Hier is werklik 'n paar groot waarhede, wat jy veral vir iemand kan gee wat onseker is oor of hy of sy gered is en indien nie, is hier wonderlike riglyne.

 

" EXCEPT A MAN BE BORN AGAIN "

 

" Except a man be Born Again…"

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily ,verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be

Born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3:3.

 

Birth is always associated with the beginning of things. The birth of a child marks the beginning of a human life. The birth of a nation is the beginning of that nation. The beginning of a new spiritual life is precisely what Jesus is speaking about in the verse quoted above.

 

To become a part of the kingdom of God a person must make a new start in his life. Making a new start or beginning requires important changes. If no changes are made, then nothing new can begin, and the old course continues without altering. Paul described the man who has made the necessary changes in his life, he is no longer as he used to be.

 

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things have passed away; behold all things are become new. (2 Corinthians. 5:17)

 

One of the new things in this the new life is the changed purpose. As a Christian the purpose is to serve Christ. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey;...? (Romans 6:16.) But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered to you. Being then made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness. (Romans.6:17,18) (King James) Now the (LB) When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun! Verse 18. All these new things are from God who brought us back to himself through what Jesus Christ did. And God has given us the privilege of urging everyone to come into His favor and be reconciled to Him. The new life in Christ has righteousness as its aim. Righteousness is doing the will of God and Christ.

 

Not that every newborn Christian will perfectly follow the will of God. No Christian, old or new, can honestly claim spiritual perfection. See (1 John 1:8-10.) If we say that we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. V9. But if we confess our sins to him, he can depended on to forgive us and cleanse us from every wrong. And it is perfectly proper for God to do this for us because Christ died to wash away our sins. V10. If we claim we have not sinned, we are lying and call God a liar, for he says we have sinned.(LB) Mistakes are made. Weaknesses appear. But the purpose, the aim in this new life towards which we faithfully and patiently strive is the righteousness that is found in Christ.

 

Something else that is new in the person who is (born again) is the law by which his life is governed. He now walks according to (the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus,) not after the law of the flesh. This new law is the New Testament of Jesus Christ. Rom.8:2;

For the power of the life-giving Spirit- and this power is mine through Christ Jesus

(LB) (2 Cor.3:6)He is the one who has helped us tell others about his new agreement to save them. We do not tell them that they must obey every law of God or die; but we tell them that there is life for them from the Holy Spirit. The old way, trying to be saved by keeping the Ten Commandments, ends in death; in the new way, the Holy Spirit gives them life. (John6:63) Only the Holy Spirit gives Eternal Life. Those born only once, with physical birth, will never receive this gift. But now I have told you how to get this true Spiritual Life. The words of Jesus!!!

This new law provides everything necessary to completely furnish a man unto every good work. (2Tim.3:16,17) The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us to do what is right. V17. It is Gods way of making us well prepared at every point, fully equipped to do good to everyone. It furnishes us with everything that pertains to life and godliness. (2Peter 1:3,4.) He needs no modern-day revelations; no doctrines, inventions, innovations or philosophies of men to perfect and fulfill his service to God. Indeed, the addition of human wisdom achieves nothing but to make his worship vain, useless. (Mathew 15:9,13. ) Their worship is worthless, for they teach their man-made laws instead of those from God. V13. Every plant not planted by my Father shall be rooted up, so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and both shall fall in the ditch. The law of the Spirit, designed of God, is sufficient for every spiritual need.

When (born again) a person enters into a new relationship with God. Before being born again he is lost in sin, cut off from Gods favor and (dead in trespasses and sins) But when born again a person rises from the waters of baptism to walk in newness of life. (Rom.6:4) Your old sin-loving nature was buried with him by baptism when he died; and when God the Father, with glorious power, brought him back to life again, you were given his wonderful life to enjoy. In this new life into which he is born, a person is called a child of God, born into the family of God, and heir to the promises of God. (Gal 3:26-29)For now we are all children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. V27. and we who have been baptized into union with Christ are enveloped by him. V28 We are no longer Jews or Greeks or slaves or free men or even merely men or woman, but we are all the same- we are Christians; we are one in Christ Jesus. V29. And now that we are Christs we are the true descendants of Abraham, and all of Gods promises to him belong to us. A new family, a new father, a new hope, a new purpose in life, a new law of conduct, new promises-surely all things become new ! This is part of what it means to be (born again). But how is a person born again?

 

In every birth there are two essential parts: the conception, and the birth or delivery. The analogy holds in the spiritual birth too. Conception means the begettal of life. This is accomplished in the spiritual process by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. Jesus said, It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. (John6:63.) Only the Holy Spirit gives eternal life. Those born only once, with physical birth, will never receive this gift. But now I have told you how to get this true Spiritual Life. (LB) These words which are the gospel of Christ, the Holy Spirit uses to (quicken) or give life to us, creating faith in us. Hence James says, (James1:18) And it was a happy day for him when he gave us our new lives through the truth of His Word ,and we became, as it were ,the first children in his new family. (LB)

Peter says the seed by which we are begotten is the word of God . (1Peter1:23) For you have a new life. It was not passed on to you from your parents, for the life they gave you will fade away. This new one will last forever, for it comes from Christ, Gods ever living Message to men. And the Psalmist says we are quickened by Gods word,) (LB) says They give me strength in all my troubles; how they refresh and revive me! Paul explains it thus: Y et faith comes from listening to this Good News-the Good News about Christ.(Rom.10:17) (LB) But faith alone is not enough to produce the new creature in Christ. (James 2:24,26) So you see a man is saved by what he does, as well as by what he believes. V26. Just as the body is dead when there is no spirit in it, so faith is dead if it is not the kind that results in good deeds. There must be the completion of the birth process. Conception or quickening must be followed by delivery, else the new spiritual being is still-born.

 

The Bible says that we come forth out of the waters of baptism to enter the new life. We are buried in the waters of baptism and raised from the waters to (walk in newness of life).

Rom 6:4.) After being planted in the likeness of his death, we are raised to the new life. (Rom. 6:5) Jesus put salvation from sin After baptism, not before it. (Mark 16:16) Those who believe and are baptized will be saved. But those who refuse to believe will be condemned. (LB) So the spiritual birth is completed in the act of baptism. It is begun by the Holy Spirit producing faith in our hearts by the Word of God, and completed by our being baptized for the remission of sins. (Acts 2:38) And Peter replied. Each one of you must turn away from sin, return to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; then you also shall receive this gift, the Holy Spirit.(LB)

 

Jesus summed it all up in these few words: Verily , verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (KJV) (John 3:5) Have you followed this simple New Testament pattern? Are you, through obedience to the gospel, born again? A member of the family of God? What hinders you to be baptized?

 

Prayer: Dear Lord I pray for the one reading this wonderful truth from your word , that he/she will be convinced by the Holy Spirit to be obedient to your word, and to do exactly what is expected from them through Your wonderful teachings and through the conviction of the truth and may the Holy Spirit open their eyes and teach them the wonderful way of salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Redeemer. Amen.

 

Judas 1:24-25
Aan Hom nou wat magtig is om julle vir struikeling te bewaar en julle sonder gebrek voor sy heerlikheid te stel met gejuig,

25.
aan die alleenwyse God, ons Verlosser, kom toe heerlikheid en majesteit, krag en mag, nou tot in alle ewigheid! Amen.

 

Groete

Sakkie