“Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” – John 3:7
How many birthdays do you have? I don’t mean how many times have you blown out candles or gotten a year older. I mean, how many times have you been born? You see, even if you celebrate your birthday 5 times, 10 times, or even 100 times, it’s still just one birthday—the day that you were born into the world.
Some people, myself included, have two birthdays. I have a physical birthday, August 16th, and I have a spiritual birthday, March 10th. Yes, that’s right. I have two birthdays! Jesus talked about being born in the book of John. He told a man named Nicodemus that he needed to be born again. John 3:3 records Jesus’ words. “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
How does someone get born again? Nicodemus wondered that very same thing. Jesus was referring to a spiritual birth, which becomes necessary because of sin. When we are physically born, each of us enters the world as a sinner. Sin is anything that goes against God’s Word. Anything. And that sin keeps us separated from God. Sin is such a generic word for me. It doesn’t really sound as bad as it really is. Let’s think about it for a minute. Have you ever heard people say that they weren’t so bad… that they never cheated on their taxes; they never murdered anyone; they never committed adultery? Possibly. However, I’ve never had anyone say to me, “I’ve never lied,” or “I’ve never had evil thoughts,” or “I’ve never said an ugly word” … the list goes on and on. Most of us don’t give these types of sins a second thought. But God does. In fact, in His Word, He tells us His thoughts on any kind of sin.
- Romans 3:23 tells us, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;“
- Isaiah 59:2 states, “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid [his] face from you, that he will not hear.”
- Ezekiel 18:20 records, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.”
The Bible also tells us that we are all spiritually “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). That’s a pretty sobering thought. Is there hope? Yes, and it’s found in that second birthday! Being born again is all about forgiveness of sin and receiving new life from God. Lots of people know John 3:16. The Bible tell us “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This verse tells us that God loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to become our Savior. That’s the reason Jesus went to the cross.
Romans 5:8 says “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” When Jesus died on the cross, He took upon Himself the punishment that you and I deserve for all of the bad things that we have done and will do during our lives. We are reminded of this in 1 Peter 2:24. “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” However, the story doesn’t end there. Three days after Jesus was buried, He rose from the dead, which proved that He was God, and He alone had the power to forgive sins and give us eternal life in heaven.
My second birth happened on March 10, 1968. A missionary came to a church I went to and shared about how much God loved me. He loved me enough to send His only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for me. I remember thinking that every blow of the hammer on the nails represented one of the sins I had committed in my life. Even at the age of 12, I realized I was a sinner, and I realized it was my sin that nailed Jesus to the cross. I remember going to the altar and praying for forgiveness, and when I returned to my seat, I knew Jesus had forgiven me. The Bible says in Romans 10:13, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Romans 6:23 states, “The wages of sin is death…” That’s pretty dismal, but the second part of that verse offers us hope. It says, “… but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” When Christ forgives your sins, He also gives you the everlasting life promised in John 3:16.
Getting saved, or receiving Jesus’ forgiveness of sins is as easy as A-B-C.
- Admit you’re a sinner and you need forgiveness for your sins.
- Believe that Jesus is God’s only Son who died on the cross for your sins, rose from the dead, and that HE alone has the power to forgive you
- Choose Him to be your Savior through prayer
The day when you ask Jesus to forgive your sins becomes your second birthday. If you don’t know if you have ever asked the Lord to save you, or you’re not sure, I urge you to take care of that today. Salvation doesn’t just happen. It’s proactive. My pastor once said, “Many people believe the Bible, but they don’t do what it says.” Here are three biblical examples of being proactive in your salvation with God.
- Acts 16:31 says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…”
- Psalm 55:16 says, “As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.”
- Psalm 116:13 says, “I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.”
You must make that first step through prayer, and I promise you that Jesus will hear you, forgive you, and welcome you with open arms into the family of God. He will not turn anyone away.
A ruler once came to Jesus by night
To ask Him the way of salvation and light;
The Master made answer in words true and plain,
“Ye must be born again.”
“Ye must be born again,
Ye must be born again,
I verily, verily, say unto thee,
Ye must be born again.”
(from “Ye Must Be Born Again” by William Sleeper)
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” – Romans 10:9
**********
If you want a second birthday, it’s just a prayer away!