The New Birth

Have you ever wished you could just stop your life and start it all over again? You can!

God’s Word says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

When you are “born again”–when you accept Jesus as your personal Savior–this new birth makes you a brand new creation. One version of the Bible says you become a new species of being that has never existed before. Isn’t that exciting!

And one of the nicest things about salvation–or the new birth–is that it’s so easy to obtain. All you have to do is accept it. It’s a gift–—and true gifts are free.

You may say, “But Vicki, you don’t know what I’ve done! God could never forgive me.”

Friend, He already has!

When Jesus died on the cross, He became sin that you might be made the righteousness of God in Him. And according to 2 Corinthians 5:19, God does not hold anything against you: “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, NOT IMPUTTING their trespasses unto them.”
Before you can see heaven you must rid of one sin–—rejecting Christ’s love

The only sin that stands between you and God is that of rejecting Christ’s love. And until you resolve that issue you will not see heaven.

In John 3:7, Jesus told Nicodemus, “Ye must be born again.” No amount of praying, fasting, giving, scripture reading, church attendance, or high moral standards will do you any good until you say “yes” to Jesus.

You see, salvation is not accomplished by works. It is an act of God’s grace. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8, 9)

“For God so loved the world [that’s you], that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) What a promise!

Now salvation comes through a combination of elements. The first is by the Word of God. “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” (John 15:3)

“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.” (1 Peter 1:23)

Second, you are cleansed by the Holy Spirit. “Not by works of righteousness which we have donee, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” (Titus 3:5)

To these two ingredients you must add faith. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God,” (Romans 10:17) When faith comes alive within you, suddenly you have what it takes to reach out and catch hold of the promises of God. “Now faith is the substance of these things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

With the Word of God and the Holy Spirit present in your heart and faith flowing in your spirit, you are just one step away from making Romans 10:8-10 a reality in your life: “But what saith it? The Word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Salvation is instantaneous and complete the moment you believe and confess that Jesus is your Lord and Savior

The moment you believe in your heart and confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are born again! “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” (John 1:12)

Now say this simple prayer with me:

“Heavenly Father, I thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to die for my sins. I believe that through the shedding of His blood and His resurrection that I have eternal life. Having heard Your Word, I repent of my sin right now, and by faith I claim the promise of cleansing by the Holy Spirit. I am redeemed. I am saved. I am freed from the control of Satan. I am the righteousness of God in Christ, and I will begin this very day to share Jesus with everyone I meet. Thank You for saving my soul. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

You are a new creation! Old things are passed away. Everything is new! John 8:36 says, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

The most important person you must forgive is you! You are forgiven by God–—and the first thing you need to do is forgive yourself. Satan will try to make you look at the past, but you keep your eyes on Jesus.

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13, 14)

“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament.” (2 Corinthians 3:5, 6)

As of today, you are a new creature in Christ Jesus. And you have this blessed assurance: “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the son of God; That ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (I John 5:11-13)

You have been made the righteousness of God in Christ. Let me tell you very simply what that means.

You are now in right standing with God. That means you no longer need to feel guilty–because you’re not! Romans 8:1 tells us, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

You have been set free from the enemy, and by adoption have been made an heir of God.

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God; And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.” (Romans 8:14-17)

As His heirs, we enjoy every benefit He enjoys. And we are expected to act like Him. “Be ye therefore followers [or imitators] of God.” (Ephesians 5:1)

Because we are like Him, we walk in love, without fear, doing only those things that He did. We walk above our circumstances in constant victory, knowing that as partakers of His divine nature we have His ability. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

And here’s something that’s so important. If you do fail Him–and all of us do–you have this glorious promise: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9V)

So welcome to the family of God! You now have royal blood flowing in your veins, and you will never be the same again. It’s a new life, with a new beginning. “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place.” (2 Corinthians 2:14)