Today is that second Greetings message concerning why we need to be born again, as follows:
 
This brings forth the question, “Why? What was not right with the first birth?”  To answer this we must start in Genesis.
 
Chapter 2:4-24 tells us of the creation of man: Adam; the garden: Eden, for him to live in and tend; the bringing forth of the animals and birds and of Adam naming them; and the creating of a helper: woman, Eve.  (Please read verses 4-24 for the details of this brief outline.)
 
In verses 16-17, God gave Adam a command!
“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.’”
 
Genesis 3:1-5 tells us,
“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.  And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?’
And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden;
But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’
And the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die.
For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’”
 
So they ate!  Did they die physically?  No.  But God said they would die!  What died?  Man is made up of body, soul and spirit.  We have a body and we have a soul (mind, emotions and will).  It is our spirit that died!
 
The choice to rebel against God not only damaged Adam and Eve’s relationship with God, but it brought corruption to the very nature of man!  Therefore, every human being born into humanity is born with a debased, corrupted nature: a sin nature.
To quote David A. DePra, “Thus, we see this Truth:  We are not sinners because we sin.  Rather, we sin because we are sinners…It is our nature to sin.”  End quote.
 
Let’s look again to what Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:3 & 5-6
“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’”  Vs. 3
And in verses 5-6,
“Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit.’”
 
Water here is not baptism.  Baptism does not save!  Baptism is an outward expression of what has already taken place in the heart.
(Romans 10:9-10 tells us,
“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believer in your heart that God raised Him form the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.”)
 
Jesus tells us in John 4:23-24 (as He is speaking to the woman at the well),
“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
 
A dead spirit can not worship God!  Therefore, you must be born again of the Spirit.  When one accepts Jesus and His work on the Cross, he/she is born anew and the Holy Spirit comes into the person and dwells in him.
 
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.  Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ…”  
2 Corinthians 5:17-18
 
Thank you Most Holy God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for Your one and only perfect plan of salvation, reconciliation and life.  For without the Father’s plan; the Son’s paying our sin debt; the Holy Spirit bringing life to our spirit; we would be lost to everlasting separation from You.  So with our spirits alive in Christ Jesus we gratefully and joyously worship You and adore You. Amen