“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

- John 3:3

What does it mean to be “Born again”? The message of salvation is very simple and is explained clearly in the Bible. God created man to enjoy an eternal life. Man’s purpose is to enjoy God and to be enjoyed by God. We exist to glorify God. But in order for true love to exist, there must be true choice. So man is given a choice of whether or not he will live a life that is pleasing to God.

Over time, the world that God created became corrupt and full of sin. Sin is blatant disobedience to God. It is the contradiction of God’s loving and holy nature. The moment a man sins, he is separated from his relationship with God.

“But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”

- Isaiah 59:2

So then we see a problem beginning to develop. God, out of mercy and love, gave existence to man. Mankind, out of ungodly desire, became sinful.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

- Romans 3:23

Everyone has sinned. You have sinned, and I have sinned. This is the sad reality.

“If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

- I John 1:10

Something had to be done. The Bible says that God is love.

“God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”

- 1 John 4:16

But on the other hand, God is a just God. He is holy and loves justice.

“For I the Lord love judgment. (Justice)”

- Isaiah 61:8

(Parenthesis Mine)

Many assume that God will overlook sin simply because He is a God of love. But being a just God, to simply overlook sin would be contrary to His nature. And just as light can never resemble darkness, so God can never be unjust. It’s just not in his nature. Sin must be punished, because God is a just God.

“For the wages of sin is death;”

- Romans 6:23

The result of sin is death. The Bible gives us an idea of what sin is.

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators (sex outside of marriage), nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate (Homosexuals), nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

- 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

(Parenthesis Mine)

That list of sin is incomplete, but my goal is not just to list every sin mentioned in the Bible. I want you to understand that serving God is simple and not at all burdensome.

“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

- Matthew 11:30

In fact, the Christian life can be summed up in this very life-giving selection from the Bible.

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

- Matthew 22:37-40

That about sums up what God requires of us. He made it so simple. Regardless, man rebelled. But God had mercy. Out of deep compassion and love for man, He gave Himself as the scapegoat for our sin. He traded places with us. Someone had to pay our debt of sin. God had every right to punish us for our sin. But He instead chose mercy.

“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.”

- John 3:16

God gave of Himself. Jesus, the Son of God, is God. And He gave Himself.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

- John 1:1

In the Bible verse above, Jesus Christ is referred to as “The Word”. The Word (Jesus) was God. God came to earth in bodily form.

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

- John 1:14

The Bible verse above shows us clearly that it was Jesus Who is was the Word, because the Word came to earth. God came to earth in bodily form with the purpose of giving His life in our place, taking our punishment of sin. Only God was perfectly holy enough to count as a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus knew Who He was in identity and what His purpose on earth was. He makes His identity clear.

“I and my Father are one.”

- Jesus

John 10:30

“He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.”

- Jesus

John 14:9

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”

- Jesus

Revelation 22:13

And He also makes His purpose clear.

“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

- Jesus

Luke 19:10

“For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

- Jesus

Mark 10:45

Jesus Christ was crucified by those who were supposed to know Him – He was tortured to death. God, the creator of man, was killed by man. But His death was a sacrifice for you. His life was perfect enough and holy enough to appease the wrath of God’s holiness. It allowed God to not just save us, but to justly save us from sin.

“By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

- Hebrews 10:10

The sacrifice of Jesus Christ cleans us – it makes us clean from sin. God makes gives us a promise:

“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.”

- Hebrews 10:16-17

What does this mean for you? It means that you can live a life free from sin and its eternal punishment. God has given freely of Himself in mercy so that you can be reconnected with Him. We are reconnected with God through the sacrifice of Christ. Through that sacrifice, we receive eternal life. God is Himself eternal life. Christ’s sacrifice is not itself eternal life – Christ’s sacrifice gives you access to eternal life: God.

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

- Romans 6:23

God’s gift to you is eternal life. So what is eternal life?

“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”

- 1 John 5:11

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

- John 17:3

Eternal life is a relationship with God, Jesus Christ. God’s desire is to take you from a life of sin and disobedience back to a life in relationship with Him.

