The Blessing of Being Born Again
Perhaps, for humanity, this blessing is the greatest of them all.
We know that the eternal life we receive in Christ is a tremendously good blessing. But at the same time, something happens inside human beings that makes them ready for eternity. This happens when someone gives their life to Christ by faith and receives salvation.
Let’s read in John 3 about this blessing that happens inside. In this chapter, a man named Nicodemus came to Christ to find out about him, and Christ immediately spoke to him about this very important matter. Look at what it says in verses 3–7. Jesus said, “I assure you that unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus asked, “How can a man be born again when he is old? Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?” Jesus answered, “I assure you that unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born again? 5 Jesus answered, “I assure you that unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be surprised that I said, ‘You must be born again.’” NIV
Christ spoke about this very important matter that we must be born again by the Holy Spirit. That is, when Christ enters our lives, we are born again by the Spirit, and inside we are new beings born by the Spirit. For although we look the same on the outside, inside we are new and different. This is the blessing and key to being saved and having eternal life, this new birth. Just like Nicodemus, we must be born again to enter the kingdom of God.
Paul gave us another example of this in 2 Corinthians 5:17, which says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” NIV. In other words, when we receive Christ, we are new people, different from before. This is what Christ taught Nicodemus. In Christ we are born again and then we are new people. And all this happens within our Spirit and soul.
What a great blessing this is that God has for all humanity, the blessing of being born again and then prepared for eternity in heaven. Our part is simply to receive Christ by faith, and immediately we are forgiven and born again. As we know, this is a great gift from God, and it is all because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. He took our punishment upon Himself, and that is why you and I can be born again.
And as I mentioned, it is a beautiful gift from God. Look at what Ephesians 2:8-9 says: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. This is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.” NIV We are saved and born again by grace through faith. We only need to believe and receive it.
What a great blessing it is to be born again by the Spirit. It is how we enter heaven, but it is also abundant and better life in this life.
This makes us ready for heaven. But there is another issue to be aware of. Just as when we were born naturally, when we are born spiritually, we are spiritual babies. We are new and born, but we are babies who need to grow and become spiritually mature and adult. You cannot live your whole life as a baby or child; you must grow up.
We grow and mature spiritually mostly through the Bible. To be nourished and grow in this way, you need to be in the Bible every day. At the same time, you should attend a church that teaches and preaches the Bible, which is a great help to your spiritual growth. In the church, there are other believers to help and strengthen us. We also grow by spending time in His presence. If you want to grow in Him, you must pray and talk to God every day, and we must also worship and praise Him and give thanks to Him for all His blessings. If we develop these spiritual habits, we will grow and bear fruit for the kingdom of God. But this entire process begins by receiving Christ and being born again.
If you have not yet been born again through Christ, now is the time to do so. Do not wait any longer; today is the day of salvation.