be painfully slow at times as we practice using that new heart. But make no mistake: To believe that God would rescue me from hell without making me fit for heaven is to deny the power of the gospel. The good that comes from that is not works performed to earn a place in heaven, but evidence of His new creation coming to fruition.
Have you been born again?