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By Ivan.Ingersoll & Gael.McGill. At Digizyme
The Miracle of New Birth…in Christ
A miraculous action of God is done by God 1 John 3:9 when a mere human accepts His offer of forgiveness in Jesus (Demons and angels cannot be saved). It is no small thing. It is beyond huge. It is eternal!
What it is, this miracle by God – is new birth John 3:4-8. It is what God asks of us in the Bible. Jesus said it: You must be born again John 3:1-21 – John 3:7.
You’ve heard the sayin’, “You can’t take it with you”…when you die. The same with God: You can’t take your natural born self with you – when you die. You must be “reborn from above”.
You’ve heard the sayin’, “Get a life!” That is what God is saying. “Get a new life!” That is what God requires of us before entrance is granted to walk through Heaven’s Gates. “We must be born again.” Get that life. That is the life God requires: New Life. We must ask Him to be “reborn from above”.
Get that life! You, the one “who wills” to do so — you get that life when you get born again in Jesus. Simple, but immense. Huge!
See 11 Bible results for “reborn from above” from Amplified Bible
Excerpt from: Limited Grace
Salvation is offered to “whosoever will…”, but the “will” must accept and follow Him – obey His Way. You must be born again.
Excerpt from: What God asks of us in the Bible
No matter who you’ve been, what you’ve been, how bad – how “good”… God is asking you to repent and follow Him. That is it! (Luke 9:23)
Getting into Heaven…getting saved
C.S. Lewis said that the reality of what it means to “get saved” is so immense that many never quite grasp its impact while here on earth. He says we finally understand when we have arrived on the other side. For many of us it is only on arrival there that we get it. There we say one of two things:
(1) Yes!…I “attained it”. Or else, (2) Oh no! I “have lost it forever.”
Quoting C.S. Lewis:
“All your life – an unattainable ecstasy has hovered just beyond the grasp of your consciousness. The day is coming when you will wake to find, beyond all hope, that you have attained it, or else, that it was within your reach and you have lost it forever.”
– Source: C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain (New York: Macmillan, 1962, pg 147).
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The Specificity in Salvation…it’s not willy-nilly MerWeb willy-nilly: in a haphazard or spontaneous manner
Salvation is “within your reach” today, as C.S. Lewis said. Tomorrow might be too late. The better part of wisdom is to get on God’s side while it is still possible to do so. Jesus explained Salvation this way:
Luke 9:23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross daily [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me].
Jesus told us the details …it’s not willy-nilly. These details are His specificities for His gift of Salvation. Get it wrong, and you are wrong with Jesus. See them here in Mark 8:34 KJV, Matthew 16:24, and in this passage, Luke 9:23:
1 – You’ve got to want it “wishes to”,
2 – deny your own self “set aside selfish interests”,
3 – take up your cross daily…have the attitude “expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come”, and
4 – follow Jesus “believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me”.
That is quite specific.
Want it – Deny yourself – Have the attitude – Follow
Got the attitude?
The righteousness we need for God’s Holy Heaven is the righteousness of Jesus. We don’t “do it”. He gives us His. It’s “imputed” MerWeb.
– Source: Got the attitude?
“the righteousness of Jesus is credited to believers through faith, allowing them to be accepted by God.”
– Source: Does 1Corinthians 1:30 Imply Imputed Righteousness? | | by
Salvation is very specific. That is because God Himself is specific. And when He is…then we must be specific in response. God is asking you to repent, to come to Him 100% yeilded yeilded – not sinless. Can’t hold-back on Him.
God has made it very easy to get saved. It’s not complicated. It’s simple. It’s so simple many cannot grasp it as God’s way to Heaven, calling it “utter nonsense“. – Source: What God asks of us in the Bible
1 Corinthians 1:23
“…but we preach Christ crucified, [a message which is] to Jews a stumbling block [that provokes their opposition], and to Gentiles foolishness [just utter nonsense].”
Know this: When you give yourself to Him 100% – He knows. If you were sincere and honest with Him, He then converts you into a brand new creature. Inside you He then places His DNA…His “divine genetic code”. What a miracle.
BibleGateway explains it this way…
[a]: I.e. in human terms,
God’s seed is like a divine “genetic code”
which is passed on to His children
and produces in them
the desire to live in a way which pleases Him.
Matthew 11:28
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
1 John 3:9
9 No one who is born of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin,
because [a]God’s seed […the essence of His righteous character] remains [permanently] in him [who is born again—who is reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose];
and he [who is born again] cannot habitually [live a life characterized by] sin, because he is born of God and longs to please Him.
BibleGateway Footnote [a]: I.e. in human terms, God’s seed is like a divine “genetic code” which is passed on to His children and produces in them the desire to live in a way which pleases Him.
When a person becomes “born of God“, what always happens is, he/she “longs to please Him” 1 John 3:9. Pleasing Jesus is a major result of new birth. (It’s not what causes new birth.) If you don’t have a deep desire “to please Him”…that is a pretty clear sign that maybe you were not born again.
