We Need a Spiritual Birth

"That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6).

All of us have had a natural birth. Just as we were born after the flesh, so we live after the flesh. We do all the things people naturally do. We serve all our natural desires and resist anything that interferes with our desires or plans. We are self-serving and seek to control our own world. Some people try to do this in a respectable manner and others simply blow it. The Scripture says, "If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die" (Rom. 8:13).

People instinctively know that living after the flesh will bring bad results. So people try to find something to satisfy the real inner self—to find some security. That in effect becomes their religion. It may be some corruption of Christianity, some false religion, drugs, money, fame, etc. Everyone is seeking something—something to satisfy the soul. God has provided that something in Jesus Christ. Consequently we are confronted with a choice. We can just keep on living the way we always did or we can choose to receive Christ. It is not a simple choice because we are married to the flesh from the day of our birth. We are stuck and unable to change our situation.

In John 3 Jesus explained it to Nicodemus this way, "You must be born again." We cannot fix the problem ourselves. We need to start over with a spiritual birth. But we cannot cause ourselves to be born spiritually. But, we can open the way for a spiritual birth. We can repent! What does that mean? It means we must reject our sinful ways because they are evil. We must give up our self-life and self seeking and open our hearts to the Spirit of God. It begins by believing in Jesus Christ as God's provision for our salvation. God gives His Spirit to every seeking soul who sincerely repents and invites His spirit into their hearts (Acts 2:38). Being born of the Spirit, we must walk according the Spirit and be citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus said, "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again" (John 3:7).

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God" (John 3:14-21).

It is truly amazing to me that God would send His Son into the world to make it possible for you and me to be saved from corruption and be adopted into His family as sons and daughters. He offered His Son on Calvary as a sacrifice so we could be redeemed from sin. His gift of eternal life is for everyone who will repent and receive Him. Whoever rejects His gracious offer is under His wrath and rightly deserving eternal punishment.

—Silas Martin