Being "BORN AGAIN" is now the selling pitch of many Christian-professing churches. Although the proselytizers among the churches that have adopted this new found religious panacea may vary in style and approach, the degree of enthusiasm is almost indistinguishable. Of course this is both convenient and practical.
The statement of the Savior is clear:
"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God." (Jn. 3.3, New King James Version)
Unless a person is born again, he cannot enter the Kingdom of heaven. But has anyone of them ever clearly explained what this means? Certainly, there are important details attached to this declaration, otherwise Nicodemus would have understood our Lord Jesus Christ (Jn. 3:4). This is the problem with the adherents and proponents of this movement-adopting the grand and noble proposal of the Savior without understanding the necessary provisions that it entails.
Of course, our Lord Jesus Christ did not leave Nicodemus in the dark when he did not comprehend. In verse 6, He said, "A person is born physically of human parents, but he is born spiritually of the Spirit" (Today's English Version). The Gospel of John explains it further in 1:12-13 that "God himself was their father." How was this so? Apostle Peter in his first epistle said explicitly:
"For through the living and eternal word of God you have been born again as the children of a parent who is immortal, not mortal." (I Pt. 1:23, Ibid.)
Evidently, one cannot enter the kingdom of heaven or cannot be saved unless he undergoes this procedure-he must be born again and be considered as God's son through His words.
But why does a person need to undergo such process? Is it not enough to plainly accept Christ as one's personal Savior to be saved? Or isn't believing or having faith in God sufficient? The statement of our Lord Jesus Christ that "unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God," is certainly definitive. It is a requirement. It is the only way out of man's hapless and degenerative condition-man's only hope to be redeemed from an utterly pitiful situation.
How does the Bible describe the predicament of every man? In his letter to the Romans, Paul said:
"That creation itself would one day be set free from its slavery to decay and would share the glorious freedom of the children of God." (Rom. 8:21, Ibid.)
Every man is a slave to decay. As such he has no chance to be saved nor enter God's kingdom. In fact, Paul added that "flesh and blood cannot share in God's Kingdom, and what is mortal cannot possess immortality" (I Cor. 15:50, Ibid.) But there is hope. Paul said creation itself would one day be set free. How? We must bear the image of the heavenly Man, the Lord from heaven-our Lord Jesus Christ (I Cor. 15:47, 49, NKJV). This means everyone has to be gathered in our Lord Jesus Christ to become a new being-a new creation. He has to be created anew-undergo a process of regeneration. This can only be done through the creation of the "one new man" in which Christ is the head an the Church of Christ is the body (II Cor. 5:17, NKJV; TEV; Eph. 2:15, NKJV; Col. 1:18, Ibid.; Acts 20:28, Lamsa Translation).
Reprinted from Pasugo by Paterno C. See
The statement of the Savior is clear:
"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God." (Jn. 3.3, New King James Version)
Unless a person is born again, he cannot enter the Kingdom of heaven. But has anyone of them ever clearly explained what this means? Certainly, there are important details attached to this declaration, otherwise Nicodemus would have understood our Lord Jesus Christ (Jn. 3:4). This is the problem with the adherents and proponents of this movement-adopting the grand and noble proposal of the Savior without understanding the necessary provisions that it entails.
Of course, our Lord Jesus Christ did not leave Nicodemus in the dark when he did not comprehend. In verse 6, He said, "A person is born physically of human parents, but he is born spiritually of the Spirit" (Today's English Version). The Gospel of John explains it further in 1:12-13 that "God himself was their father." How was this so? Apostle Peter in his first epistle said explicitly:
"For through the living and eternal word of God you have been born again as the children of a parent who is immortal, not mortal." (I Pt. 1:23, Ibid.)
Evidently, one cannot enter the kingdom of heaven or cannot be saved unless he undergoes this procedure-he must be born again and be considered as God's son through His words.
But why does a person need to undergo such process? Is it not enough to plainly accept Christ as one's personal Savior to be saved? Or isn't believing or having faith in God sufficient? The statement of our Lord Jesus Christ that "unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God," is certainly definitive. It is a requirement. It is the only way out of man's hapless and degenerative condition-man's only hope to be redeemed from an utterly pitiful situation.
How does the Bible describe the predicament of every man? In his letter to the Romans, Paul said:
"That creation itself would one day be set free from its slavery to decay and would share the glorious freedom of the children of God." (Rom. 8:21, Ibid.)
Every man is a slave to decay. As such he has no chance to be saved nor enter God's kingdom. In fact, Paul added that "flesh and blood cannot share in God's Kingdom, and what is mortal cannot possess immortality" (I Cor. 15:50, Ibid.) But there is hope. Paul said creation itself would one day be set free. How? We must bear the image of the heavenly Man, the Lord from heaven-our Lord Jesus Christ (I Cor. 15:47, 49, NKJV). This means everyone has to be gathered in our Lord Jesus Christ to become a new being-a new creation. He has to be created anew-undergo a process of regeneration. This can only be done through the creation of the "one new man" in which Christ is the head an the Church of Christ is the body (II Cor. 5:17, NKJV; TEV; Eph. 2:15, NKJV; Col. 1:18, Ibid.; Acts 20:28, Lamsa Translation).
Reprinted from Pasugo by Paterno C. See
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