"Justice For The Innocent"is a foundation set up in Honour of Jared Klein. It is petitioning for harsher sentences for people who harm children.(Jared's Law)http://www.jareds-law.com
Are you Biblicaly Saved? KJV Bible standards

What Does It Mean To Be "Born Again"?

This term "born again" first appears in the Bible in John chapter three...

"There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 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. 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, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again" (John 3:1-7).

An unsaved man once said to me, "That born again stuff makes no sense to me." Perhaps you feel the same. There are "How To Be Saved" articles all over the internet (and I am thankful for them all), but many people want a complete explanation of what it means to be "born-again." Why do we need to be born again? What does it mean? That is my purpose in this article, that is, to explain this great Biblical doctrine in layman's terms. Please give me a moment and I will make it as plain as you've ever heard. Most people have religion, but very few people have ever been Biblically born-again. Unless you are born again, you absolutely cannot go to Heaven (John 3:5).

Simply put, to be "born again" means to have He (Jesus) Who is the beginning born in you. In Revelation 1:8 Jesus said, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, respectively. Man by birth is spiritually dead, which I will explain further in a moment. To be born-again is a miracle of God, by which Jesus Christ comes into your body to live, literally in the form of the Spirit of God. Romans 8:9, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."

To understand what it means to be born-again, it is necessary to understand that there are TWO BIRTHS. The "first" birth is the PHYSICAL BIRTH when you were born into this world from your mother and father. When the Bible speaks of being "born of water," it is speaking about the physical birth (NOT baptism). The "second" birth is a SPIRITUAL BIRTH, which means to be born of the "Spirit" (that is, God's Holy Spirit). Why does a person need to be born spiritually? What is a "spiritual" birth?

The Bible teaches that man is created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). There is one God according to Deuteronomy 6:4; but He exists in the three Persons of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Bible refers to this triune nature of God as the Godhead (Acts 17:29; Romans 1:20, Colossians 2:9 - King James Bible only). Colossians 2:2 refers to the Godhead as "the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ." The Godhead wasn't meant to be understood; but rather, believed as sound Biblical doctrine by God's children.

Likewise, mankind is created in God's image in the form of a body, soul and spirit. Our earthly body is the tabernacle (2nd Corinthians 5:1-4) of the soul and spirit. The body is a temporary dwelling place of man's soul and spirit. Our soul is composed of the heart (to feel), the mind (to think), and the will (to decide). Hebrews 4:12 makes a distinction between man's soul and spirit, "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

Animals have souls, but not a spirit. Man's spirit returns to God upon death. Ecclesiastes 12:7, "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." Animals have a mind to think, and a heart to feel and a will to decide; but animals do not have a spirit to discern spiritual matters. This is why humans have an inherent need for religion (God). It is the spirit of man that makes humans totally different and unique from animals.

Man's spirit is dead in sin when we are born; that is, we are born void of God with an inherited sin nature from Adam. The only exception is the Lord Jesus Christ Who came as God in the flesh (1st Timothy 3:16). Our spirit is dead in trespasses and sin the Bible says...

"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:1,2)

The unsaved person cannot understand God, nor His Words, because they are spiritually discerned...

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1st Corinthians 2:14)

The reason why you need to be "spiritually" born is because you have never been spiritually born to begin with. So when the Bible speaks of being "born again," it actually means "born for the second time." You were born physically into this world, but you were born without the Spirit of God in your soul (spiritually dead). Yes, God created you, but He gave you a freewill to decide for yourself where you will spend eternity.

God never forces anyone to accept Jesus as their Savior. He simply offers a warm invitation to anyone who wants to have their sins forgiven and go to Heaven. Salvation is a free gift (Romans 5:15; 6:23), paid for by the precious blood of Jesus Christ (1st Peter 1:18,19; Revelation 1:5). We must accept God's gift of eternal life or it WILL be forever forfeited when we leave this world (die).

God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 2:17, "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Notice, God said they would die "the day that thou eatest thereof." Interestingly, Adam and Eve DIDN'T die physically the day they ate the fruit and disobeyed God's command. Why?

