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Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” (John 3:3) Born Once We came into this world when our mother physically gave birth to us. This physical birth is what Jesus called being born of water in John 3:5 and flesh giving birth to flesh in John 3:6. It was our first birth. Although we were born to earthly parents, we belonged to God in the sense that if our physical life ended for some reason, our soul and spirit, the eternal parts of us, would go to be with Him. We had what the Bible calls eternal life. We continued to enjoy this position with God until we reached a state of intellectual maturity sufficient to understand the sinful nature of our behavior. Throughout our young life we had committed various sins, but since we were unable to comprehend the nature of sin, God did not hold us accountable for them. In referring to sins, I’m not talking about being disobedient to our parents, although some acts of disobedience are also sins. I’m talking about violations of God’s laws. Until we became intellectually mature enough to understand that violations of God’s laws are sins that carry eternal consequences, God did not hold us accountable for these violations, because to do so would be unjust. (We have similar provisions in human law where young children are not held to the same standards of accountability as adults are in matters of the law.) Once we were capable of understanding the sin issue, God began holding us accountable for our sins. At that point we no longer belonged to Him and no longer had eternal life. Our sins had separated us from Him. We see this transition, and its consequences, in Romans 7:9 where Paul wrote, “Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.” Obviously, Paul was still physically alive at the time. By saying, “Once I was alive apart from the law” he was referring to the eternal life he had before he became accountable for his sins. During that time, he was apart from, or outside, the Law and exempt from its provisions. The phrase “When the commandment came, sin sprang to life, and I died” means that as soon as Paul became old enough to be accountable for his sins he was immediately scheduled for death, death being the wages of sin (Romans 6:23). Paul knew that although he was born with eternal life, he was not born immortal, so he would eventually experience physical death just like everyone else. Therefore, he was talking about losing his claim to eternal life. The Greek word for “sprang to life” indicates Paul’s sin nature had always been there, but for accountability purposes it’s as if it was dormant while he was a child. As soon as he came of age, it was revived, and when that happened everything changed for him. The Bible does not give any exact age at which a child becomes accountable. Among the Jewish people this age has been established by tradition as being 12 for girls and 13 for boys. But the point of this study is not to determine at what age we become accountable for our sins. Rather, it’s to confirm that we began life as a child of God with the assurance of eternal life, and to show how we can qualify for that assurance again as adults. Born Again Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3). There are two important points here. The first is the confirmation that if they die, little children will enter the kingdom of heaven because they don’t have to change to do so. And the second is that we must change and become like them in order to enter ourselves. Remember, all children are born with eternal life and their sins are not counted against them. Therefore, as adults we have to somehow regain that same status we had as little children. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God (John 1:12-13) God gives each one who believes in what Jesus did for us and receives Him into his or her life, the right (power, authority, permission) to become a child of God just like we were when we were born. Here’s how it happens. But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. (Galatians 4:4-7) Both this passage and Romans 8:15-17 convey the idea that adoption into the family of God is truly the most important event of our lives. God sent His son to die for our sins so we could receive the right of adoption into His family. According to John 1:12-13 belief in Jesus gives us the authority to claim this right and when we do God adopts us as His children and we become heirs to his estate. At that time, the penalty for all our sins is transferred to Jesus (Isaiah 53:5) and we’re no longer responsible for them. That’s what it means to be born again as a child of God and have eternal life. According to 2 Cor. 5:17 we actually become a new creation from God’s perspective. The old has gone and the new has come. This is our second birth, what Jesus called being born again in John 3:3 and the Spirit giving birth to spirit in John 3:6. Like the little children we once were, we still sin. And like them, God does not hold us accountable for our sins. But this time, it’s not because we don’t understand the sin issue, it’s because the penalties for all the sins of our life have been transferred to Jesus. They were nailed to the cross with Him, and when He died we were forgiven for every one of them (Colossians 2:13-14). Now, just like the children we once were, God doesn’t hold us accountable for our sins but attributes them to the sin nature that lives within us. Here’s how Paul described it. