What Does The Bible Mean, To Be Born Again?

John 1: 12-13 WHAT DOES THE BIBLE MEAN, TO BE BORN AGAIN? 1-3-09

I believe this is the appropriate message to start the New Year out with, becoming a new creature in Christ Jesus.

Listen as I read today’s text found in JOHN 1:12-13

12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

We might be surprised if we really knew how many people there are that really don’t understand, what being “born again” really means, and what being “saved” really consists of.

Today Lord willing I’m going to talk for a little while on what “being born again and being saved” means according to the Word of God, not according to any denominational doctrine, we need to understand right off that being a Baptist, or any other denomination you care to name has nothing to do with our [salvation].

On my mother’s side of the family are people of the “holiness denomination” I’m really not sure about my Dads side of the family back in those day’s.

I remember going to church one Sunday with my Grand Pa Wright, my mothers Dad, I remember going forward and doing, as for as I could understand, what the Preacher told me to do; I was only a young boy about the age of 7 or 8.

When I left there that morning I was of the opinion that I was saved, I knew absolutely nothing about the Bible, in fact I didn’t know what book “John 3:16” was in until I was 40 years old.

That was when I started going to Church and began to learn what the Bible taught about various subjects, my wife and I attended the Pendleton Street Baptist Church of Easley S.C., where she was already a member, we begin going the 1st Sunday after our son’s funeral, I remember Preacher Burrell Hendrix preached that morning, I don’t recall the text, I knew nothing about the Bible.

But I will never forget the drawing power of the Holy Ghost, I felt the strong, strong urge that I needed to go to the Altar, so I went, I remember Preacher Hendrix telling me to TALK TO God in my own words, I remember asking God to forgive me of my sins and help me to be a better Christian, I didn’t know how to pray, and I didn’t know what to say, I made things right with God that morning, it so happened that there were people there that were to be Baptist there that night, so I was Baptized that same night, I didn’t really understand what it meant at that time, but I knew it was the right thing to do, I was eager and wanted to do right.

I was a Babe in Christ, I had to be fed as the Word says in 1 Peter 2: 2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

As a Babe in Christ I didn’t know how to walk, the walk, or talk the talk, but I had taken the 1st couple of steps in the right direction.

But you know what, there are people that have attended Church most of their lives and still are only Babes in Christ, they have been faithful to attendance, but really have not been fed the Word as they should have been, and they have been in that situation so long that that have the mind set that that is the way it is as for as Church goes.

I’ve not said all that to make you doubt your salvation, but if you do wonder about wither your saved are not, that is a real good reason to make your calling and election sure.

Don’t take chances on where you’re going after you die, it’ll be too late then to make things right with God.

I heard a dear Christian lady say one time, that she didn’t believe any body could no for sure that they were saved until after they died, and this dear lady has been saved a long time, but she has been under such teaching and preaching like this so long that she wonders about what eternal life means and what being “born again” means.

I venture to say that there are multitudes of Church goers that are not really saved, they have never been born again, many think that because they have gone to Church the biggest part of their lives that they surely must be saved.

But we need to realize that it’s not what we think about it, or how we may feel about it, but what counts is what Gods Word says about it.