The reason is because they died SPIRITUALLY instead of physically. When Adam sinned, sin and death entered the human race. The Bible teaches that from Adam until present time, mankind has been born spiritually dead, inherited down from Adam's sin. This is why humanity MUST be born-again. This is only possible through the Holy Spirit of God, which makes us alive again (quickened the Bible says) by faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior. We are saved by repenting of our unbelief and believing the Gospel that Jesus DIED, was BURIED and RAISED up three days later.

To be "spiritually" born means that God's Holy Spirit "quickens" us (or makes us alive). When a sinner believes on the Lord Jesus as the Christ—trusting Him alone to forgive all sins—then God the Father and God the Son come into one's heart in the form of God the Holy Spirit (John 14:23). The "Holy Spirit" is "God within us." The old man is the flesh. The old man cannot be tamed. There is nothing good about the flesh. When we get saved (born again), the old man doesn't change. Rather, the new man (which is Jesus Christ) comes to indwell (live) within our body. 1st Corinthians 3:16, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"

I have God living in my body in the form of the Holy Spirit. I was born-again at age 13. Romans 8:9 tells us that the Spirit of Christ dwells within every believer. I am not God, but I have God's Spirit living in my body. The Godhead indwells every believer. The Holy Spirit of God guides me, comforts me, teaches me, rebukes me, chastises me, convicts me, encourages me, empowers me, loves me, strengthens me, and so much more. The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to do these things. This is why it is critically important for every believer to live in their Bible (and make sure you have a reliable Bible—I only use the faithful King James Bible).

A person cannot understand the Bible without the presence of the Author, and God is the Author. When you become born-again (or born for the second time), God's Holy Spirit comes into your body (1st Corinthians 3:16), never to leave (Hebrews 13:5), and you will begin to understand many new things for the first time in your life...

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

It is ONLY through the Precious Word of God that anyone can be born-again. Surely, no one can be born into this world again physically. There is no turning back the hands of time. However, you most certainly can be born again, spiritually, into God's family through the Spirit of Christ... "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" (Romans 8:9).

Salvation is NOT found in a religion or good works, but in a Person... The Lord Jesus Christ!

My friend, for peopel who confess to be a Christians have been lead at one point or so in their life or at least have heard "Sinners prayer to be saved" Although this is not wrong to do, it is an extra step that the Bible does NOT require, which may confuse some people. You don't have to "ask" Jesus to save you, because God has already promised "TO SAVE THEM THAT BELIEVE" (1st Corinthians 1:21). We read in John 3:16, "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" [emphasis added]. The way to be saved is to BELIEVE THE GOSPEL!!!

Do you admit that you are a GUILTY sinner, under the condemnation of God's LAW, deserving of Hellfire?

Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God (God in the flesh) who died upon the cross, sacrificing His precious blood to pay for your sins? Do you believe that Jesus was buried and bodily resurrected three days later? This is the Good News of the Gospel... Jesus DIED ON THE CROSS, He was BURIED and He is RISEN! Believe it friend, make it your only hope for eternal life, and you are saved!!! Amen!

To be saved you simply come to God by faith, as a guilty sinner, and BELIEVE the Gospel.

You must know that you are a sinner. No man ever got saved who didn't know that he is a sinner. Repentance is that thing when you come before God and see yourself as you are, and see Him as he is, and say with Isaiah "Woe is me, for I am unclean!" Repentance is simply a change of mind, where you admit that you are a woeful sinner totally incapable of saving yourself. Thus, you believe the Gospel (Good News) of the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved.

Perhaps you'd feel comfortable praying a sinner's prayer as did the publican in Luke 18:13... "And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto Heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner." It doesn't matter exactly what you pray, because you're saved by BELIEVING, not by praying. But if you'd like to pray as an expression of your faith, you could pray something like this. ...

Dear Jesus,
I admit that I am a sinner deserving of Hell. I am guilty for breaking your holy commandments. I believe that you died on the cross to pay for my sins, were buried, and bodily resurrected three days later. Please forgive me of my sins and take me to Heaven when I die. I now believe upon You alone, apart from all self-righteous works and religion, as my personal Savior. Thank you. Amen.

