Being Born Again

John 3:3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

“Seeing the Kingdom of God” is another way of saying “Being with the Father” or “Getting to heaven”. Jesus is telling us that the prerequisite for entering the presence of God is to be born again.

What does Jesus mean when he says that we need to be born again? Well, he doesn’t mean that we need to have loud music, weird behavior or scare everyone we know with statements like “You’re going to hell!” or “Bush is the greatest president ever!” No dancing or fainting in the aisles necessary! In fact, the reality is, being “born again” has nothing to do with anything anyone can actually see or acknowledge because it’s not a physical thing. It’s a spiritual thing.

Since only God can see into the heart, no one has the right to judge whether someone is born again or not. Sure, we’re told that we can know them by their fruit – but we’re also told that we are all sinners and that we have all fallen short of the mark. So judging whether someone is born again is walking on dangerous ground because it is not a physical rebirth, it’s a spiritual rebirth.

To be spiritually reborn means that you’ve come to recognize who God is and what he has done for you as an individual. Have you thought about what God has done for you? He became the perfect sacrifice that was needed to bridge the separation between you and God that was created when you sinned against Him (sin meaning lying, stealing, cheating, lusting or any of those other commandments!) Jesus gave us a way to see the kingdom of God. We simply need to accept his free gift of salvation. When we do, we are born again spiritually and we’ve done the only thing we need to do to get there – Jesus has done the rest on the cross!

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Last modified: February 26, 2006