Chapter 5: What Does It Mean To Be Born Again?

We have already seen that man is a spirit being who lives in a physical or material environment. We are all aware of physical laws or physical principles which govern the physical world. These physical laws cannot be revoked. Nothing under the sun can change them.

Three Unchanging Physical Laws

Let us take three such laws, for example:

• The Law of Reproduction (Like Begets Like). Sheep give birth to sheep, dogs to dogs, cows to cows, and humans to humans.

• The Law of Sowing and Reaping. Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. No one can plant corn and harvest beans.

• The Law of Gravity. Whatever is thrown up must come down.

These laws apply universally, whether rich or poor, king or servant, black or white, advanced or primitive, believer or unbeliever. They function because God Himself set them in motion.

Similarly, we have spiritual laws or spiritual principles that govern the spirit world. They also work for whosoever applies them. That is why Jesus said: “Whosoever believes shall be saved, but whosoever believes not shall be condemned.”

No man can change these spiritual principles for his own convenience. You either apply them to yourself and receive the full benefit, or you cling to your own man-made principles to your own detriment.

Suppose you invented a man-made physical principle which says, “Sow anything and reap anything.” You might sow corn and expect beans, but no matter how convinced you are, it will not happen. You will reap corn and not beans.

Religion, with its man-made rules, cannot replace God’s laws. Christianity, unlike religion, is God’s divine plan revealed to mankind. Just as a wise man follows the manufacturer’s manual rather than inventing his own, so the wise will live by God’s principles rather than human substitutes.

God’s Nature and Man’s Problem

• God is Light.
  “This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).

• God is Holy.
  “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).
  “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16).

• God Cannot Look Upon Sin.
  “Behold, all souls are mine … the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4).
  “In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:17).
  “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans. 6:23).

Because God is holy, sin separates man from Him. Fellowship can only be restored through the shedding of innocent blood:

“Without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22).

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood … it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul” (Leviticus 17:11).

Judas himself confessed, “I have sinned … I have betrayed the innocent blood” (Matthew 27:4).

The Sacrifice of Christ

The blood of bulls and goats offered under the Old Covenant could only cover sin temporarily; it could never take it away. God required innocent blood from Adam’s race.

“It is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins … But this man [Jesus], after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:4, 11–12).

“Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Hebrews 9:12).

Jesus was that sinless, innocent sacrifice. Conceived by the Holy Spirit, He was born without sin, just as Adam was created without sin:

“The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee … therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).

“You made him [Adam] a little lower than the angels … but we see Jesus … crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man” (Hebrews 2:7, 9).

Jesus Our Substitute

Because only a sinless soul could atone for sin, God offered the soul of Jesus. He bore the punishment of our guilt so that we might be made righteous before God.

“Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him … when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin … because he hath poured out his soul unto death … and he bare the sin of many” (Isaiah 53:10, 12).

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians. 5:21).

He not only shed His blood but also descended into the depths of suffering as our substitute:

“He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him … after the suffering of his soul, he shall see the light of life” (Isaiah 53:5, 11).

“What is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?” (Ephesians 4:9).

“Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption” (Acts 2:27).

Identifying with the Sacrifice

Yet Christ’s sacrifice is not applied automatically. Each person must personally identify with Him in faith, just as the Old Testament worshipper laid his hand upon the head of the sin offering:

“When he is made aware of the sin he committed, he shall bring as his offering a female goat without defect. He is to lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering and slaughter it” (Leviticus 4:28–29).

“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3).

“If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9).

Born of God

To all who receive Christ, God imparts a new life:

“As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God … which were born … of God” (John 1:12–13).

“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).

Whoever believes, receives, and confesses Christ will not perish but be saved. In other words, this is what it means to be Born Again.

Why Must It Be Blood?

Let us bring everything together. Just as there are physical principles which govern the earth, so also there are spiritual principles which govern the spirit realm. And just as people must conform to natural laws for survival, so must they conform to spiritual laws for eternal survival.

