Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.
John 3:3
As I think about the past eight months, I can understand why people are COVID tired. Day after day, waking up to the news of the ebb and flow of COVID spikes and deaths wears us out. Some see it as nothing more than the flu, while others experience the ravaging effects of lung scarring and forever physical problems. The vaccine race is on while schools try to figure out how to open safely that protects students and teachers. Everyone seems masked up and fed up. But in the larger picture of life, what is it that matters?
If you were to die before the end of the day today, where would you be? Would you be debating politics and COVID? Where would death leave you?
You can be confident that death is a transition to a new address forever. I’m not talking about down the street. I’m talking about either heaven or hell. Hell is an unpopular term today because it seems unfair and impractical for an infinitely loving God to send people to a place of eternal punishment He created for them. However, God’s plan is specific, and it very fair.
Salvation is optional
Hence the word “unless.” When Jesus says “unless,” He is saying there is an option. There will be some who fall on one side of “unless” and others who fall on the other side of “unless.” The choice a person makes while he is alive determines his destination when he dies. To be crystal clear, a person’s salvation is the way that God rescues him/her from an eternity in Hell (Jude 1:23). “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
What does that mean?
It means that there will be some who die and believe they’re headed to heaven but will end up in hell. This certainty is very upsetting, and it should cause you to consider your own choices.
Salvation is transformational
When Jesus says, “born again,” He is speaking in a transformative way. Jesus says that we must be “born again.” This language seems strange to those who’ve never heard it. Even Nicodemus question how this could happen since he was already born (John 3:4). I think I would have that same question. It seems physically impossible for a person to reenter the womb and be born again.
But Jesus wasn’t talking about something physical. He was talking about a transformational spiritual birth.
Salvation stems from an amazing transaction Jesus made with His Father. Jesus paid the penalty for our sins so that we would not be legally held responsible for them. Our sins would not count against us. However, we can’t forget the term “unless.” This transformation change takes place because we accept the truth of what Jesus did on the cross for us as He died in our place.
Salvation is eternal
If we find ourselves on the right side of “unless,” then all is good. If we find ourselves on the wrong side of “unless,” then it’s time to consider Jesus and His truth. Salvation IS eternal. It is forever. When we place our faith in Jesus, it is forever. The power of God keeps us on the right side of “unless.”
Have you made that decision today? On which side of “unless” do you live?
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