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THE
BIBLE
Can we trust a book written 2000 years ago?
EYEWITNESS
Did the writers of the New Testament get their picture of Jesus right?
GOD
- MAN
Is Jesus really God?
RESURRECTION
Did Jesus really rise from the dead?
RELIGIONS
With so many religions, why Christianity?
SUFFERING
If there is a God, why is there so much suffering?
TRINITY
Understanding the Trinity.
SCIENCE
The complementary nature of Science & Christianity.
FORGIVENESS
What it is and why it matters?
GUIDANCE
How does God guide?
REPENTANCE
What it is and why you can't get to heaven without it.
BORN
AGAIN
What does it mean to be converted and born again?
SAVING
FAITH
The kind of faith that will get you to heaven
ASSURANCE
Can I know for sure that I am going to heaven?
TRUTH
What is truth and does it matter?
MORALITY
Does it matter how we live? A Christian view of morality.
THE
CHURCH
God's vision for his family, the Church. A call to the churches of the
new millennium.
PURPOSE
How
can I find a great purpose for living?
IDENTITY
Who am I; Finding my true identity as a human being and as a child of
God.
SELF-ESTEEM
How
can I feel good about my self? The Christian basis for proper sel-esteem.
LIFE AFTER DEATHChristianity's Hope & Challenge.
THE CROSS
Why did Jesus Die? What the Bible says about the Cross.
Grace
The importance of grace in the New Testament.
The necessity of being born again
You will notice that in his discussion with Nicodemus, Jesus stressed the fact that if we would "enter" or "see" God's kingdom, we could only do it through experiencing this new spiritual birth. This is not a popular view, as it goes against man's natural pride. We would prefer to do something for God rather than receive something from God. However, the Bible is clear that we can do nothing to earn a place in God's kingdom. It is totally undeserved.
The story is told of a man in gaol condemned to die. The day before he was due to be executed, the governor handed him a pardon from the Queen. "You are free," he declared. Opening his prison clothes and exposing his chest, he replied, "Look, I have got cancer. It will take me away in a few days or weeks at the most. If the Queen could take away my cancer as well as give me a pardon, then I would cheer up. I need both." You and I are under the sentence of condemnation, as we have all broken God's laws. "There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). We are also suffering from a fatal disease with a nature that is infected by sin: "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). There is only one cure. God offers both forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit - a rebirth into his family.
The evangelist D. L. Moody, who had a very effective ministry both in Britain and in the United States, on one occasion addressed a group of church workers. After the meeting he was confronted by an angry woman who said, "Mr. Moody, do you mean to tell me that I, an educated woman, taught from childhood in good ways and all my life interested in the church and doing good, must enter heaven the same way as the worst criminal of our day?" "No, madam," said Moody. "I don't. God does. He says everyone who would enter heaven, no matter how good they think they are, or how well educated, or zealous in good works, must be born again."
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"You
need Jesus Christ because you were born without the life of God"
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Tom Skinner, converted gang leader, in his book Words of Revolution, put it like this:
You don't need Jesus Christ because you are a drunkard. You don't need Jesus Christ because you take drugs. You don't need Jesus Christ because you lie. You don't need Jesus Christ because you cheat on your income tax. No. You don't need Jesus Christ because you do bad things...Whether you have done any of these things is irrelevant. You need Jesus Christ because you were born without the life of God. That makes you a sinner. You don't have God's life in you.
Of course, the idea that we are sinners, separated from God, and needing reconciliation to him is in marked contradiction to the Hindu, Buddhist and New Age ideas that we are all part of "God" and that all we need is to become more fully aware of that. The Bible diagnoses our position as being somewhat worse than that and beyond our own capabilities of doing anything about. However, this offer of spiritual life is available to all who want to be part of God's family through what Jesus has done on our behalf.
A delightful story comes from Billy Graham's Crusade in Ohio in 1977. A doctor, who was trained as one of the counsellors, spoke to a 12-year-old boy who invited Jesus into his life at the end of the meeting. The boy's name sounded familiar to him, and when his mother came over, he knew why. He had brought the lad into the world 12 years before. The smiling doctor said, "God has allowed me to be present at both births." Jesus said, "You must be born again" (John 3:7).
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What does it mean to be converted and born again
The necessity of being born again?
Popular substitutes for spiritual rebirth
The results of being born again
