A New Birth- The Ultimate Do-Over

Accepting that Jesus died for our sins, and inviting Him into our lives is the ultimate do-over! It’s a new birth, and also new beginning, and it’s only possible through Him. Steph Nickel reminds us how even as more mature Christians, we should be actively meditating on what it means to be “born again”.

The Ultimate Do-Over

For the last month we have focused on the events leading up to Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. Today I’d like to begin a series of devotionals focused on the new life we can have in Christ.

John 3:1-3 says,

“Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’”

John 3:1-3

It’s the ultimate do-over.  It doesn’t matter if you’re male or female, rich or poor, young or old. You can have a fresh start if you come to God and ask Him to give you new life in Christ.

Do You Believe?

Do you believe what it says in Romans 3:23, that all have sinned? None of us can earn our way into heaven. In fact, none of us can earn the right to be born again.

Do you believe Jesus Christ took the punishment you deserved when He died on the cross?

Are you willing to surrender your life to Him?

It’s that simple. Simple—but life-changing, for this life and for all eternity.

A New Birth

You may have heard this passage and these questions—or ones like them—so often they’ve become cliché, but the whole concept of being born again is truly mind-boggling. Jesus’ comment confused Nicodemus, an educated man, a Pharisee, a spiritual leader. And if we take the time to prayerfully consider what the Lord said, it will amaze us as well. We may ask ourselves how it’s even possible to be born again.

Even accepting the truth of the Lord’s words requires that God be at work in our lives. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” 

The fact that we can come to saving faith is amazing—and essential. Jesus said we couldn’t see the kingdom of God unless we were born again. Acts 4:12 says,

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

And that name? The name that is above every name, the name Jesus Christ.

Our New Birth Was A Work Of The Holy Spirit 

If you’ve been a Christian for several years, do you take the time to meditate on what it means to be born again and live the life God has called us to live? While Galatians 3:3 is referring to circumcision, I believe it has a wider application. It says,

“Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”

We must remember that our new birth was a work of the Holy Spirit and so is our ongoing life as a maturing Christian.

I’ve allowed myself to become so busy that I don’t regularly set aside quiet time, time to seek God in prayer and meditate on His Word exclusively for the purpose of getting to know Him better, marveling at the rich truths found in the pages of Scripture. That has to change.

New Believers- A Fresh Start 

I’ve spoken today about those who have not yet committed their lives to Christ and those of us who did so quite some time ago. And now for a third group: new believers. If this applies to you, does it excite you to realize you really have been given a fresh start, a do-over as I said earlier?

Unlike our development after physical birth, the changes that come after being born again aren’t about human accomplishments, such as when a child learns to walk or talk. They’re about what God’s Holy Spirit does in and through you. Remember the verse I read earlier, Galatians 3:3? It says,

“Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”

You don’t ever have to go it on your own. God’s Holy Spirit dwells within you to reveal truth, to give you the desire to do what is right, and to enable you to do so, to grow in Christ

A New Birth Is A Beginning

If you’ve never asked God to give you new life in Christ, I urge you dig into God’s Word for yourself. Read one of the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. Ask God to make Himself known to you. Jeremiah 29:13 says,

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

If you don’t have a physical copy of the Scriptures, sites like biblegateway.com are wonderful. As you know, the scripture passages I read are from the English Standard Version. It is one of the many versions on the Bible Gateway site.

Just like physical birth, spiritual birth is a beginning. There is much to learn. We will stand up, take a few steps, and stumble. Even then, God will lift us up and set us on our way again.

Are you born again? We would love to hear from you. Share your comment below or contact us at HopeStreamRadio