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. (Romans 7:15-20). Like He does with little children, God has separated the sins from the born again believer and no longer counts them against us. Are You Born Again? The phrase “born again” has picked up a lot of baggage over the years, to the point where some more “sophisticated” Christians don’t even like to use it. And the liberal denominations that follow reformed theology don’t even recognize the need to be born again. They teach that since you didn’t choose God but He chose you, there’s no need to be born again. All you have to do is become an official member of one of their denominations to receive your salvation. This is by far the cruelest falsehood of reformed theology because it has resulted in millions of sincere people attending church every Sunday, believing that God chose them and actually obtained salvation for them, not knowing that they aren’t saved and never will be unless they undertake a personal effort to find the Lord and be saved apart from their denomination’s teaching. But the Bible is very clear on two points. The first is, we must be born again to enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:3). And the second is, we become born again by believing, 1) that we are sinners in need of a savior, 2) that Jesus came to die for our sins, and 3) that He rose again on the third day as proof that His death was sufficient to save us from our sins. Otherwise we have believed in vain (1 Cor. 15:1-4). By becoming born again we have become like little children in God’s sight and are therefore qualified, just like they are, to enter His Kingdom and enjoy eternal life with Him. Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed are they whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit (Psalm 32:1-2). Used with permission. GraceThruFaith

I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. (Isaiah 46:10) Here’s a question I’m often asked and it’s a good one. If we believe the Rapture will take us away before all the End Times events occur, then why do we need to study prophecy? There are several good answers to this question. One of the clearest comes from the Olivet Discourse, specifically Matthew 24:15-16. “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel–let the reader understand– then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” Even though the Lord was speaking primarily to Israel here, He directed everyone who reads Matthew’s gospel to understand Daniel 9:24-27, a prophecy given to Israel, and the key to understanding End Times prophecy. Another good reason is that Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians are chock full of End Times prophecy. Every chapter of both letters contains a reference to the 2nd Coming for an average of one every 13 verses. Paul went to such lengths even though it’s pretty clear he had taught them that the rapture would take place before the anti-Christ is revealed. If the Bible really is the inspired Word of God, why did He have Paul describe events on Earth after the rapture if He didn’t think we needed to know them? And then there’s the Book of Revelation. John shows the Rapture occurring in chapter 4 but then goes on for another 15 chapters, mostly describing conditions on Earth, before re-introducing the Church in Rev. 19. Same question. Why describe events on Earth after the rapture if He didn’t think we needed to know them? Some say it’s so those left behind at the Rapture can read Revelation and the Thessalonian letters and find out what’s going on to help them endure the End Times. That may be OK for the middle of Revelation, but John’s book begins and ends with the Church in view, and the Thessalonian letters were written specifically to the Church. For some reason, we’re supposed to know how End Times events unfold. And Here’s The Best One And that leads me to what I think is the biggest reason. For that we’ll go first to Isaiah 44:6-8. This is what the LORD says- Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: “I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come- yes, let him foretell what will come. Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.” Here is the two-part test for anyone who would be God. Part one: Accurately recall every event of the past. Part two: Accurately predict every event of the future. Of all the so-called holy writings, only the Bible answers this challenge. Other “gods” require that you take them at face value, offering neither evidence of their existence, nor proof of their trustworthiness. But ours says, “I’ll prove that I’m real and that you should trust me.” He tells us our past (sometimes as personally as Jesus did with the woman at the well in John 4:17-18) and gives us detail about the future that only someone who has already seen it can know. “I make known the end from the beginning,” He proclaims, “From ancient times, what is still to come.” (Isaiah 46:10) He’s chosen this way to authenticate Himself to us because He’s the only One