Being born again

Dear editor:

During my military tour in beautiful Thailand, I often took a bus on the weekends to Bangkok. One day, while waiting for my ride, I saw a miserable-looking dog with no hair, festering sores on its body and suffering on its face. I asked one of my buddies why someone didn’t put the poor animal out of its misery. He said the Thai people believed that creatures in this condition were considered to have been terribly wicked, and when they died they were reincarnated back into this life as an animal or another person to suffer the consequences for their evil ways. This was their hell and no one was allowed to help them in their second life, nor to touch them for fear of contamination.

There are many other religions in the world which teach that the afterlife is one of reincarnation and is believed by some scholars to have been based on John 3, when Nicodemus, the Pharisee, told Jesus of his belief that He had been sent by God. Jesus seemingly ignored his inquiry and confronted the priest about his relationship with God: “Except a (person) be born again, (they) cannot see the kingdom of God” (v. 3).

Like many people today, Nicodemus thought in physical terms when he asked if was possible to re-enter his mother’s womb. But Jesus was speaking in spiritual terms. Being “born again” simply means that a person has to change the condition of his/her heart of rebelling against God (Acts 20:21b), receiving Jesus as Savior (Romans 10:9, 13), and living by His commandments. God considers those who refuse to change their hearts to be spiritually dead and are separated “from the life of God” (Ephesians 2:1; 4:18).

But hope abounds! Jesus came into the world to bring everyone a “born again” status of a new abundant life (John 10:10). God loved us so much that He allowed His Son to take our sins onto Himself and shed His blood on a cross (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). Jesus broke the power of death when He rose up out of the grave.

Today you can be born again and begin a new life in Christ Jesus. He said, “Those that hear My word and believes in Him that sent Me, has eternal life, and will never be condemned, but will be exempt from the second death and have everlasting life” (John 5:24; Revelation 21:8).

Have you been born again?