We identified ten such spiritual principles:

• God is light and there is no darkness in Him.

• God is holy and can fellowship only with holy man.

• God cannot look upon sin, therefore the soul that sins shall die (be separated from God).

• For sinful man to return to fellowship with God, he must be purged by blood , innocent blood.

• The blood of goats and sheep cannot remove sin.

• God provided the innocent blood of Jesus.

• Jesus offered His soul as the sacrifice for sin.

• Jesus became the only perfect substitute who could satisfy divine justice.

• For the sinful soul to be reconciled with God, he must identify with that sacrifice and blood.

• Whoever believes, receives, and confesses Christ shall not perish but shall be saved.

But before we pause on these ten principles, we must answer the question: Why is blood the only way by which man can make peace with God?

It was not God who imposed blood upon man , it was man’s own choice that made blood necessary. Before the fall, the earth had never tasted a drop of blood. Adam lived on plants. God gave him two options: eat from the tree of life and live forever, or eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and die. Adam chose the latter, and by doing so, rejected the tree of life and brought death upon himself. Yet God, in His mercy, chose to restore man to life , and the way was through blood.

In Genesis we are told that God formed man from the dust and breathed into him the breath of life, and man became a living soul. The word translated life here suggests “lives” , both spirit life and soul life.

Later God told Noah that life, or the soul, is in the blood, and warned him not to eat flesh with blood in it. The law of Moses made it clearer still: the life of the flesh is in the blood, and God gave blood upon the altar to make atonement for the soul.

This shows us that blood is not just physical fluid , it carries life itself. When Christ died, the prophet said of Him, “He poured out His soul unto death and bore the sin of many” (Isaiah 53:12, paraphrased).

When God created man, He gave two kinds of life:

• Spirit life, eternal and divine.

• Soul life, human and mortal.

To live forever in body, soul, and spirit, Adam needed to eat of the tree of life. But he was free to choose, and Satan deceived him to choose wrongly. By that choice, he lost the eternal life of God and brought death upon his descendants.

Still, life must be restored by life. God chose to use the remaining soul life , carried in the blood , to restore the lost spirit life. But for the soul to be poured out, the blood must be poured out.

Jesus explained His mission: “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10, paraphrased). The word used here means God’s own life , the kind of life Adam lost.

But to restore it, Jesus had to give up His own soul life. He said, “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep”(John 10:11, paraphrased). In the garden He admitted, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow unto death” (Matthew 26:38, paraphrased). On the cross He cried, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46, paraphrased).

The letter to the Hebrews sums it up: without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22, paraphrased). Since Adam’s race was tainted by sin, only a sinless life could be offered. God therefore provided His own Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, to be that perfect sacrifice.

Adam’s wrong choice brought death. The first blood ever shed on earth was when God provided animal skins to clothe him. That innocent blood pointed forward to the blood of the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world.

We cannot now go back and eat from the tree of life. Adam closed that door, and Cherubim guard it until sin is banished from the earth (Genesis 3:24). In the same way, Cherubim also guards the blood upon the mercy seat (Exodus 37:7–9). Eternal life is by only two means: the tree of life, or the blood. For us today, only the blood remains.

Therefore, dear reader, we must give utmost attention to the blood of the Lamb. In it lies our only salvation. As Moses declared, “I have set before you life and death … choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:19, paraphrased).

How to Be Born Again

If you sincerely go through the following three steps, you will be born again.

Step One: Believe in Your Heart

The first step is to believe in your heart , not mere head knowledge, but a deep conviction in your spirit. True believing means you recognize that:

• You are a sinner by nature through Adam, already condemned without Christ.

• Jesus is the only sinless sacrifice who took your place and bore your punishment.

• He alone is the substitute for your sin-nature; there is no other way out.

