“Jesus
answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John 3:3 NKJV
As
I have often said, the picture we are given of the Laodicean church in
Revelation chapter three is describing the state of the Church at the time of
the rapture. It is, of course, the
reason so many believe we are at that threshold today since the Church for the
most part, reflects the abandonment of the principles of the original gospel
taught by the disciples. In the
non-offending, seeker friendly, feel good churches which seem to be the norm at
this point in time one of the most obvious exclusions is this simple statement
by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ when He stated plainly that we must be “born
again”.
In
truth, because many churches today have chosen to abandon this teaching, it
follows that the response of many when hearing these words would probably be
much similar to what Jesus heard from Nicodemus when He first spoke them to
him.
“Nicodemus
said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time
into his mother’s womb and be born?”
John 3:4 NKJV
At
first glance, this is certainly a logical response and one that most of us
probably had when we first heard those same words. Fortunately Jesus went on to explain exactly
what He meant, and in so doing showed us all how we can become a part of the
family of God.
“Jesus
answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the
Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh,
and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. “Do not marvel that I
said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”
John 3:5-7 NKJV
As
we all know, we were all born by our biological parents by the normal, natural
means. Jesus, however, explains plainly
that there is a second birth available to all and this is the birth that occurs
when we become part of the family of God.
The most important part of this message and one which you will probably
never hear in many churches today is that this second birth is a result of a
choice. While we did not choose to be
born the first time, our birth into the family of God, the body of Christ, is
the result of us choosing to do so by asking God to accept our confession and
acceptance of His sacrifice for our sin.
“But as
many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to
those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will
of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13
NKJV
Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away;
behold, all things have become new. 2
Corinthians 5:17 NKJV
The
Word of God makes it abundantly clear that we must be born again in order to
enter the Kingdom of God, and, we become born again by believing in three
things; (a) we are sinners in need of a savior, (b) that Jesus Christ, the Son
of God, came to this earth to die for our sins, (c) He rose again from the dead
on the third day as proof that He was and is the Son of God, and that His death
was sufficient to pay the price for our redemption.
In
my teens I became involved with an organization called Campus Crusade for
Christ. Many of you might be familiar
with them, but I bring that up to share what I believe was one of the best, if
not most effective tools for witnessing our generation has ever seen. It is called simply “The Four Spiritual Laws”, and was created by the founder of Campus
Crusade, Dr. Bill Bright. If you are not
familiar with them, or even if you are, I have included the following article
for you to read in the hope that you will be blessed by hearing a message many
have probably never heard from the pulpit, but should as it is the same message
that Jesus shared with us so many years ago during His ministry on earth.
The four spiritual
laws – What are they?
The Four Spiritual
Laws is the title of an outreach booklet created by Campus Crusade for Christ
founder Dr. Bill Bright. Translated into numerous languages worldwide, it
includes four important "laws" that can lead a person to faith in
Christ.
The first spiritual
law is that "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life."
John 3:16 teaches, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son,
that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
John 10:10 (NIV) gives us the reason that Jesus came: "I have come that
they may have life, and have it to the full." The Four Spiritual Laws
asks, "What is blocking us from God's love? What is preventing us from
having an abundant life?"
The second spiritual
law answers this question: "Humanity is tainted by sin and is therefore
separated from God. As a result, we cannot know God's wonderful plan for our
lives." Romans 3:23 states, "for all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God." Romans 6:23 adds, "the wages of sin is
death." According to the Four Spiritual Laws, God created us to have fellowship
with Him. However, humanity brought sin into the world, and is therefore
separated from God. What is the solution?
The third spiritual
law answers by stating, "Jesus Christ is God's only provision for our sin.
Through Jesus Christ, we can have our sins forgiven and restore a right
relationship with God." Romans 5:8 shares, "but God shows his love
for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." First
Corinthians 15:3-4 says, "For I delivered to you as of first importance
what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the
Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in
accordance with the Scriptures." Jesus taught that He is the only way of
salvation: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me" (John 14:6).
The fourth spiritual
law answers how you can receive this gift: "We must place our faith in
Jesus Christ as Savior in order to receive the gift of salvation and know God's
wonderful plan for our lives." In John 1:12 we read, "But to all who
did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children
of God." Acts 16:31 teaches, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will
be saved." Salvation comes through grace alone, through faith alone, in
Jesus Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Are you willing to
place your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior and receive this free gift of
eternal life? If so, do it now. There is no special prayer you must pray to do
so. Words will not save you. Only Jesus can save you. However, the following
prayer is one you can use to tell God you are ready to accept Jesus Christ as
your Savior:
"Dear
God, I realize I am a sinner separated from you. I can never reach heaven by my
own good deeds. But you have made provision for my sin. Right now I place my
faith in Jesus Christ as God's Son who died for my sins and rose from the dead
to give me eternal life. Please forgive me of my sins and help me to live for
you. Thank you for accepting me and giving me eternal life."
Keep
watching.
