God’s Word is the key to everything. It is certainly the key to being born again. You can only be born again by believing God’s Word.
Many people mistakenly think the conditions for everlasting life include turning from sins, submission, commitment, obedience, and perseverance. That makes sense to them. That is what their tradition teaches. That is the consensus view among all the Christian traditions.
If we were to decide what one must do to have everlasting life by conducting a poll, we would come up with an answer, but it wouldn’t be what God says. What matters is what God says.
The Scriptures are clear that the only way to be born again is by believing the Word of God.
In the Parable of the Four Soils, the Word of God is mentioned in all four examples. The first soil does not believe the Word and is not saved (Luke 8:12). Soil two believes the Word of God and is saved once and for all, but later falls away from the faith (Luke 8:13). Soil three believes the Word and is saved but is not as effective in service as it should be (Luke 8:14). Soil four believes the Word, is saved, and is wholehearted in service (Luke 8:15).
Paul said in Romans 10:17, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
In John 4:39, we are told that many of the Samaritans believed in Christ for everlasting life because of the words of the woman concerning what Jesus had said.
Many more Samaritans believed in Christ for everlasting life because of what they heard His words directly (John 4:41).
Luke said in Acts 4:4 that “As many as heard the word believed…”
The apostles were ordered by the Lord: “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life” (Acts 5:20).
James 1:18 put it simply: “He brought us forth [regenerated us] by the word of truth.”
Peter said the same thing in 1 Peter 1:23: “having been born again…through the word of truth.”
The most famous evangelistic verse in the Bible is John 3:16. The Lord told Nicodemus that God the Father so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. That is the Word of God. We cannot be saved by some other method, no matter how popular it may be. The Lord did not guarantee everlasting life to those who promise to follow Him or to those who obey Him for the rest of their lives. He promised everlasting life to all who believe in Him. The condition is faith in Christ. Nothing else.
Do you think that should impact the way we share our faith? We should share God’s Word, not what is popular today.
We have a revolutionary message. If we share the message of John 3:16, people will say that it’s too easy. Bad people could get into heaven that way. But guess what? It starts a conversation about the Word of God. It gets people thinking. Isn’t that what the Lord modeled with Nicodemus and the woman at the well? He got them thinking.
Of course, the Bible is not only essential in the new birth. It is also essential in sanctification. I will consider that in my next blog.