Just as you were born physically to your parents, so you were born spiritually into the family of God when you received Jesus! John 1:12-13, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

Again, please understand that we are not saved because we pray a prayer, but because we BELIEVE upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is certainly appropriate to ask the Lord in prayer to forgive and save us, but it is our faith which prompts us to pray. You could just as easily believe in your heart upon the Lord to be saved, and not pray at all. Salvation is of the heart, as we read in Romans 10:10, "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness..."

Likewise, it is an extra unnecessary step in God's plan of salvation, to require a person to walk down a church isle to be saved. Why cannot people be saved right there in their pew seat? They certainly can! Only God knows how many millions of people have gone to Hell, because they didn't want to walk down a church isle to find out how to be saved. Preachers should always give people a chance to be saved right there in the privacy of the pew. If they hear the Gospel preached and gladly receive (believe) it, they are saved (Acts 2:41).

It's not what you're doing that gets you to Heaven, it's where you're looking. Look to Jesus!

You do NOT have to be water baptized nor doing anything to get to Heaven other than trust upon the Lord as your Savior. Romans 4:5-6 proclaims... "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him (Jesus) that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God Imputeth Righteousness without works." What a wonderful truth! Our faith is COUNTED for righteousness! God's righteousness is IMPUTED (transferred) to us, and our sins are IMPUTED to Christ.
There is NO self-righteousness (human effort) involved in salvation. It is the gift of God. You see, we have no righteousness of our own to offer God. No amount of good can undo the bad we've done. Jesus paid a debt that He did not owe, because we owed a debt that we could not pay. Salvation is receiving, not giving. We are sinners and Jesus is the Savior. Jesus is precious! We are saved by trusting, not by trying.

And please BEWARE my friend of the horrible heresy of WRONG REPENTANCE that says you must turn away from your sinful ways to be saved, because THAT IS NOT A GIFT! Of course God wants everyone to turn away from sinful behavior, but only because YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN, and not to BECOME A CHRISTIAN. The purpose of God's LAW is to give men the KNOWLEDGE OF SIN, to bring us to Christ (the Gospel of GRACE).

Unbelief is the only sin which can keep a sinner out of Heaven. But remember, faith is not the absence of doubt, but the presence of trust. Even if you have 99% doubt, it is nothing less than 100% faith if you call upon the name of the Lord (Romans 10:13). To "call" means to place your complete confidence in the Lord's death on the cross, burial and resurrection to be saved. We are saved by completely resting in the Good News (i.e., Gospel) of Jesus Christ.

Just take God at His word and claim His salvation by faith. Believe, and you will be saved. No church, no lodge, no good works can save you. Remember, God does the saving. All of it!

Trusting Jesus is meaningless without the cross. You must believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins. 1st Corinthians 15:1-4 teaches that the Gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

God's simple plan of salvation is: You are a sinner. Therefore, unless you believe on Jesus Who died in your place, you will spend eternity in Hell. If you believe on Him as your crucified, buried, and risen Savior, you receive forgiveness for all of your sins and His gift of eternal salvation by faith.

You say, "Surely, it cannot be that simple!" Yes, that simple. It is scriptural, it is God's plan. My friend, believe on Jesus and receive Him as Savior today.

If you've never been saved, then now is the time to believe upon the name of Jesus, the Christ, that your sins will be blotted out forever and you can know that your name is written in Heaven. Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith. God will not save anyone who is trying to be saved, He will only save those who are trusting to be saved.

Christ died for your sins. You are a sinner by nature and by choice. Jesus took your sins and charged them to His own record. He went to the cross and paid the penalty for your sins. He says if you're willing to receive Him in faith; He will transfer His payment to your debt, and His righteousness to your sins. He will impute to you His goodness, and impute to His own record your sin; if you in faith will trust Him as your Savior.

Romans 8:34, "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."

Salvation is of the heart (Romans 10:10). If you'd like to pray, simply admit that you are a guilty sinner for breaking God's commandments. Tell Jesus that you believe He died, was buried and rose again. Ask Jesus to forgive your sins and tell Him that you're receiving His sacrifice as payment for your sins. It matters not exactly what you pray, just as long as you realize these two main truths:
The Gospel for One must hear or read to know:
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 King James Version
15 "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:"

You are a guilty sinner in the eyes of a holy God for breaking His commandments! Jesus is the precious Savior who died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and bodily resurrected three days later!