FOR MORE:
Got God’s DNA in you? 1 John 3:9 Get saved and you get His DNA. Wow – what a miracle that is!
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– 1 John 3:9
9 No one who is born of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin, because [a]God’s seed [His principle of life, the essence of His righteous character] remains [permanently] in him [who is born again—who is reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose]; and he [who is born again] cannot habitually [live a life characterized by] sin, because he is born of God and longs to please Him.
BibleGateway Footnote [a]: I.e. in human terms, God’s seed is like a divine “genetic code” which is passed on to His children and produces in them the desire to live in a way which pleases Him.
This is who we are in Christ Excerpt: Real Christians “keep and obey…” We have a creed. We follow the example of Jesus. Our life imitates His – not in the sense of wearing robes and sandals, but in the sense of being like Jesus.
What it means to walk in the Light, not in Darkness – Ephesians 3:16
Being pleasing Excerpt: As a Christian, I follow Jesus. He is my Savior and Lord and I aim to please Him.
“Being pleasing”. Do you have it down yet? It’s not an easy road
I do not live willy-nillie. I discipline my daily life to live like Jesus would in my situation. Sometimes I fail.
But now, more and more I make less and less room in the cavern of my mind for the sins of life (Romans 6:12-14). There is less of the selfish outlook, egotism, lusts of the flesh, erroneous thinking… and the list goes on and on (James 4:3).
Discerning what is good Excerpt: Walk in the light. For us who follow Jesus, a major goal of life is to walk in the light, and not walk in darkness. Jesus said “I am the Light”, thus declaring He was God [a – BibleGateway note], the One who gives life. He is the One I follow!
See: 14 Bible results for “Walk in the light”
What Jesus gives to sinners like me and you…For us who follow Jesus Excerpt:
* wisdom
Not saved yet…maybe you were not born again
Salvation in Christ is Beyond Huge – The “iron-clad” humongous type of salvation we have in Christ, or, on the flip-side… Salvation shows us… “The limits of what God will do for sinners”.
Excerpt: no grace was owed us whatsoever. God Almighty did not have to save us. Holy God loathes sin. He could have just rubbed us out of existence and walked away – way away to another part of His immense creation.
After all, Jehovah destroyed the rotten sinners in the days of Noah (Genesis 6:9; 1 Peter 3:20; Genesis 6; 7). And in Jonah’s day (Genesis 6:13; 2 Kings 14:25; ) God threatened to destroy the rotten sinners of Nineveh.
And, soon, very soon, in “the end” as Jesus called it (Matthew 24:14), Jesus is returning as promised (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; Luke 21:36; Revelation 3:10-11)– to destroy all who stand against Him in Armegeddon. And He promises Hell to all who oppose Him – those who choose to refuse His grace (Deuteronomy 29:14-21).
So – why the grace?
So why did God offer His free grace to save us, all rotten sinners, in the first place? (Ephesians 1:4; Ephesians 2:1-9.) It is because…
Limited Grace – The limits of what God will do for sinful humans Excerpt: Salvation in Christ is not a willy-nilly “free for all” gift bin. You can’t just say “Okay Jesus”, “Sure thing – God”. The Gospel of Christ is not a “come one, come all” offer by God.
God does offer salvation to all mankind. But you must come with sincerity and truth, and identify totally with His Way… not stay in your own sinful ways.
Salvation is offered to “whosoever will…”, but the “will” must accept and follow Him – obey His Way. (KJV: Matthew 7:24; Matthew 12:50; Mark 8:34; Luke 6:47; Revelation 22:17) You must be born again.
“Whosoever will may come” Excerpt: Any and all may come to Jesus for salvation. God is not just calling some. God is calling all people to repent and follow Jesus. From there we continue our journey with “all the privileges and rewards of a new life with Him”.
Whosoever
Jesus said, “Whosoever will – may come”.
Here are the “whosoever” passages in the King James Version KJV. See all 17 in one link
or individually: Matthew 7:24, Matthew 10:32-33, Matthew 16:25, Mark 8:34-35, Mark 8:38, Mark 10:15, Luke 9:24, Luke 9:26, Luke 14:27, Luke 14:33, John 3:14-16, John 11:26, Acts 2:21, Romans 10:13, Romans 13:2, James 4:4, Revelation 22:17.
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“And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them,
Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
– Mark 8:34 KJV
What God asks of us in the Bible
Specific salvation parameters to get saved…read here about His specificities for His gift of Salvation
Specific salvation parameters Jesus absolutely requires…be born twice – “of water and the Spirit” (through natural birth and by the Spirit)
John 3:1-21
“…Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless someone is born
of water and the Spirit,
he cannot enter
the kingdom of God….”
John 3:7
Do not be amazed that I said to you,
‘You must be born again.’
