YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN

"Jesus...said unto him...Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered...Except a man be born of water (physical birth) and of the Spirit (spiritual birth), he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh (physical birth); and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (spiritual birth)" (Jn. 3:3-6). In other words, man dies spiritually the moment he sins. Notice what happened to Adam.

God wanted man to be like Him in order for us to have fellowship with Him. So He said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness" (Gen. 1:26). And so it was that Adam and Eve were created in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:28). God provided the perfect environment for the couple, and although there was fruit from one tree that was deadly (Gen. 2:17), God called creation "very good" (Gen. 1:31).

God warned Adam against eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, saying, "in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Gen. 2:17). When Adam disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit, he did die that very day; he died spiritually. We know that because we learn later that Adam lived for 930 years before he died physically (Gen. 5:5). Eight hundred years before his death, Adam produced a third son and he is described as a son in his (Adam's) own likeness, after his image (Gen 5:3). It is clear from Hebrews 11:4, that Adam's first two sons also had his image and likeness, because they needed to sacrifice to God.

Just as death was passed on unto all of mankind, so was our being born in the image and likeness of Adam. We are told that "in Adam all die" (1 Cor. 15:22). Paul wrote, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Rom. 5:12). In other words, because we are born with Adam's image and likeness, we will, and do, sin. It is my belief that the moment we consciously choose to disobey, we die spiritually. That is why we must be born spiritually.

The Good News is, God has provided us with the means to be born again. He draws us to His Son (Jn. 6:44). The Holy Spirit, the One who produces spiritual birth (Jn. 3:5-8), also produces conviction that the Word of God is true in speaking of Jesus (Jn. 16:7-15). And when we accept Jesus as our Lord, the Spirit "baptizes us into Christ" (Gal. 3:27). And it is in Christ that we are alive spiritually, now ("For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus" - Gal. 3:26; 1 Jn. 3:2); and we will live eternally in Him (1 Cor. 15:22; 1 Jn. 3:2).

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 Cor. 5:21).