Issue 1808 – Must Be – September 11, 2025
Yesterday morning, I was blessed to have an MRI. I had been waiting three months and expected a wait of several more when a cancellation occurred. I jumped at the opportunity.
When you are lying in a small, enclosed metal pipe, with nothing to do but listen for commands through your headset, there is plenty of opportunity to think, or in my case, simply mind wander.
My thoughts briefly crossed a familiar passage of Scripture, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3 KJV. It’s a verse I remember in the KJV, although I primarily read other translations.
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ESV
Jesus replied, “With all the earnestness I possess I tell you this: Unless you are born again, you can never get into the Kingdom of God. TLB
Jesus responded and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” NASB
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” NIV
Jesus makes the importance of being born again abundantly clear in the same conversation with Nicodemus.
Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again. John 3:7
Jesus leaves us no wiggle room and no loopholes. “Must” is a powerful little word that implies there are no options or alternatives. Jesus way is the only way. To see the kingdom, we must do it according to His rules.
If you are a Christian, you have been born again. There is, by Jesus’ definition, no other type of believer.
Being born again carries a lot of baggage in our culture and is often used in a pejorative way. To be a “born-again Christian” is often used to mean that someone is ignorant, bigoted, and socially unaware.
Now, I have met some professing Christians who fit that caricature, so I can’t deny they are out there. But it is a label that does not apply to most believers.
Are you born again? If not, you need a heart change, or you will not enter the kingdom. That’s not my rule; it’s Jesus’ requirement.
Hallelu Yah (Praise God)
Be blessed,
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word – Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
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All contents, “Gleanings From The Word” and “Experience an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Life,” are © 2001, 2025 K.F. “Kevin” Corbin, Gleanings From The Word.
Unless otherwise noted, “Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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