Are You Born Again?
NKJV John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Many churches today teach that faith alone is all that is required for salvation, but this lie is contrary to the teachings of Christ, as well as the Apostles. Saying a prayer alone does not save a person's soul but surrendering all to the Lord will. Christ said that unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. To be born again is to become a new creation in Christ and that starts with repentance. Repentance is confessing your sins to God and then turning away from them in order to allow the Holy Spirit to begin his work of sanctification (to be set apart from the sinful world). With God all things are possible and if we will truly make him Lord over our lives then we will reflect his attributes, rather than the worlds. The carnal nature of the world will lead to spiritual death but obedience to Christ will lead to eternal life. Christ said that if you love me you will keep my commandments, to live in habitual sin is to deny Christ. We live in a fallen world and no one is perfect by any means, but when we sin we must repent and turn away from the sins and bear good fruit (Galatians 5). Christ said that any tree which does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. The Lord is willing to forgive us of all of our sins, no matter how big they are, if we will repent of them. The Lord is very patient, as well as merciful with each of us, he gives us time to grow in our Christian walk. We enter the Kingdom of God as a baby, we learn to walk by taking baby steps at first, we also start off on milk, then eventually we mature to strong meat. But, if there is no evidence of a transformed life, and a person continues to live, dress, talk and act like the sinful world then you are on the broad road that leads to destruction. This may sound harsh to some, but it is what God's Word teaches.
God's Word teaches that without holiness no man shall see the Father. We are called to be a holy, righteous, set apart (sanctified) people. The work of the Holy Spirit is to purify or sanctify us, and this is a lifelong process that begins when we are born again. When we sin, we have an advocate (attorney) to the Father and he is Jesus Christ. Christ's atonement upon the cross wiped out all of our sins when we repented of them at our conversion, he paid our debt in full. But God's Word also teaches that we are not to continue in sin, but we are to become a new creation in Christ. Habitual sins, like pornography or alcoholism, are known as spiritual bondages and they will lead to spiritual death, unless a person repents and turns from them. Christ's blood is applied to sins that we repent of, or commit in ignorance, but it is not automatic. Christ said multiple times, that those who endure unto the end shall be saved. The Apostle Paul also said that even he, after preaching to others, could be disqualified from the race if he doesn't keep his flesh in subjection. In other words, if Paul did not endure unto the end and cross the finish line, he could lose his salvation. 1 Cor 9:24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
Below is a list of scriptures on repentance.
2 Cor 7:9 Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. 2 Cor 7:10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
Matt 3:8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Matt 9:13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
Mark 2:17 When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
Luke 15:7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
Luke 24:47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Acts 11:18 When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”
Acts 20:21 testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 26:20 but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.
Romans 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
2 peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
1 Timothy 6: 11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
Romans 10: 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
1 John 1: 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
