Do I Have to Be Born Again? We were created by God to love, serve, worship, enjoy and be with Him forever.The first man and woman, Adam and Eve, started out doing just that. But one day they chose to disobey God(1). This disobedience is called sin, or missing the mark. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned, every man and woman has inherited the sin nature(2), which basically means being the "captain of my own ship" instead of letting God be my guide. Sinful actions are not our real problem--they are merely the outward manifestations of our fallen nature, the basic condition of all mankind. Our sin nature separates us from God, and the result is death—physical and spiritual separation from God—hell(3)! All of us deserve to die. The Good News is that God came to earth, in the Person of Jesus Christ—the Son of God—to be the perfect sacrifice for our sin (4). His death on the cross paid the penalty for our disobedience. When He rose from the dead, He conquered death for us. He became our bridge back to God. We don't have to die! He has chosen a remnant out of all the world to be with him forever, to the praise of His glory. Believing is the culmination of being "born again"(6) or "saved", or "regenerated." Is God calling you? Only God can enable us to believe; it is His gift of faith. Saying "I believe Jesus died for my sins" doesn't save you—it's not a "magic prayer." But when you sincerely cry out to Jesus and say, "Take control of my life," it's a sign that you have been spiritually regenerated. When you are "sick and tired" of your sin (godly repentance), God wipes your slate clean—He forgives you—and you inherit eternal life. Day by day, He transforms you into a new creature(6)! His Holy Spirit takes residence in your heart, and you begin to desire to please God instead of yourself. Your mind is renewed (Romans 12:2), and your life truly takes on meaning and purpose. You begin to find out who you really are—who God created you to be! The key is obedience to God, as the Holy Spirit reveals areas of sin that need to be addressed. Even so, this "working out your salvation with 'fear and trembling'" is not you--it's Him, "at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."(10) Christianity is not just one of many "choices" for fulfillment in life. It's not a philosophy or set of rules. The Bible says that Jesus is the only way to God(9). Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father but through Me."(11) You can't believe that Jesus was merely a prophet or even just a "good rabbi" without believing His statement as truth. You can't earn your way into heaven(10) by hoping your "good deeds" outweigh the "bad." We would all end up in hell if that were the case! Don't let a day go by without Jesus in your life! (1) Genesis 2:16-17, 3:1-6; (2) Romans 3:23; (3) Romans 6:23; (4) John 3:16; (5) John 1:12-13; (6) John 3:5-7; (7) 2 Corinthians 5:17; (8) Jeremiah 29:11; (9) Acts 4:12; (10) John 14:6; (10) Ephesians 2:12-13); (11) Ephesians 2:8-9 "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." [Jesus, speaking to Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin. Nicodemus perfectly represents the aristocratic, well-intentioned but unenlightened Judaism of his day.]