Born Again

What does that mean, really?

Why must we be born again?

Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless one is born of water and the Spirit,
he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh,
and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
John 3:5-7


If you’ve noticed, the world is a dangerous place these days. But in the Biblical description of God’s creation, you see that after each thing he creates, he says it is good. And after all is created, he says it is “very good.”

Obviously, it is not “very good” today. What happened?

The Story


After Satan rebelled against God, Satan was banished from heaven. Plot foiled. But from that very failure arose a deep hatred of God.

When God created mankind, Adam and Eve, our first parents, they found themselves in a beautiful garden, pristine, perfect, with trees and vines loaded with fruits of all kinds. God walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the evening and he told them that of all the trees they were free to take and eat, but only one, the one in the center, they were forbidden to touch. He said that if they took of that tree, they would die.

Satan’s rage flooded his face as he realized these persons were going to inherit the heaven he was banished from. He had to devise a plan to get them to disobey God. Let’s add here that our first parents had no idea what “die” meant. So along comes Satan and suggests to Eve that if they take that fruit, “you will not surely die.” He told her that God just doesn’t want them to “become as gods.” He pointed out how beautiful that fruit was, and why should they not take of it? Eve saw how beautiful it was and she took the fruit. Then gave it to Adam. And Satan’s plan was launched.

When Adam sinned his rebellion brought terrible consequences. The change that took place in that transaction is called the death principle. That act of rebellion caused the death principle to take over all the earth and every living thing in it. God said they would “die,” and that’s exactly what happened. From then, all die, even animals, plants, every living thing.

Death of the body is something we all understand, we’ve all seen death. But the word death means separation. When the body dies, the soul is separated from the body. The body without the soul is dead. But the death that took place at Adam’s sin caused his spirit to die. The spirit of man is the core of the man. In Adam, it died. That very day, the part of Adam that lived by the eternal life with God, died. And from that point, all Adam’s descendants would inherit his condition. All descendants of Adam are born in a state of spiritual death. Man’s only hope was to be born again.


Pride – The Great Destroyer


The sin that caused the fall of Satan was the sin of pride. He got 1/3 of the angels to follow him and waged an assault against God. For that, he was banished from heaven. His pride destroyed him.

The deadliest sin known to man is pride.

Pride caused the banishment of Satan, and pride will bring down a man more surely than any other sin.

The God Of This World


“Satan, who is the god of this world,
has blinded the minds of
those who don’t believe.”
2nd Corinthians 4:4


Satan gained authority over the world and the Scriptures tell us that he became “the god of this world.” Persons who are successful in their lives will be proud by nature. They will hardly recognize their need. It is to the broken that the Lord comes. We were all born into a fallen world, to fallen people, in a fallen human nature …and that’s why we must be born again.

Being born again requires that a person come to the end of himself and realize the truth about himself. When he finally can do that …THEN he can be born again.

Jesus Christ, man’s Redeemer, said that we MUST be born again. When one receives salvation through Jesus Christ he becomes a new creation. He receives a totally new life. The part of man cut off from God, is now made alive.

Entering in. Pray with me:


Father God, I truly desire to be born again so that I can spend all eternity with you. I recognize that I live in a fallen human nature. I know that I have sinned again and again in my life and that I fall far short of perfection. The Bible says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked…” and I’m ready to admit that that includes me. Your Word tells me that the wages, or the results of sin, is death, not just physical death but the second death as well, which is to be lost from you forever. Your word also tells me that you loved me so much that you took upon yourself on that cross all the judgment on my sin. Jesus, I confess to you my sins and ask that the blood that you shed will cover me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I pray, Lord, I ask for that new life you give when one is born again.