You don't even have to PRAY a prayer to be saved, just BELIEVE in your heart. But if you'd like to accompany your faith with a prayer of confession, you might say something like this...

Dear Jesus, I know that I am a Hell-deserving sinner. I believe You are the only begotten Son of God, the Savior, who shed your blood to pay for my sins. I believe the Good News (Gospel) that You DIED on the cross to pay for my sins, and that You were BURIED, and You bodily RAISED UP three days later for my justification. That is all I am trusting in to get me to Heaven. I accept your free gift of forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Thank you Jesus! Amen.

That's it my friend. If you BELIEVE the Gospel, then you are saved. Did you know that you don't have to "ask" Jesus to forgive your sins? That is 100% correct! Jesus has already paid for everyone's sins with His precious blood. That's why eternal life is called a "free gift" in Romans 5:15. Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." God has already PROMISED to save anyone who BELIEVES! 1st John 2:25, "And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life."

Salvation is NOT a prayer, although you may prayer a sinner's prayer to express your heart's faith in Jesus. We are saved by HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, i.e., the righteousness of Jesus Christ which is charged to our account at the time of salvation. This is the IMPUTED righteousness of Jesus Christ... "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." We are saved by God's grace through faith in Christ Jesus, because of the blood that He sacrificed for our sins. Our part is only to believe.

Salvation is not a matter of praying some special words. The publican merely cried out, "God be merciful to me a sinner." The thief on the cross simply asked Jesus to "remember" him, and Jesus most certainly did. It was their faith in Christ and not their words, that brought salvation. Both men acknowledged their guilt of sin and turned to Jesus Christ for forgiveness. There is nothing "magic" about the words you pray, it is your faith (trust) upon the Gospel of Jesus Christ that brings salvation. It is your faith that causes you to call upon Jesus to forgive your sins and take you to Heaven. God wants to save you more than you could ever want to be saved (2nd Peter 3:9).

Just take God at His word and claim His salvation by faith. Believe, and you will be saved. No church, no lodge, nor any amount of good works can save you. Remember, God does the saving. All of it! Man's part is to believe. God does the saving. Being born-again is a supernatural miracle of God in response to a man's faith in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

God's simple plan of salvation is: You are a sinner. Therefore, unless you believe on Jesus Who died in your place, you will spend eternity in Hell. If you believe on Him as your crucified, buried, and risen Savior, you receive forgiveness for all of your sins and His gift of eternal salvation by faith.

You say, "Surely, it cannot be that simple!" Yes, that simple. It is scriptural, it is God's plan. My friend, believe on Jesus and receive Him as Savior today.

"I'm so tired of churches being satisfied. Somebody needs to fire up for God and realize we don't have much time left. Jesus is coming again. We better charge Hell and we better do something about the fact that people need to be born again."
—Pastor Jeff Owens, from the timeless sermon titled, "Our New Year Plan Glorifying Him."

Salvation is NOT a prayer, although you may prayer a sinner's prayer to express your heart's faith in Jesus. We are saved by HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, i.e., the righteousness of Jesus Christ which is charged to our account at the time of salvation. This is the IMPUTED righteousness of Jesus Christ... "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." We are saved by God's grace through faith in Christ Jesus, because of the blood that He sacrificed for our sins. Our part is only to believe.

Salvation is very simple—we are sinners and Jesus is the Savior. Christ died, was buried and rose from the dead. Anyone who believes on the name of Jesus for salvation becomes a part of God's family (Romans 10:13; Galatians 3:26). Eternal life is a free gift—freely given and freely received. Salvation is receiving; not giving. Our part is to acknowledge our guilt of sin and believe the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to be forgiven.

You see friend, there is no religion involved here, ONLY Jesus. The big issue is that we are all sinners, and that sin MUST be dealt with. The Word of God indicts all of us as guilty sinners. Only through faith in Christ can we be justified, JUST-IF-I'D never sinned. Those who DIE IN THEIR SINS without Christ (John 8:24) will stand trial at The Great White Throne of Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). They will die the Second Death and be cast into the Lake of Fire forever. Those who DIE IN THE LORD (Revelation 14:13) already have eternal life. If you're saved, you're already a citizen of Heaven. Amen!

