Spiritual Rebirth
The entrance requirement for God's kingdom is a new birth. It's in the Bible, John 3:3-8, NKJV. "Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 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.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Eternal life begins at the moment of spiritual rebirth. It's in the Bible, John 3:36, TLB. "And all who trust Him—God's Son—to save them have eternal life; those who don't believe and obey Him shall never see heaven, but the wrath of God remains upon them."
When we receive Christ, we are reborn. It's in the Bible, John 1:12-13, NKJV. " But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
Spiritual rebirth means dying to your old life. It's in the Bible, Romans 7:4, TLB. "Your 'husband,’ your master, used to be the Jewish law; but you 'died,’ as it were, with Christ on the cross; and since you are 'dead,’ you are no longer 'married to the law,' and it has no more control over you. Then you came back to live again when Christ did and are a new person. And now you are 'married,’ so to speak, to the one who rose from the dead, so that you can produce good fruit, that is, good deeds for God."
Spiritual rebirth brings changes in our lives and goals. It's in the Bible, I John 3:9, TLB. "The person who has been born into God's family does not make a practice of sinning because now God's life is in him; so he can't keep on sinning, for this new life has been born into him and controls him—he has been born again."
In Christ, we are newly created. It's in the Bible, 2 Corinthians 5:17, KJV. " Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new"
By the Holy Spirit we are reborn and adopted by God. It's in the Bible, Romans 8:15-17, NKJV. "For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together."
With God as our Father, by faith we can overcome the world. It's in the Bible, 1 John 5:4, NKJV. "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith."
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