Photo: Rainforest Waterfall, Kauai, Hawaii. United States. ©1998-2023 R. John Anderson
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
Jesús le contestó: «En verdad te
digo que el que no nace de nuevo no puede ver el reino de Dios». – Juan 3:3
To be “born again” properly in accordance with New Testament Scripture, one must: 1. Hear the Gospel Message: You hear the gospel message and the hope that is found in Jesus Christ correctly explained to you (what this book is doing), as it is written: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17; Acts 8:30-35) 2. Believe in Jesus: You respond to that message by accepting Christ (believe in Him) and place your complete faith, trust, and hope in Jesus as your Lord and Savior (Mark 1:15; John 1:12; 6:29; 8:30; 12:44; Acts 16:31; 19:4; Rom. 10:9), 3. Repent of Your Sins: You genuinely turn away from your sinful behaviors and turn towards Christ (repentance means a change of heart and attitude towards sin and God, Matt. 4:17; 11:21; Acts 2:38), 4. Confess Christ: You confess Christ as your Lord and Savior (and King, Rom. 10:9; 1:16; Matt. 10:32; Luke 12:8), and 5. Be Baptized: You get baptized by immersion in water “for the forgiveness of sins” (Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16). It is at baptism that your old self is “buried with Him [Jesus] through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4) and you are raised “a new creature [person]” (2 Cor. 5:17) in Christ. You cannot omit any of these steps and be properly born again (Heb. 4:6; Psa. 119:160)! You will hear much disagreement among men (and even professing Christians) over what I have just written above (Matt. 7:15; 16:6; Col. 2:8; 2 Pet. 3:17-18; Jude 3; Gal. 1:6-9; Tit. 1:13-14; 2 Tim. 4:3-4). But please know that the list above is not something that I just made up out of thin air! This is not “my opinion” on the matter – I am presenting what is plainly taught in New Testament Scripture, without the myriad of myths, fantasies, beliefs, “traditions,” false teachings, and “commandments of men.” Be not deceived: you can be “tricked” out of your “crown of [eternal] life” (Rev. 3:11) by the “wolves,” “vipers,” modern-day “Pharisees,” and “false prophets” who want to turn you out of the “straight and narrow path” (Matt. 7:14) to eternal life towards their false teachings. Note, in particular, that saying a one-time so-called “sinner’s prayer” (which is nowhere found in the Bible!) does not save you to eternal life, despite that teaching being proclaimed loudly and rampant almost everywhere today. Beware!