"Justice For The Innocent"is a foundation set up in Honour of Jared Klein. It is petitioning for harsher sentences for people who harm children.(Jared's Law)http://www.jareds-law.com
Are you Biblicaly Saved? KJV Bible standards

What Does It Mean To Be "Born Again"?

This term "born again" first appears in the Bible in John chapter three...

"There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 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. 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, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again" (John 3:1-7).

An unsaved man once said to me, "That born again stuff makes no sense to me." Perhaps you feel the same. There are "How To Be Saved" articles all over the internet (and I am thankful for them all), but many people want a complete explanation of what it means to be "born-again." Why do we need to be born again? What does it mean? That is my purpose in this article, that is, to explain this great Biblical doctrine in layman's terms. Please give me a moment and I will make it as plain as you've ever heard. Most people have religion, but very few people have ever been Biblically born-again. Unless you are born again, you absolutely cannot go to Heaven (John 3:5).

Simply put, to be "born again" means to have He (Jesus) Who is the beginning born in you. In Revelation 1:8 Jesus said, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, respectively. Man by birth is spiritually dead, which I will explain further in a moment. To be born-again is a miracle of God, by which Jesus Christ comes into your body to live, literally in the form of the Spirit of God. Romans 8:9, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."

To understand what it means to be born-again, it is necessary to understand that there are TWO BIRTHS. The "first" birth is the PHYSICAL BIRTH when you were born into this world from your mother and father. When the Bible speaks of being "born of water," it is speaking about the physical birth (NOT baptism). The "second" birth is a SPIRITUAL BIRTH, which means to be born of the "Spirit" (that is, God's Holy Spirit). Why does a person need to be born spiritually? What is a "spiritual" birth?

The Bible teaches that man is created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). There is one God according to Deuteronomy 6:4; but He exists in the three Persons of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Bible refers to this triune nature of God as the Godhead (Acts 17:29; Romans 1:20, Colossians 2:9 - King James Bible only). Colossians 2:2 refers to the Godhead as "the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ." The Godhead wasn't meant to be understood; but rather, believed as sound Biblical doctrine by God's children.

Likewise, mankind is created in God's image in the form of a body, soul and spirit. Our earthly body is the tabernacle (2nd Corinthians 5:1-4) of the soul and spirit. The body is a temporary dwelling place of man's soul and spirit. Our soul is composed of the heart (to feel), the mind (to think), and the will (to decide). Hebrews 4:12 makes a distinction between man's soul and spirit, "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

Animals have souls, but not a spirit. Man's spirit returns to God upon death. Ecclesiastes 12:7, "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." Animals have a mind to think, and a heart to feel and a will to decide; but animals do not have a spirit to discern spiritual matters. This is why humans have an inherent need for religion (God). It is the spirit of man that makes humans totally different and unique from animals.

Man's spirit is dead in sin when we are born; that is, we are born void of God with an inherited sin nature from Adam. The only exception is the Lord Jesus Christ Who came as God in the flesh (1st Timothy 3:16). Our spirit is dead in trespasses and sin the Bible says...

"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:1,2)

The unsaved person cannot understand God, nor His Words, because they are spiritually discerned...

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1st Corinthians 2:14)

The reason why you need to be "spiritually" born is because you have never been spiritually born to begin with. So when the Bible speaks of being "born again," it actually means "born for the second time." You were born physically into this world, but you were born without the Spirit of God in your soul (spiritually dead). Yes, God created you, but He gave you a freewill to decide for yourself where you will spend eternity.

God never forces anyone to accept Jesus as their Savior. He simply offers a warm invitation to anyone who wants to have their sins forgiven and go to Heaven. Salvation is a free gift (Romans 5:15; 6:23), paid for by the precious blood of Jesus Christ (1st Peter 1:18,19; Revelation 1:5). We must accept God's gift of eternal life or it WILL be forever forfeited when we leave this world (die).

God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 2:17, "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Notice, God said they would die "the day that thou eatest thereof." Interestingly, Adam and Eve DIDN'T die physically the day they ate the fruit and disobeyed God's command. Why?