• Through His death He carried both your sins and your sicknesses, and His blood cleanses you from all guilt , past, present, and future.

• By His resurrection He conquered death and hell, and because He lives, He can live His life through you.

• One day He will return to take His own to Himself.

If, deep within, you believe these truths without doubting, you are ready for the next step.

Step Two: Receive Him Personally

Now confess your sins honestly before God, acknowledging the fallen nature within you and your desire to be free from it. Then open your heart , your innermost being , and invite Jesus to come in and save you.

The Lord has promised: “I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in”(Revelation 3:20, paraphrased). The moment you ask Him sincerely, He comes in. You may not feel it, because the spirit knows rather than feels, but you will have the assurance within that He has entered.

When He comes in, He cleanses you from all sin, nails the old Adamic nature to His cross, and gives you eternal life. As the prophet declared, God removes the heart of stone and gives a heart of flesh, putting His Spirit within to recreate your nature (Ezekiel 36:26–27, paraphrased).

Step Three: Confess Him as Lord

After receiving Him, you must openly confess Jesus as your Lord. This breaks Satan’s lordship over your life and declares your allegiance to Christ. Confess Him to your family , husband or wife, children, parents, brothers and sisters. Confess Him to your friends, classmates, colleagues, and church members. Confess Him to all.

As you boldly declare Jesus as Lord, your spirit will be reassured that you truly belong to Him and are born again.

Prayer of Repentance

If you have decided to take these steps, you may now pray this prayer aloud:

“Lord Jesus, today I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe You died as my substitute and reconciled me back to God. I believe You rose again and live today. Forgive me for ruling my own life and for all my sins. Cleanse me now in Your precious blood. Lord Jesus, I open my heart to You. Come into my spirit and give me new life. I surrender myself fully to Your Lordship. Be my Lord and Saviour. Write my name in the Book of Life. Thank You for saving me, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Your Spiritual Birthday

If you have prayed this prayer sincerely from your heart, you are now born again. From this moment, your name is written in the Book of Life, and you belong to God’s family.

You may mark today as your spiritual birthday. Whenever someone asks, “When were you born again?” you can boldly answer:

“On [Day of Week], the [Day of Month] of [Month], [Year], I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour.”

For example:
“On Tuesday, 23 November, 1982, I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour.”

Congratulations! This is the most important decision of your life. Heaven rejoices with you, and you have begun a new life in Christ.

Summary

This chapter explains what it means to be born again. It begins by showing that just as physical laws govern the natural world, spiritual laws also govern man’s relationship with God. No one can change these spiritual laws to suit personal opinion, religion, or tradition. Since God is light, holy, and cannot fellowship with sin, sinful man must be reconciled to Him in the way God has provided.

The chapter teaches that sin separates man from God, and that the penalty for sin is death. Under the Old Covenant, the blood of animals could only cover sin temporarily, but it could not remove sin completely. For man to be truly restored to God, innocent blood was required. God therefore provided Jesus Christ, who was born without sin, lived without sin, and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sin of the world.

The chapter also explains why the blood of Jesus is necessary. Life is in the blood, and because Adam’s disobedience brought death into the human race, life had to be restored through the giving of a sinless life. Jesus poured out His life and offered His soul as the sacrifice for sin. His blood is therefore the only basis for forgiveness, cleansing, reconciliation, and eternal life.

The chapter then shows that Christ’s sacrifice must be personally received. Salvation is not applied automatically to every person. Each person must believe in the heart that Jesus died and rose again, receive Him personally, and confess Him as Lord. To be born again means to receive the life of God through Jesus Christ and become a child of God.

Finally, the chapter gives a clear invitation to salvation. The reader is guided to believe in Christ, confess sin, open the heart to Him, and declare Him as Lord and Saviour. Anyone who sincerely receives Jesus in this way is born again, receives new life, and becomes part of God’s family. This new beginning is described as the believer’s spiritual birthday and the most important decision of life.