One can become a member of a family by birth or adoption or marriage. The new birth is the way you are born, adopted and married into the family of God.
John 1:12-13. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God
Gal. 4:5. to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
Eph. 5:30-32. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 31 "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh"
Acts 10:1-9. There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, … a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. … Now send men … for Simon … He will tell you what you must do"
John 3:1-3. There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God"
Rom. 3:20. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin
Gal. 2:16-21. knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, … for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain"
Isa. 64:6. But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteous nesses are like filthy rags ...
Phil. 3:8-9. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
I Cor. 1:18-25. ...the world through wisdom did not know God ...
Acts 8:36-39. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" 37 Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." …
Being religious, obeying commands, educated, rituals, etc. are good and important but they will not substitute for the new birth or born-again.
God created man in the image or likeness of God. This means that man has some capacity to relate to God unlike other created beings.
Genesis 1:26. Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth”
Man sinned and the root of it is not believing what God had said
Gen. 2:15-3:7. Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” ….. Now the serpent … said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings
God created Adam with all privileges, but because of his sin, he caused mankind to be sinners. Adam was the first head of the human race, just as the head of a country can cause his country to fail or succeed through his leadership; Adam changed the course of the human race by falling into sin. Every child who is born from human parents inherits the sinful nature of Adam and Eve
Gen.1:27. So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them
Gen.5:3. And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth
Rom.5:12. Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned
Divine nature and Sinful nature. Sin and Sins. Sin=The sin nature, and Sins= the manifestation of the sin nature or the actions resulting from sin. The consequence of fall has several dimensions: with relation to God, Self, Satan, and Creation.
Revelation – Spiritual from God Reason – by mind, logical, Emotion - Feelings …
Man lost communion and fellowship with God, he became an enemy of God. The natural relation with God was lost.
Eph.2:11-12. Therefore remember that you once … in the flesh … you were without Christ … and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world
Rom.5:12. Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned
God who created man with an intention live forever has now to die. This death is both physical (natural death) and spiritual (separation from God – Hell)
Rom. 6:23a. For the wages of sin is death ...
Heb. 9:27. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment
Rev. 20:15. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire
Transferred our fatherhood to the devil, became a slave of Satan. Man also lost the God-given authority to over the devil
John 8:44. You are of your father the devil ...
Col. 1:13. He has delivered us from the power of darkness
II Tim. 2:26. that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will
John 14:30. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.
Luke 4:5-6. Then the devil ...showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.
Eph. 6:10-18. ...Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age ...
God’s original intension is that man should have dominion over all creation. Sin resulted in the loss of dominion over all the works of God’s hand. Loss of freedom from diseases, sorrow, hardship and sufferings
Gen. 1:28. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.
Gen 3:16-19. To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow ..." 17 Then to Adam He said, "...Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life ...19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground ..."
God is righteous and just, hate sin, and therefore he has to punish sin.
Psa.119:137. Righteous are You, O Lord, And upright are Your judgments
Deut. 32:4. He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He
Isa. 45:21. Have not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, A just God and a Savior; there is none besides Me
God is also Love and Mercy, so He want to help sinner
I John 4:8. ...For God is love
I King 10:9. ...Lord has loved Israel forever ...
Eph. 2:4. But God, who is rich in mercy ...
Psa. 59:17. For God is my defense, My God of mercy
Justice and love of God are seemingly contradictory attributes of God. Man cannot solve this problem. So God gave the solution. To meet God’s holy character of justice (for sin) and love (for the sinful man), the Jesus was sent to break down the barrier between God and man.
Rom. 5:17-19. ...through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous
I Cor. 15:21-22. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive
I Cor. 15:45:47. And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit ...
It is a spiritual experience that transforms man from the kingdom of Satan into God’s kingdom. It is the receiving of God’s life and God’s righteousness. It is both a spiritual and moral change. Christ lives in you by the Holy Spirit. It is not an intellectual birth; it is a rebirth of man’s spirit. It is also not a physical birth; our spirit is reborn.
John 3:3-7. ...Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit ...
John 1:12-13. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name ...
I Pet. 1:23. having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever
Eph. 2:8-10. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast ...
Psa. 51:5. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me
Rom. 3:23. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
Luke 18:13. And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’
Rom. 6:23. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord
I Cor. 6:9. Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?
Acts 3:19. Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord
Luke 13:3. I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish
I John 1:19. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness
John 3:16. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life
II Cor. 5:21. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him
John 1:11-12. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name
Eph. 2:8. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God
John 5:24. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life
John 3:16. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life
Rom. 10:9. that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved
John 1:12. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name
Rom. 10:13. Whoever call on the name of the Lord will be saved
How do I practically do this? How exactly this happens? It is a realization these facts to the best of your understanding.
It is suggested that you can express your belief by a prayer with the best of your understanding of the above factors and something similar to the following: This prayer is to be prayed only ONCE. However, thank the Lord for these things as many times as possible all through your life.
Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am sinful and I need Your forgiveness. I realize that my good works and religious acts will not save me from sin. I believe that You died on the cross to pay the penalty for MY sin. I want to turn away from my sinful nature and to follow you. I now receive the salvation You give freely by faith. I accept You as MY Lord and Saviour. In Jesus name I offer this prayer. Amen.
You may not experience any specific experience or feeling. In fact, one should not rely on any experience or feeling. We receive salvation by faith in the person of Jesus Christ, His work on the cross, and reveled to us through the Word of God (Bible). A person who is born again will have a new love for the word of God, God’s people, a desire to live a holy life, a desire tell others about this faith. However, these experiences are subjective and its degree varies from person to person and time to time.
Yes, plenty. For example, born in a Christian family, born to believing parents, attending church regularly, love for the Lord, God answers the prayer in miraculous way, obtaining super natural healings, etc. All these are subjective and depend on us. Healings, miracles, and answers to prayer, etc., the Lord has done to all people.
Enjoy your Christian life. Practically you can do this by reading bible, prayer, do good works, turn away from sinful habits, and have fellowship with likeminded believers in the context of church.
Although God gives a new spirit in me and my sins are forgiven, but my mind is still corrupted, body still weak. It is possible that I may commit sin. However, a truly born-again person will never enjoy doing sin, he will never continue in sin. If a believer does sin, it will affect his relationship with Jesus, others and even self. It will diminishes his enjoyment of Christian life and loses rewards when he reach heaven. If there is no evidence of change in your life, you better examine your faith in the light of Scripture.
Just as you can associate a dog with bones, so you can associate every man born of a woman with sins. But one thing is certain any life committed to Jesus cannot be wasted. What are you doing with JESUS CHRIST? Memory Verse:
John 3:16. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life
Eph. 2:8. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God
Rom. 10:9. that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved
John 1:11-12. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him; 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name
II Cor. 5:17. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away behold all things are become new
Note: Questions, doubts, clarification if any, you may sent the email address below, and I would be happy to answer them. Pray that this material is a real blessing to you. TVM.