The reason is because they died SPIRITUALLY instead of physically. When Adam sinned, sin and death entered the human race. The Bible teaches that from Adam until present time, mankind has been born spiritually dead, inherited down from Adam's sin. This is why humanity MUST be born-again. This is only possible through the Holy Spirit of God, which makes us alive again (quickened the Bible says) by faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior. We are saved by repenting of our unbelief and believing the Gospel that Jesus DIED, was BURIED and RAISED up three days later.

To be "spiritually" born means that God's Holy Spirit "quickens" us (or makes us alive). When a sinner believes on the Lord Jesus as the Christ—trusting Him alone to forgive all sins—then God the Father and God the Son come into one's heart in the form of God the Holy Spirit (John 14:23). The "Holy Spirit" is "God within us." The old man is the flesh. The old man cannot be tamed. There is nothing good about the flesh. When we get saved (born again), the old man doesn't change. Rather, the new man (which is Jesus Christ) comes to indwell (live) within our body. 1st Corinthians 3:16, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"

I have God living in my body in the form of the Holy Spirit. I was born-again at age 13. Romans 8:9 tells us that the Spirit of Christ dwells within every believer. I am not God, but I have God's Spirit living in my body. The Godhead indwells every believer. The Holy Spirit of God guides me, comforts me, teaches me, rebukes me, chastises me, convicts me, encourages me, empowers me, loves me, strengthens me, and so much more. The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to do these things. This is why it is critically important for every believer to live in their Bible (and make sure you have a reliable Bible—I only use the faithful King James Bible).

A person cannot understand the Bible without the presence of the Author, and God is the Author. When you become born-again (or born for the second time), God's Holy Spirit comes into your body (1st Corinthians 3:16), never to leave (Hebrews 13:5), and you will begin to understand many new things for the first time in your life...

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

It is ONLY through the Precious Word of God that anyone can be born-again. Surely, no one can be born into this world again physically. There is no turning back the hands of time. However, you most certainly can be born again, spiritually, into God's family through the Spirit of Christ... "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" (Romans 8:9).

Salvation is NOT found in a religion or good works, but in a Person... The Lord Jesus Christ!

My friend, for peopel who confess to be a Christians have been lead at one point or so in their life or at least have heard "Sinners prayer to be saved" Although this is not wrong to do, it is an extra step that the Bible does NOT require, which may confuse some people. You don't have to "ask" Jesus to save you, because God has already promised "TO SAVE THEM THAT BELIEVE" (1st Corinthians 1:21). We read in John 3:16, "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" [emphasis added]. The way to be saved is to BELIEVE THE GOSPEL!!!

Do you admit that you are a GUILTY sinner, under the condemnation of God's LAW, deserving of Hellfire?

Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God (God in the flesh) who died upon the cross, sacrificing His precious blood to pay for your sins? Do you believe that Jesus was buried and bodily resurrected three days later? This is the Good News of the Gospel... Jesus DIED ON THE CROSS, He was BURIED and He is RISEN! Believe it friend, make it your only hope for eternal life, and you are saved!!! Amen!

To be saved you simply come to God by faith, as a guilty sinner, and BELIEVE the Gospel.

You must know that you are a sinner. No man ever got saved who didn't know that he is a sinner. Repentance is that thing when you come before God and see yourself as you are, and see Him as he is, and say with Isaiah "Woe is me, for I am unclean!" Repentance is simply a change of mind, where you admit that you are a woeful sinner totally incapable of saving yourself. Thus, you believe the Gospel (Good News) of the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved.

Perhaps you'd feel comfortable praying a sinner's prayer as did the publican in Luke 18:13... "And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto Heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner." It doesn't matter exactly what you pray, because you're saved by BELIEVING, not by praying. But if you'd like to pray as an expression of your faith, you could pray something like this. ...

Dear Jesus,
I admit that I am a sinner deserving of Hell. I am guilty for breaking your holy commandments. I believe that you died on the cross to pay for my sins, were buried, and bodily resurrected three days later. Please forgive me of my sins and take me to Heaven when I die. I now believe upon You alone, apart from all self-righteous works and religion, as my personal Savior. Thank you. Amen.

