Biblical scripture is clear that once a person dies, he or she will spend eternity in either one of two places. There is Heaven and Hell. It is an amazing fact that biblical scripture has been proven scientifically to be historically accurate and of divine origin. With this in mind, this same biblical scripture warns that a person who dies without ever having obtained the salvation of their soul will spend eternity in a place of suffering too horrible for the human mind to conceive. Jesus Christ himself warned that good works and right living will not get a person to Heaven. He warned that only being "born again" will get a person to Heaven apart from any good works or right living that a person can do. The question is, what did Christ mean when he said that one has to be "born again" in the spirit to obtain salvation? Charles Stanley will use biblical scripture to explain what exactly Jesus meant when he gave the solemn warning of having to be "born again" to enter Heaven. This message serves as a sobering wake-up call to anyone who is not "born again", or to use other biblical terminology, "saved", before death strikes and is too late to change one's eternal destiny.
In other words, you can't be both at the same time; you're either flesh, or, you're spirit. Jesus gave Nicodemus an illustration of what it's like to be born of the spirit:
"The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8).
My guess is that NONE of those who say they are born of the spirit are like the wind, invisible, able to move around without being seen. Can you do that? Of course not. Neither can I. But Jesus could do that after His resurrection. Upon His resurrection He was a spirit; He was born of the spirit, and immortal.
Jesus was the "firstfruits" from mortal life to immortal life, from flesh to spirit. When He returns His elect will also will receive immortality, born of the spirit:
"But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming" (1 Cor 15:23).
Read Paul's very clear explanation of the death and resurrection of the elect:
"So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body" (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).
When we die our mortal body, "born of the flesh," is "sown" or planted back into the ground, the grave. At His return the elect (who have died) will be resurrected with a spiritual body, "born of the spirit." Not until we receive a spiritual body, at the resurrection at His return, will we be born of the spirit.
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Just a side note about this: we MUST be born of the spirit - we must first have received an immortal spirit body - before we can enter or inherit the Kingdom of God. Both Paul and Jesus explained this. Here's Paul:
"Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
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.
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory" (1 Cor 15:50-54).
And here's Jesus:
"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:5).
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Now note what John wrote in 1 John 5:18:
"We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not."
Has anyone that believes they're "born of God" stopped sinning? No: they're not born of God yet. In this mortal life we are begotten of God: we have God's spirit in us, leading us out of slavery to sin and teaching us His righteousness.