The question is not, “Are you a member of a church?” or “Have you been baptized?”. The question is, Have You Been Born Again? There’s a vast difference between being born again and having membership in a church, or having been baptized. Church membership does not make one a Christian any more than working in a garage makes one a vehicle, and baptism has no saving merit whatsoever. Just as a physical birth was necessary for you to come into this world, so, too, a spiritual birth is required for you to go to Heaven. That’s what being “born-again” means - to have experienced a spiritual birth. According to God’s Word, the Bible, before anyone can go to Heaven he or she must be born-again, “...Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (Jn. 3:3). Those who are not born-again do not go to Heaven when they die - they go to the place the Bible calls hell. There are no “second chances,” and the place called purgatory is not taught in the Word of God - it’s a man-made doctrine. Being born-again, or the spiritual birth is also referred to as “salvation,” or having been “saved.” In plain language it means to have repented of sin and accepted Jesus Christ as personal Saviour. I cannot repent for your sins, nor you for mine - we all must accept personal responsibility for our own personal actions. I have repented of my sin and, by faith alone in the shed blood of Jesus Christ, have received Him as my personal Saviour. But the question is, have you done this? No! Well, listen friend, here’s the bottom line. In order for you to have the forgiveness of sin, eternal life in Jesus Christ, and to go to Heaven, you MUST be born-again. You are a sinner (Ro. 3:23) unable to pay your own sin debt. God loves you so much (Jn. 3:16) that while you were still a sinner (Ro. 5:8) Jesus Christ, Who is God (Jn. 20:26-28) paid your sin debt for you by the shedding of His blood and death on the Cross of Calvary (I Pe. 2:24; 1:19; Heb. 9:26). By the power of God, Jesus Christ bodily rose from the grave three days later (Acts 2:32; 10:39-41) and, as you read these lines, He is in Heaven (Heb. 10:12). God said it, that settles it - will you now believe it? If you will admit to God that you are a sinner for whom Christ died, and receive Him as Saviour, then the Bible promises that you will be forgiven and saved for all eternity, “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (I Jn. 5:11,13). Once a person receives Jesus Christ as Saviour, they then have the responsibility to live in such a manner as to bring honour and glory to the risen Saviour (I Co. 6:19-20). That’s why it’s important for Christians to regularly attend an independent, fundamental, Bible-believing and Bible-preaching church - that they may consistently sit under the ministry of God’s Word and grow spiritually. Well, friend, that’s it in a nutshell. Now allow me to ask you one more time - have you been born-again? If not, will you, right now, receive Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour?
- Richard A. Ciarrocca© 2006
| Order now: |
All Scripture references are from the KJV 1611
Pilgrim Fundamental Baptist Press, Inc.
P.O. Box 1832, Elkton, Maryland 21922
FOR FREE DISTRIBUTION ONLY