Just as you were born physically to your parents, so you were born spiritually into the family of God when you received Jesus! John 1:12-13, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

Again, please understand that we are not saved because we pray a prayer, but because we BELIEVE upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is certainly appropriate to ask the Lord in prayer to forgive and save us, but it is our faith which prompts us to pray. You could just as easily believe in your heart upon the Lord to be saved, and not pray at all. Salvation is of the heart, as we read in Romans 10:10, "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness..."

Likewise, it is an extra unnecessary step in God's plan of salvation, to require a person to walk down a church isle to be saved. Why cannot people be saved right there in their pew seat? They certainly can! Only God knows how many millions of people have gone to Hell, because they didn't want to walk down a church isle to find out how to be saved. Preachers should always give people a chance to be saved right there in the privacy of the pew. If they hear the Gospel preached and gladly receive (believe) it, they are saved (Acts 2:41).

It's not what you're doing that gets you to Heaven, it's where you're looking. Look to Jesus!

You do NOT have to be water baptized nor doing anything to get to Heaven other than trust upon the Lord as your Savior. Romans 4:5-6 proclaims... "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him (Jesus) that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God Imputeth Righteousness without works." What a wonderful truth! Our faith is COUNTED for righteousness! God's righteousness is IMPUTED (transferred) to us, and our sins are IMPUTED to Christ.
There is NO self-righteousness (human effort) involved in salvation. It is the gift of God. You see, we have no righteousness of our own to offer God. No amount of good can undo the bad we've done. Jesus paid a debt that He did not owe, because we owed a debt that we could not pay. Salvation is receiving, not giving. We are sinners and Jesus is the Savior. Jesus is precious! We are saved by trusting, not by trying.

And please BEWARE my friend of the horrible heresy of WRONG REPENTANCE that says you must turn away from your sinful ways to be saved, because THAT IS NOT A GIFT! Of course God wants everyone to turn away from sinful behavior, but only because YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN, and not to BECOME A CHRISTIAN. The purpose of God's LAW is to give men the KNOWLEDGE OF SIN, to bring us to Christ (the Gospel of GRACE).

Unbelief is the only sin which can keep a sinner out of Heaven. But remember, faith is not the absence of doubt, but the presence of trust. Even if you have 99% doubt, it is nothing less than 100% faith if you call upon the name of the Lord (Romans 10:13). To "call" means to place your complete confidence in the Lord's death on the cross, burial and resurrection to be saved. We are saved by completely resting in the Good News (i.e., Gospel) of Jesus Christ.

Just take God at His word and claim His salvation by faith. Believe, and you will be saved. No church, no lodge, no good works can save you. Remember, God does the saving. All of it!

Trusting Jesus is meaningless without the cross. You must believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins. 1st Corinthians 15:1-4 teaches that the Gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

God's simple plan of salvation is: You are a sinner. Therefore, unless you believe on Jesus Who died in your place, you will spend eternity in Hell. If you believe on Him as your crucified, buried, and risen Savior, you receive forgiveness for all of your sins and His gift of eternal salvation by faith.

You say, "Surely, it cannot be that simple!" Yes, that simple. It is scriptural, it is God's plan. My friend, believe on Jesus and receive Him as Savior today.

If you've never been saved, then now is the time to believe upon the name of Jesus, the Christ, that your sins will be blotted out forever and you can know that your name is written in Heaven. Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith. God will not save anyone who is trying to be saved, He will only save those who are trusting to be saved.

Christ died for your sins. You are a sinner by nature and by choice. Jesus took your sins and charged them to His own record. He went to the cross and paid the penalty for your sins. He says if you're willing to receive Him in faith; He will transfer His payment to your debt, and His righteousness to your sins. He will impute to you His goodness, and impute to His own record your sin; if you in faith will trust Him as your Savior.

Romans 8:34, "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."

Salvation is of the heart (Romans 10:10). If you'd like to pray, simply admit that you are a guilty sinner for breaking God's commandments. Tell Jesus that you believe He died, was buried and rose again. Ask Jesus to forgive your sins and tell Him that you're receiving His sacrifice as payment for your sins. It matters not exactly what you pray, just as long as you realize these two main truths:
The Gospel for One must hear or read to know:
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 King James Version
15 "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:"

You are a guilty sinner in the eyes of a holy God for breaking His commandments! Jesus is the precious Savior who died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and bodily resurrected three days later!

