BORN AGAIN...
INTO THE FAMILY OF GOD
The key which unlocks all the promises of God is this — Jesus taught that a man must be born again. The following statements came from the lips of Jesus:
“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).
“Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit ,he cannot enter into the kingdom of God”
(John 3:5).
“Except. ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3).
“Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3, 5).
The new birth is a necessity to being saved. Through the new birth you come into the right relationship to God. The new birth is necessary before you can claim any of the benefits of the Bible.
The new birth is not: confirmation—church membership—water baptism—the taking of sacraments— observing religious duties—an intellectual reception of Christianity—orthodoxy of faith—going to church—saying prayers—reading the Bible—being moral— being cultured or refined—doing good deeds—doing your best—nor any of the many other things some men are trusting in to save them.
Nicodemus, whom Jesus addressed concerning the new birth, possessed most of the qualities we just listed, but Jesus said to him, “Ye must be born again” (John 3:7).
The thief on the cross, and others Jesus forgave while on earth, were saved without these things. They simply did the one necessary thing—they accepted Jesus Christ as personal Saviour by repenting and turning to God with the whole heart as a little child.
One who is born again will automatically have the external evidences of a good life by virtue of the new birth. But there are millions, it is sad to say, who are trusting these things to save them. And millions will die and be lost without the new birth because they have been misled concerning the experience of being born again. It is all important that we pay personal attention to our eternal welfare—and that we not trust the best of men in the matter. If we permit men to mislead us in eternal matters and are lost—it will be too late to personally see after our welfare. Do something about it now.
Don’t take the attitude that you cannot be deceived. Don’t take the attitude that your church is the only right one and cannot mislead you. Your church may be right in its teaching concerning the new birth. But make certain by going to the Bible yourself, and seeing with your own eyes, and knowing with your own heart—that you are right with God—that you have the real new birth—and that you are living right with God every day.
There is no purpose served in foaling yourself. You are either born again—or you are not. You are either really saved—or you are being deceived into thinking you are, and you are lost.
You know your own life and your true relationship to God. So get the facts settled that you are a genuinely saved person, and in present contact with God
Out of Christ, every man is rotten in the heart. And mere outward correctness of life, apart from Christ, is artificial and the practice of hypocrites. And Jesus said of those He called hypocrites, “for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness” (Matt. 23:27).
Culture, refinement, and outward correctness of life—in the organised church or out of it—cannot take the place of the new birth. For the trouble, you see, is in the heart.
Jesus said, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornication:, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man” (Mark 7:21-23).
The trouble is in the heart, the inward man, the spirit. Merely to reform the outward man or the outward life will nor save you.
An artist could put a beautifully coloured coating of wax on the outside of a rotten apple-but the apple would still be rotten at heart. One bite into it would be a bite into decay.