We all need to be freed from the spiritual kingdom of the world, which we were born into at birth. The Bible teaches there is only one way this can happen. As Jesus told Nicodemus, we must be born again spiritually. We must be convicted of sin and spiritually born again to enter the spiritual Kingdom of God.

How are we born again? The Word of God states that this spiritual rebirth takes place when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. “Before anything else existed, there was Christ, with God. He has always been alive and is Himself God. He created everything there is—nothing exists that He didn’t make. Eternal life is in Him, and this life gives light to all mankind. … But although He made the world, the world didn’t recognize Him when He came. Even in His own land and among His own people, the Jews, He was not accepted. Only a few would welcome and receive Him. But to all who received him, He gave the right to become children of God. All they needed to do was to trust Him to save them. All those who believe this are reborn!—not a physical rebirth resulting from human passion or plan—but from the will of God” (John 1:1-4, 10-13, The Living Bible).

When we are spiritually born again, the Holy Spirit literally takes up residence in our being, just as He is in the being of Jesus. This is what the Apostle Peter was referring to when he preached on the day of Pentecost. He told the crowd that all who received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior would “receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off” (Acts 2:38-39).

Praise be to God who has given us a way to escape from the world’s kingdom by being born again spiritually into the Kingdom of Heaven. This is what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is all about. “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13). “If you believe that Jesus is the Christ—that He is God’s Son and your Savior—then you are a child of God. … He has given us eternal life, and … this life is in His Son. So whoever has God’s Son has life; whoever does not have his Son, does not have life” (1 John 5:1, 11-12, The Living Bible). “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:16-19).

Why Jesus Is the Only Truth That Leads to Heaven

We serve a loving and just God, whom the Bible says “wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). In today’s world, there are many religions, including groups falsely calling themselves Christians. We need to know the difference, because only one leads to Heaven. The “knowledge of the truth” the Bible speaks of in 1 Timothy 2:4 is given in the next verse. It states, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” True Christianity is based on the teachings of the Bible—and more specifically the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is to experience a personal encounter—a personal relationship—with Him as Savior and Lord. This is the only truth that will take you to Heaven.

Though we may not understand all that happens in the spiritual world, it is when we accept God’s Son, Jesus Christ, as our personal Lord and Savior that the power of God is released in our lives. We experience a spiritual rebirth, or new beginning, brought about by the Holy Spirit. We also become members of the Kingdom of God and Heaven. Scripture tells us that only those in the Kingdom of God will spend eternity with Him in that special heavenly place He has prepared.

There is in the world what I call “the religion of Christianity.” Many people practice “the religion of Christianity,” but it is not based upon the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. It directs our faith toward manmade concepts, just like the Pharisees and Sadducees did when Jesus was here on Earth. Our commitment for salvation cannot be to such things as religious doctrines, ordinances, traditions, structures, and personalities. It cannot be to anything other than Jesus Christ and His teachings as found in the Scriptures. This non-biblical pseudo-Christianity has brought about a great deal of confusion. More tragically, it has caused many people to miss being born again into the Kingdom of God, and therefore, to miss Heaven.

I would never point you in the direction of shallow Christianity that is not the true way. Heaven is far too valuable for that. Unfortunately, in today’s religious environment it is easy for people to get involved in what may be called Christianity but does not actually involve a commitment to Jesus Christ and His teachings. There is a difference. Involvement only requires activity!

The Apostle Paul was involved full-time in the religion of his day, but he said, “Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law [being able to keep all of the commandments] but that which is through faith in Christ” (Philippians 3:7-9).

Jesus Christ is the true and living God who created all things, including you and me. When the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus, an angel said to the shepherds living out in the fields near His birthplace of Bethlehem, “‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests’” (Luke 2:10-14). Jesus is the Savior for all who come to Him. He will save their souls from Hell. The angels knew how important this was for mankind; it was news of great joy!

WATCH FOR PART 3 of “Why You Must Be Born Again” on March 1, 2010

Tags: Apostle Paul, Bible, born again, Christian America, Christian principles, Christianity, heaven, hell, Holy Spirit, Kingdom of God, pseudo-Christianity, reborn spiritually, religion, religious doctrine, Savior, souls, spiritual, truth, Virgin Mary