We Must Be Born Again

"Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council.  He came to Jesus at night and said, 'Rabbi, we know You are a teacher who has come from God.  For no one could perform the miraculous signs You are doing if God were not with Him.'  In reply Jesus declared, 'I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.'  'How can a man be born when he is old?' Nicodemus asked. 'Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!'  Jesus answered, 'I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and The Spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but The Spirit gives birth to spirit.' "  John 3:1-6 (NIV)

The Apostle John, the disciple who referred to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved, (John 20:2), recorded this encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus.  Jesus told him that in order to enter the kingdom of God, one must be born again.  When He was questioned about that statement, Jesus explained that after one's physical birth of the flesh, there must be a second birth, a birth of one's spirit by The Holy Spirit.

Once we believe that Jesus, The Christ, is The Son of God who was raised from the dead, and accept Him as our personal savior, (Romans 10:9), then and only then will we be indwelt by The Holy Spirit and be born again. (Ezekiel 36:26, John 14:17, Romans 8:11, and 1 John 3:24)  After we accept Christ into our lives, we receive The Spirit of God in our lives and we are changed.  We are born again and we become new creatures. (2 Corinthians 5:17)  This is the basis of our salvation and it is a gift from God. (Ephesians 2:8)  We must be born again.