You Must Be Born Again

"Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3

This verse could be somewhat controversial if you think about it. Let's look at what it's saying. What it says to me is that to see the kingdom of God, you must be born again. Notice what it doesn't say: To "enter" the kingdom of God, you must be born again." Why doesn't Jesus say that? Because, I believe, that is not Jesus' point. Jesus is trying to talk about going to Heaven. The kingdom of God is about salvation.

So what is He saying? I believe that He is saying that to even see the kingdom of God, to desire the kingdom of God, you must first be born again. This runs contrary to what most people believe nowadays. Most people say that first you must be saved and desire God and THEN you are born again. They say that salvation brings the new birth. That's not what this verse is saying, though. This verse is saying that the new birth brings a desire for God, which leads to salvation.

Who causes this new birth? Does our faith? It would appear not, as we don't have faith until we are born again. Does our choice? Once again, it would appear not, as we don't even want to choose God until the new birth. The Spirit of God causes this new birth. So what does this mean? This means that unless you are the elect, and unless God regenerates you with the Holy Spirit, you cannot even SEE what is desirable about God. This is the miracle of election and regeneration.

What a precious truth. I urge you to ponder this amazing election, and praise God for His mighty power.