"Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God." (AMP John 3:3)
Answered Jesus and said to him, "Most assuredly, I am saying to you, unless a person is born again, that second birth having the same source as the first one, he is not able to see the kingdom of God. John 3:3 (Wuest New Testament)
To be born again simply means being born the second time. Just like Nicodemus who Jesus was talking to here, all of us have been born by our mothers. This is the first birth or what we call physical birth. However, in order to become a member of God's kingdom, we have to be born into it. People don't enter God's kingdom (or country) by simply being a member of a church group or denomination.
Why must we be born the second time? Why can't God just accept us as we are now?
"…Most assuredly, I am saying to you, unless a person is born again (anew, from above), that second birth having the same source as the first one, he is not able to see (he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God…" (WUEST, AMP)
What does "…that second birth having the same source as the first one…" mean? It means we must be born again a second time just as we were born or made originally – in God's image.
“Then God said, ‘Let us make a man (someone like ourselves), to be the master of all life upon the earth and in the skies and in the seas.’ So God made man like his Maker. Like God did God make man; Man and maid did he make them.” Gen 1:26-27 (TLB)
Man was made exactly like God his father but when Adam and Eve sinned, mankind lost the nature of God and in its place, a lower, sinful nature; the nature we were all born with when our mothers gave birth to us became man's nature. (Please see Psalm 51: 5)
“Here is a list of the descendants of Adam – the man who was like God from the day of his creation. Adam was 130 years old when his son Seth was born, the very image of his father in every way.” Gen 5:1, 3 ( TLB)
We need to realise that before Adam gave birth to Seth , he and his wife had fallen into sin and had been driven from the garden of Eden. Seth had two elder brothers (Cain and Abel) who were also born with the Adamic, sinful nature.
Furthermore, we can authoritatively state that the sinful image of Adam is not the ORIGINAL image (or nature) of man – for man was not created in the image of Adam but in the image of God. The sinful image many of us now have must be shed off…we must take up a new nature – our original nature.
We must be born again.
“And just as we have borne the image (of the man) of dust, so shall we and so let us also bear the image (of the man) of heaven.” 1Cor.15:49 (AMP)
Also, as long as we refuse to bear the image or nature of the man from heaven (Christ), we should give up every hope of ever being able to please God because, those who have the sinful, Adamic nature, dominated by Satan, sin and the world system can never please God – even if they want to.
“That's why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.” Rom.8:8 (NLT)
“Thus, those who identify with their old nature cannot please God.” (CJB)
That is why Jesus Christ came…that we may be able to accept him and become born again! When we accept the sacrifice of Jesus for us on the cross of Calvary, we become born again and are restored back to what we use to be…we regain the nature of God that humanity lost due to the fall of Adam.
With this nature, we are far above demonic oppressions, satanic control, diseases, poverty, depression and whatever else you can name or think of! Simply put, with the nature of God, anything that cannot overpower God cannot overpower us!
Dear reader, are you really born again?