So how can someone receive eternal life? How do you receive the free gift of God? Well, the scripture is very clear that although the gift of God is free, we must make a conscious choice to receive it. Remember that love requires choice. So God will not force salvation on anyone.

“Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure:”

- 2 Peter 1:10

God elects you for salvation, but you must make that election sure. In other words, you must choose to be chosen.

God’s gift is free, but that doesn’t mean it is given to just anyone. Just as you only give gifts to those whom you choose, so God will only give the gift of eternal life to whom he so chooses. So who does God choose to receive salvation?

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

- Romans 10:13

“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.”

- John 3:16

God freely gives to those who will humble themselves, believe and simply ask. Call upon His name and He will respond in mercy.

Salvation is not found through saying a prayer, doing good things, going to church or anything like that. If you have to work for your salvation, then there was no point in Jesus dying on the cross. Good works and a godly lifestyle come as a result of salvation, not as a requirement for salvation.

God responds to humility with mercy. But He also responds to pride with rejection.

“…For God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.”

- 1 Peter 5:5

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”

- Psalm 51:17

All throughout the Bible, it is plain to see that God defends the humble and rejects the proud. Salvation comes through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and is freely given to those who would humbly and genuinely ask for it.

So how do you know that you’ve truly received salvation?

“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.”

- 1 John 5:13

You know that you have salvation if you believe on Jesus. So how do you know if you truly believe on Jesus?

“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”

- John 14:21

Obedience to God is the mark of a true Christian. This may seem to be a contradiction if you think about it. We’re saved by faith, but then we have to obey God’s commands to be considered a true believer.

“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

- James 2:26

Faith without works is dead…

I’ll make this simple. Picture an apple tree. The roots go deep into the earth. The branches grow strong and thick. Hanging among the green leaves, bright red apples fasten to small twigs. An apple is a natural and tasty meal.

Now I have a question about which I want you to think: can you make an apple without the apple tree? Can you form it from clay? Can it be made from other types of fruit? What objects would you choose to use if you were asked to make an apple without an apple tree? What materials and substances would you try to use in creating an apple?

Reality: it cannot be done. Yet, when it comes to the Christian life, many try to do something far more difficult than creating a tree-less apple. The Christian life is a natural result of God miraculously changing someone’s heart.

You see, a holy and sinless lifestyle is the fruit of salvation. Many think that good works (reading the Bible, going to church, being kind) are what make them a Christian. But it is actually the opposite. Being a Christian causes good works to flow from your life. But good works do not cause you to be a child of God. Just like the apple, being godly comes naturally to a Christian. But this does not mean that you won’t struggle – you will struggle. Even Paul the Apostle, writer of many books in the Bible, struggled with his old nature. He wrote this:

“For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.”

- Romans 7:15

God brings transformation to the lives of those who surrender to Him. When you asked Him to save you, you gave Him your life. Jesus died in your place, and now you must live in His.

“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

Your old self is dead. And now Jesus Christ lives in you. His nature takes the place of your nature. You’re brand new! You were born once as yourself, and now you are born again with Christ’s nature. That’s what it means to be born again. You have a new nature.

What a wonderful reality – that Jesus Christ has washed you clean of all sin and shame! Your new life in Christ is an exciting adventure, a journey with God. No matter how unbelievable it may seem, if you have dedicated your life to Jesus Christ, your past is no more.

“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

Only God can change a sinful heart. Only God can create in you a new nature. Only God can empower you to be godly. You are no longer like the world. God has changed you.

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…”

- Romans 12:2

Your mind has been renewed. Everything starts in the mind. God works on us from the inside out, but man tries to work on you from the outside in.

Many tell us that if we want to be saved, we must do this and that. But true salvation is a miracle of God. It comes when you lay down your sin, your will and your pride. And once you surrender, God responds to your humility with mercy… He changes your nature.

If you try to do it backwards, you’ll become burdened and discouraged. But when you do it God’s way, it’s miraculous! This is why anyone can change, because God is the one doing the changing. So then you can see how a free gift can cost your life and still be free.