The New Birth

The greatest sermon that Jesus ever preached was to one man. In John 3:3, Jesus told a religious leader named Nicodemus, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." When Nicodemus came to Jesus, he in effect, represented the whole human race, and the questions that he asked is one that has dwelt in the minds of men since the beginning of time - the question of eternal life.

Here are some things that being "born again" are not:

1. It is not making a new resolution or "turning over a new leaf ". All of us have no doubt made resolutions to do better, perhaps during a time of illness or in some crisis, but this will not last. It is not the new birth.

2. It is not sorrow for sin. A criminal once called me to pray for him that he would not be sent to prison. He was sorry for his sin, and especially sorry that he had been caught. Many a man has come home after a night of sin, wishing that he was clean again. Many drunkards have cried over their sin, and then gone out to do the same thing again.

3. The new birth is not joining a church. Many people are confused and think that having their name on a church membership roll gives them a ticket to heaven. I am sure that there are many who join the church without being fully aware of the sacredness of what they are doing, for the church is the greatest institution in the world, and yet there is no merit just in joining the church that would save a person from hell, no more than going into a garage makes you a car. No, church membership does not give you eternal life.

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