who can do it and be right every time. This is so we need never be in the position of having zeal without knowledge, (Prov. 19:2) believing passionately but unable to defend our position. When we share the Gospel with someone, and they respond with, “That’s just something you believe,” it’s good to be able to justify our beliefs with a summary of God’s 4000-year track record for truth-telling (the Old Testament) and to explain that someone who’s been that truthful about the past is likely to also be truthful about the future (the New Testament). Some Personal Experience When I was a kid in upstate New York, nearly every family went to church on Sunday and ours was no different. We belonged to one of the main line denominational congregations in town. With a few lapses here and there, this habit carried me into adulthood and though I lived in several different places, on most Sunday mornings you could find me in the local version of that same denominational church. But then, two important but unrelated pieces of information came to my attention at about the same time. The first was from a man who was one of the most influential public speakers of his time and a life long student of human behavior. We happened to share one evening together and over dinner he asked, “Did you know that if you were to devote just one hour each day to the study of any subject that interests you, within 5 years you could be one of the world’s leading experts on that subject?” I was amazed at the possibility that one could become a world leading expert in only five years no matter how many hours a day it took. The other piece of information came in the form of 3 cassette tapes that were given to me by a friend. It was a series on Bible Prophecy, a compilation of research done over the years by various scholars. Its purpose was to demonstrate that through out the 4,000 years of the Old Testament God had maintained a perfect record of predicting the future to Israel. No matter what set of standards you apply, statistical analysis, rules of evidence, forensic science or whatever, you’ll find that this could not have happened by chance. It could only have been done by someone who can see the end from the beginning, an ability unique to God. I decided to apply the action step from the first piece of information to the subject matter of the second. Over the next several years I spent hours every day learning all I could about Bible Prophecy. In addition to studying the Bible, I read every view by nearly every respected scholar before forming my own opinion that the pre-trib, pre-millennial, dispensational view is the one most consistent with a strict literal, historical, grammatical interpretation of Scripture. If What You Believe Doesn’t Result In Action … Even though I’ve spent a lot more than one hour a day for a lot longer than 5 years, I don’t claim to be a leading expert on prophecy. But as I studied, the logic of God’s claim from Isaiah 44:6-8 became indisputable. The history of Israel is replete with events first predicted and then performed with faultless accuracy. And when it came to the Messiah, over 300 specific prophecies, given over a span of several thousand years, were fulfilled in detail within one generation, the one in which He lived. And so after nearly 40 years of sitting in church most every Sunday, I finally opened my Bible and became born again. I also became convinced that through the study of prophecy God can prove Himself to any reasonable person beyond a shadow of doubt. That’s when I began teaching what I was learning. No rush of emotion for me, no gushing of tears while I stumbled blindly down the sawdust trail as a choir sang “Just as I am,” but a dead certainty that God has to be Who He says He is, He has to have done what He said He did, and the Bible has to be His inerrant Word. I called it a rush of logic, but the certainty I felt drove me every bit as humbly to the foot of the cross as a teary eyed confession would have, and yet it gave me a staying power that’s often missing in more emotional conversions. I knew what I believed and why I believed it and could explain it clearly to anyone who cared to listen. As often happens to people who undertake a serious study of prophecy, I concluded that if the 25-30% of the Bible that’s prophecy can be trusted then the rest of it can be trusted as well, so I began studying it too. I discovered that God made a whole bunch of promises to us, such as His promises to see us through the tough times we can now see coming, and to take us to be with Him before He judges the world. These promises have more meaning because they’re backed up by His proven track record in prophecy. If you’re not every bit as certain as I am about God, then try a study in prophecy. I bet it will galvanize you into action just as it did me, especially as you begin to understand how little time is left. And even if you’re already sure you know who God is, you still have a great reason to study prophecy. But it’s not just so you’ll be better informed about what’s coming. It’s so you’ll feel the urgency to tell your friends about it while there’s still time. Because if you listen carefully, you can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. 08-01-09 Reference.