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Study 4 Objective: What did Jesus our Lord have to say and how does that affect us? 

Such birth begins by our believing personally in Jesus. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Jesus went on to say that he or she “who hears My word and believes in Him who sent me has everlasting life” (John 5:24).

It is an act of faith. John the Baptist said that the person “who believes in the Son has eternal life” (John 3:36).

Believing in Christ is the starting point of being “born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible” (1 Peter 1:23), the beginning of salvation.

Believing in Christ means accepting who Jesus is, that He is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16; Luke 9:18-20; Acts 8:37), who has “the words of eternal life” (John 6:68-69).

Believing in Christ means accepting that Jesus is God, who...

• was made flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14)
• was crucified for us that “He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:9)
• “died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves "but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:15)
• “died to sin once for all” (Romans 6:10) and “in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:14)
• “died and rose again, that He might be the Lord of both the dead and the living” (Romans 14:9)
• “has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having  been made subject to Him” (1 Peter 3:22)

• was taken up “into heaven” and “will so come in like manner” as He went “up into heaven” (Acts 1:11)
• “will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His Kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:1)
• will return to earth to receive believers (John 14:1-4).

By accepting in faith Jesus Christ as He revealed Himself we are “born again”.

Reflection:
What does believing in Christ mean?
How can someone be born again?

Repent and be baptised…

John the Baptist proclaimed “Repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15). Jesus taught that He, the Son of God and Son of Man, had “power on earth to forgive sins” (Mark 2:10, Matthew 9:6). This was the Gospel, that God had sent His Son for the salvation of the world.

Included in His message about salvation was repentance, “For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Matthew 9:13). Paul clears up any confusion: “there is none righteous, no, not
one” (Romans 3:9). We are all sinners whom Christ calls to repentance.

Repentance is a call back to God. Biblically speaking humankind is in a state of alienation from God. Just like the prodigal son in the story in Luke 15, men and women moved away from the Father. Also, as in
that story, the Father is anxious for us to return back to Him. Moving away from the Father is the beginning of sin. The issues of sin and Christian responsibility will be discussed in a Bible Study to come.

Continue Study 4...

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