Lord, Father, I bow my heart before you Excerpt: A prayer for today. First, repent. Sin affects answers to prayer, but God rewards those who seek Him with all their heart.
It is bare open…He knows. Your heart is an open book to Him. Why not!? He is omniscient.
What Does It Mean to Preach the Whole Counsel of God? – by Justin Taylor at The Gospel Coalition
What is the whole counsel of God? – from gotquestions.org
Want it…Though salvation does not happen because you want it, salvation will only happen if you want it. Excerpt: Then there is the matter of me and God. The first step to discovering God is wanting to. He is there, but I’ve got to want to know more about Him. I choose to – or not.
“Draw near to God
and
He will draw near to you.”
–James 4:8
Want it – to know it… God’s message to us Here are three simple guidelines to help us stay true to God’s meaning – when reading the Bible, or hearing a Bible teaching. Excerpt: I want to know God’s message. Are you carefully examining Scripture, or …giving it little thought?
To know – you’ve got to want it
Also, we’ve got to be on our toes when listening to a preacher or teacher — to make sure they teach it correctly, staying true to God’s meaning – not leading us down deviant rabbit holes of their thinking. Stay true to God’s meaning….
Explaining the Basic Christian Experience [Part Two]
Holding to beliefs “deserving full acceptance and approval”
“The spirits of the righteous made perfect”
This Hope we have – and what this hope does
Passing on through to the other side
We walk beside a thin red line
Why we should fear God Almighty
Because He is God and I am not
The Master Transformer is Jesus
Warning not to drink of what is not pure water
The ultra extreme unresolvable horror upon arrival for God’s condemnation
If we do not think like God Almighty thinks
Was Jesus actually God Almighty?
Follow Jesus because He alone is God
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty
Pure Gospel Verses about Salvation
Receiving the forgiveness of God through Jesus the Messiah Excerpt: Sincere and truthful
Jesus will listen to the sincere and truthful prayer of repentance. Sincerity and truth are what He requires of us. He often hears a confused, sinful prayer, but He only saves the repentant sinner.
God forgives all wrongdoings of all repentant sinners, no exception
Right now is a good time to accept Him! Now is the acceptable time (2 Corinthians 6:2). Tomorrow is fluky. It may never give you the light of day. Now is all we are guaranteed.
Pure Gospel – nothing added, nothing taken out
Warning not to drink of what is not pure water
This is Salvation in Christ…and in no other
It’s all that. Salvation is. Excerpt:
The Gospel of Jesus Christ Excerpt: Know the many Bible verses that share the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. There is no other “saving gospel”.
Jesus Was The Christ, The Messiah Sent From God
Jesus, the second man, is the Lord from Heaven
Jesus can save your soul for all eternity
The message of salvation spoken by Jesus to Paul
God forgives sins by His Holy Holy Justice
Happiest day ever – Luke 15:7 Excerpt: When a sinner repents and gets “born again” — that is the happiest day of all! Without a doubt! It is such a happy day that Heaven rejoices!
16 Happenings on your Spiritual Journey
Salvation. True version – False version…salvation in Jesus Christ
Flesh and blood absolutely cannot inherit the Kingdom of God…”flesh and blood” is your natural born self
Ever grasped that feeling of being wrong with Jesus?…Get it wrong, and you are wrong with Jesus
“reborn from above”
These are the verses from 11 Bible results for “reborn from above” from Amplified Bible.
*NOTE: These following links take you away from this website. Just so you know.
John 3:3
Jesus answered him, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God.”
John 3:7
Do not be surprised that I have told you, ‘You must be born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified].’
1 Corinthians 15:2
By this faith you are saved [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose], if you hold firmly to the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain [just superficially and without complete commitment].
Galatians 3:26
For you [who are born-again have been reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified and] are all children of God [set apart for His purpose with full rights and privileges] through faith in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 4:31
So then, believers, we [who are born again—reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose] are not children of a slave woman [the natural], but of the free woman [the supernatural].
Ephesians 2:10
For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].
Philippians 3:3
for we [who are born-again have been reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, set apart for His purpose and] are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory and take pride and exult in Christ Jesus and place no confidence [in what we have or who we are] in the flesh—
1 Peter 1:3
Blessed [gratefully praised and adored] be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant and boundless mercy has caused us to be born again [that is, to be reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose] to an ever-living hope and confident assurance through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1 Peter 1:23
for you have been born again [that is, reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose] not of seed which is perishable but [from that which is] imperishable and immortal, that is, through the living and everlasting word of God.
1 John 3:9
No one who is born of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin, because God’s seed [His principle of life, the essence of His righteous character] remains [permanently] in him [who is born again—who is reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose]; and he [who is born again] cannot habitually [live a life characterized by] sin, because he is born of God and longs to please Him.
1 John 5:1 Overcoming the World
Everyone who believes [with a deep, abiding trust in the fact] that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) is born of God [that is, reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose], and everyone who loves the Father also loves the child born of Him.
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