<\/p>\n
\u201cJesus answered him, \u2018Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God’\u201d (John 3:3).<\/p>\n
OBEYING THE GOSPEL INVOLVES THE DEEPEST CHANGE POSSIBLE IN A HUMAN BEING\u2019S HEART. Dying to sin and living \u201cin newness of life\u201d (Romans 6:4) is more than adopting a different religious affiliation, accepting a different set of beliefs, or attending services at a different church. It is becoming a different person.<\/em> Jesus said, \u201cUnless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.\u201d<\/p>\n In John 3:5, Jesus was more specific: \u201cUnless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.\u201d What does this mean? It means, first, that the act of baptism (immersion in water) precedes our entrance into God\u2019s kingdom. But born of water, we are also born of the Spirit. At baptism, the Christian begins learning to lay aside his self-will and yield himself to the direction of God\u2019s Spirit. This guidance is available for us today in the Scriptures that were revealed by the Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16,17).<\/p>\n Paul wrote that God has saved us \u201cby the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit\u201d (Titus 3:5). Again we see the \u201cwater\u201d and the \u201cSpirit\u201d of which Jesus spoke in John 3:5. Beginning with the remission of our sins at baptism, a strong renewal takes place. As we learn more of God\u2019s will, we begin to be led, directed, and governed by God\u2019s Spirit. And as we obey God\u2019s command to \u201cwalk in the Spirit,\u201d the \u201cworks of the flesh\u201d begin to be replaced by the \u201cfruit of the Spirit\u201d (Galatians 5:16-26).<\/p>\n As you can see, being born again involves something that happens to us<\/em> (the remission of our sins) and also something we do<\/em> (live a new life). By His grace God has forgiven us, and He will help us obey Him, but to remain in the kingdom we must accept the rule of the King. As Paul said, \u201cThe Spirit has given us life; he must also control our lives\u201d (Galatians 5:25 Good News Bible).<\/p>\n If the problem of sin is to be corrected, radical surgery must be done. The gospel does not deal in superficial solutions. According to Jesus, it is not just our dysfunctional behavior that needs fixing \u2014 it is us.<\/em> It is in the deepest depths of our hearts that we need to change. We must, in fact, die and become new people altogether.<\/p>\n \u201c[Being born again] is a foundational fact. The characteristic of the new birth is that I yield myself so completely to God that Christ is formed in me\u201d (Oswald Chambers).<\/p>\n Gary Henry \u2013 WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com<\/p>\n