How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb?

How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb?

BY Argie Simonis     

Before I go any further, I would like to underline some things.

I encourage you to read the message on eternal life.

Most people today believe that God will judge us according to our performance. There are people who were born in a Christian environment, believe in Christian principles in contrast to the principles of other religions.. They are the typical traditional Christians  but they have no personal relationship with God:

"Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me." John 14:6

Just recognizing Jesus is not enough. According to Rom. 10:9 You must accept Him as Lord in your life, otherwise you do nothing more than what the devil has already done:

"You believe that there is one God; you do well: the devils also believe, and tremble." James 2:19

Salvation is received as a gift. It's not an prize you earn or a wage you deserve. It is a gift that is given to us and we receive it by faith:

"For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" Eph. 2:8

In John 3:1 we see Nicodemus coming to Jesus at night. He came at night because he was afraid to come to Him during the day

"... if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue." John 9:22

He was afraid of the Pharisees and the religious system. He was touched by Jesus but was afraid of the cost.

But Jesus said:

"Whoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

But whoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." Μatt. 10:32-33

You must be willing to confess your devotion to Jesus publicly.

In John 3:2 Nicodemus was willing to accept Jesus as a teacher, prophet or saint, but he struggled with the question of whether Jesus was really God.

Later in John 19:39-40 we see that Nicodemus dared with Joseph of Arimathea to ask for the body of Jesus, openly declaring his relationship with Him.

Also in John 7:50-51, when the Jewish council came against Jesus, Nicodemus took a stand in favor of Jesus, defending Him, which shows that Nicodemus really moved on. He has now publicly declared his acceptance and devotion to Jesus and I believe he was born again. But at that moment, he came in the night.

"Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3

We see that if you are not born-again you will not even see the gates of Heaven. You can not have a relationship with God. Jesus spoke of being born from above, but Nicodemus thought he meant natural birth. Jesus therefore said to him,

"Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." John 3:5

I should make some remarks here:

The transformation takes place inside us. Many believe that if they are good people they can have a relationship with God. But they do not understand that you must first change within yourself. You have to be reborn, you become a new person:

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2Cor. 5:17

Christianity is not just a belief system. It is a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ that changes you internally. It transforms you, you become a different person. Many Christians today see themselves as an old sinner and believe that they will change when they go to heaven. Yes, there will be a change then because our corruptible body will become incorruptible:

"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." 1Cor. 15:52-53

My soul and body will become incorruptible, but in my spirit this change has already taken place.

The Christian life is not about trying to change and become better but about making Jesus my Savior. I will change externally because of the change inside me. If you were into drugs, alcohol, gambling,  whether you were a thief or a liar, you will change. This change is the by-product of being born-again. And it works like this: You come to Jesus as you are, you get spiritually born again, and as you renew your mind (Rom. 12:2) this change begins to affect the way you act, the way you speak, the way you dress. These are the "by-products" of salvation! A truly born-again Christian is one who has changed internally.

We become like Jesus (in spirit) when we are born from above:

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." 1John 4:17

"And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." Gal. 4:6

"But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Rom. 8:9

The Bible is not simply talking about having access to God. It literally speaks of the Spirit of God living within you.

It all has to do with relationship. If all you have is a theology but you have never had a personal relationship with God, then you must be born-again. Due to the fact that you can not see your spirit in the mirror, many people rely only on what they can see and feel, which is why they believe that there is no change. The only way we can have a relationship with God is spirit to spirit:

"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." John 4:24

• 

Your actions, your thoughts and your feelings will never be perfect. You are not perfect in the flesh. But you are perfect in the spirit:

"To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect," Hebrew 12:23

If you realize who you are in spirit and worship God in the spirit, you can have a dynamic relationship with Him in the here and now. You can experience His love, His joy and peace, His power and anointing. You can hear His voice not only with your physical ears but also with your spirit.

There are times when you will see His physical manifestations, but you can not base your relationship with Him or try to experience Him only in the physical, because God is a spirit (John 4:24).

You need to understand that God is related to you based on who you are in spirit:

"For by one offering he has perfected for ever them that are sanctified." Hebrew 10:14

This does not mean that it gives you the freedom to go and live in sin, because

"Know you not, that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey; whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?" Rom. 6:16

If you succumb to sin, then you allow the devil to gain access to your life and this has devastating consequences:

"The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:10

If you fall into the trap of the devil, you must go back and repent, not in order to be forgiven and restore your relationship with God (this happened 2000 years ago), but in order to close the door to the devil and keep him out from your life.

If you have truly been born-again you may continue to fall into sin, but you do not lose your relationship with God because this relationship is not based on your perormance, but on who you are in the spirit. This is really good news! This is the gospel!

Amen.