You don't even have to PRAY a prayer to be saved, just BELIEVE in your heart. But if you'd like to accompany your faith with a prayer of confession, you might say something like this...

Dear Jesus, I know that I am a Hell-deserving sinner. I believe You are the only begotten Son of God, the Savior, who shed your blood to pay for my sins. I believe the Good News (Gospel) that You DIED on the cross to pay for my sins, and that You were BURIED, and You bodily RAISED UP three days later for my justification. That is all I am trusting in to get me to Heaven. I accept your free gift of forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Thank you Jesus! Amen.

That's it my friend. If you BELIEVE the Gospel, then you are saved. Did you know that you don't have to "ask" Jesus to forgive your sins? That is 100% correct! Jesus has already paid for everyone's sins with His precious blood. That's why eternal life is called a "free gift" in Romans 5:15. Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." God has already PROMISED to save anyone who BELIEVES! 1st John 2:25, "And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life."

Salvation is NOT a prayer, although you may prayer a sinner's prayer to express your heart's faith in Jesus. We are saved by HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, i.e., the righteousness of Jesus Christ which is charged to our account at the time of salvation. This is the IMPUTED righteousness of Jesus Christ... "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." We are saved by God's grace through faith in Christ Jesus, because of the blood that He sacrificed for our sins. Our part is only to believe.

Salvation is not a matter of praying some special words. The publican merely cried out, "God be merciful to me a sinner." The thief on the cross simply asked Jesus to "remember" him, and Jesus most certainly did. It was their faith in Christ and not their words, that brought salvation. Both men acknowledged their guilt of sin and turned to Jesus Christ for forgiveness. There is nothing "magic" about the words you pray, it is your faith (trust) upon the Gospel of Jesus Christ that brings salvation. It is your faith that causes you to call upon Jesus to forgive your sins and take you to Heaven. God wants to save you more than you could ever want to be saved (2nd Peter 3:9).

Just take God at His word and claim His salvation by faith. Believe, and you will be saved. No church, no lodge, nor any amount of good works can save you. Remember, God does the saving. All of it! Man's part is to believe. God does the saving. Being born-again is a supernatural miracle of God in response to a man's faith in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

God's simple plan of salvation is: You are a sinner. Therefore, unless you believe on Jesus Who died in your place, you will spend eternity in Hell. If you believe on Him as your crucified, buried, and risen Savior, you receive forgiveness for all of your sins and His gift of eternal salvation by faith.

You say, "Surely, it cannot be that simple!" Yes, that simple. It is scriptural, it is God's plan. My friend, believe on Jesus and receive Him as Savior today.

"I'm so tired of churches being satisfied. Somebody needs to fire up for God and realize we don't have much time left. Jesus is coming again. We better charge Hell and we better do something about the fact that people need to be born again."
—Pastor Jeff Owens, from the timeless sermon titled, "Our New Year Plan Glorifying Him."

Salvation is NOT a prayer, although you may prayer a sinner's prayer to express your heart's faith in Jesus. We are saved by HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, i.e., the righteousness of Jesus Christ which is charged to our account at the time of salvation. This is the IMPUTED righteousness of Jesus Christ... "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." We are saved by God's grace through faith in Christ Jesus, because of the blood that He sacrificed for our sins. Our part is only to believe.

Salvation is very simple—we are sinners and Jesus is the Savior. Christ died, was buried and rose from the dead. Anyone who believes on the name of Jesus for salvation becomes a part of God's family (Romans 10:13; Galatians 3:26). Eternal life is a free gift—freely given and freely received. Salvation is receiving; not giving. Our part is to acknowledge our guilt of sin and believe the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to be forgiven.

You see friend, there is no religion involved here, ONLY Jesus. The big issue is that we are all sinners, and that sin MUST be dealt with. The Word of God indicts all of us as guilty sinners. Only through faith in Christ can we be justified, JUST-IF-I'D never sinned. Those who DIE IN THEIR SINS without Christ (John 8:24) will stand trial at The Great White Throne of Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). They will die the Second Death and be cast into the Lake of Fire forever. Those who DIE IN THE LORD (Revelation 14:13) already have eternal life. If you're saved, you're already a citizen of Heaven. Amen!