(…continues from part 1…)

2)            What does it say in John 3:3? “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” What is this doubly uttered ‘verily’? It is amēn (am-ane’) in the Greek, meaning: ‘(properly) firm, that is, (figuratively) trustworthy; adverbially surely (often as interjection so be it)’. Know of certainty that ‘born again’ come from the Greek gennaō (ghen-nah’-o) anōthen (an’-o-then). Gennaō is procreation – spiritually. And what is anōthen? It is ‘from above; by analogy from the first; by implication anew.’ The adverbial ‘Verily’ means ‘truly’. Who is the Truth? Jesus. Who is the Amen? Is it not the same Jesus of today, yesterday and forever? The veridicality of John 3:3 begins with the double Amen! If it is firmly established that the death, resurrection, ascension and His session of Jesus Christ is for the rebirth of the lost souls who assemble in Church to worship God the true Saviour, then it suffices to agree that Christianity is the only way to eternal salvation.

                Why ‘born again’? “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The Adamic original sin did engender the facticity of Psalm 51:5 “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” The natural birth of humanity is fraught with wickedness. The day I came to the understanding of Psalm 51:5, with shock I realized that without making the sound of a syllable, I already have my dwelling in sinfulness, even from my innocent period of foetal existence! Nicodemus, to whom Jesus made this salvific verse known, was a religious leader of the Pharisee sect of Judaism. The way to salvation of the soul cannot be traced to any religious affiliation.

Jesus hosts Nicodemus in John chapter 3

                Being a born again Christian is the path that heads straight to the new and the living way established by Jesus Christ when He said, “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28). Nicodemus went to meet with the very Foundation and the Head of the Church, the pillar and the ground of truth, where Christianity is practised. The new birth is actually midwifed by the Holy Spirit, God from above. ‘Except’ and ‘cannot’ are two strong negating terms showing the impossibility of salvation without going through Christianity founded by Jesus.

                Encapsulating the entire Bible is John 3:16 “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.” Salvation to all mankind through Jesus, whose atoning blood erases the sin that herds unbelievers into hell, is what John 3 verse 16 makes known to all. Where is this taught? The Christian Church. The eighteenth verse reads, “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.” You either come to Jesus and be saved, or go elsewhere which seems right in the sin contaminated perception of humanity and perish forever. Christianity awaits all and sundry; “Come unto me all that labour and are heavy laden,” Jesus calls out, and concludes with the most reassuring, “and I will give you rest.”

                How does one get born again, you may ask? Romans 10:8-10 is the text for the salvific prayer formula: 8) “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Who carry out the evangelism of the soteriology? Christians. The word ‘confess’ of the ninth verse is homologeō (hom-ol-og-eh’-o): ‘to say the same thing as another, i.e. to agree with, assent.’ What are you expected to confess? The Lordship of Jesus Christ over your life; that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; believing that Jesus died for your sin; believing that Jesus rose from the dead; and from your heart, believe these things as you say them. Say the prayer truthfully and the Holy Spirit enters your heart to vacate it no more. You have become God’s child and that is forever. Amen!

                Getting born again is a conscious effort on the part of an individual. Get born again. Say this sinner’s prayer.

“Dear heavenly Father, I come to You now in the name of Jesus Christ. I believe in my heart that Jesus is the Son of God. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sin. I believe that You raised Him from the dead. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and I receive Him now as my Lord and my Saviour. I give God all the glory. Amen!” 

(…to be continued…)

Read part one here

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