Born Again

One of the great themes of Christianity is being born again.  Today is the day I accepted Christ in 1976 as an eighteen year old college freshman.  This is the day I was born again.

As a biology major in a state university I was exposed to the theory of Darwinian evolution and challenged with a world view that had no God.  It startled me as I couldn't imagine what life would be like without a creator and a God who holds all things together.  This also caused me to ask questions of what life is all about.  Why are we here?  Where are we going?  What is the meaning and purpose of life? 

It was at this time of questioning life itself that I attended a church service at home with my family one Sunday.  The pastor knew me somewhat and wanted to ask me some questions after the service.  He asked me how I was doing in school and how life was going.  I told him fine, and "don't worry about me, because I believe in God."  I wasn't like the professors at the university, I thought.  He said that's good, but there was more he wanted to know.  

He then proceeded to ask me that if I were to die today, for some unforeseen reason, did I know for sure I would go to heaven?  I knew in an instant that I didn't know the answer, I wasn't sure where I would be if I died.  In fact, that was like the questions I was asking myself regarding the meaning and purpose of life.  And this was just like those questions, where will I be when I die?  

The pastor graciously explained that it's not just enough to believe in God, but the Bible teaches a person needs to accept Jesus as his Savior.  It is only through Christ that a person can be saved and go to heaven.  As Jesus describes in John 14:6, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."  He explained that Christ came to the earth and lived a perfect life without sin so that he could pay the penalty of our sins.  He died on the cross and he became the substitutionary atonement for us.  Then after three days he rose again from the grave and he can give us eternal life after our death as well.  But we need to accept Christ as our Savior and Lord.

These words struck me like an alarm.  The pastor asked me if I believed it was true.  I sat there for what seemed like a long while as I thought about what he had said.  Could it be true that Jesus rose from the dead?  I had the image in my mind of the stone rolled away from the grave that I had seen as a kid in Sunday school, and I asked myself, is it true?  And I realized it is true, it couldn't have just been made up.  My conscience confirmed that God did exist and he did send his Son into the world to save people from their sins, for all who call upon his name.  

I really didn't know what to do at first after that day.  I kept a pretty low profile for some time as I wasn't sure if I understood it all, or if anyone else would believe me.  Today I can say after many years that indeed Christ is the Savior and Lord who has come into the world and we must be born again.  Jesus explained this to Nicodemus in John 3:3, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Jesus graciously gives people new lives of faith and eternal life if they call upon him and walk in his precepts.  Only he can give new birth to a Spiritual life, only he can cause a person to be born again.  And praise God that he did.  

   

Themes

The themes of these last few blog posts have to do with true Christianity.  It may not seem to make sense as I've hopped all around, but as I look at them I see a pattern.

At the start I discussed true truth, Veritas, as it relates to Christian faith.  So, first and foremost is the "Truly, Truly" foundation that Jesus describes.  In our postmodern world this just can't be emphasized enough.

Then I discussed "Technology and Theology" because I believe technology is a great connection to the order and structure design of the universe.  Technology is a witness to the truth of God's existence and creation.  Technology works because we live in an ordered and principled creation.

Then the next three posts were made to address the parable of "The Prodigal Son."  This is to address a contemporary trend in Christianity on the love and grace of God, which is glorious, but to miss the necessity of repentance and faith from a Christian.  The prodigal son first confessed, repented, humbled himself without conditions, and returned home to seek reconciliation with the Father.  This is the emphasis of the parable.  This is the spirit of true Christian faith.  And then God receives us in open arms.

So, the message of the Bible is often missed, but it's most often right there plain as day, and we must always ask, "what does text say, what does it mean, and how does it apply to life?"  The Bible is the word of truth and the focus of all our faith and doctrine.  It is inspired by God and brings inspiration and truth to Christians.  But we must interpret it through the lens of truth, just as it was intended.

As compared to a contemporary emphasis on grace, and even free grace, as it is often implicitly described, I also discussed Bonhoeffer's classic book, "The Cost of Discipleship."  True faith is costly sometimes to us, just as it was to Christ.  Simply saying we believe in Christ is not necessarily costly at all.  We must have true faith through obedience to all God's commandments.  Obedience is not legalism when living in the power of the Holy Spirit, it is true faith.

The truth of true faith brings great blessings.  My thesis is that good theology leads to good faith and good faith leads to good living.  Obedience to God's laws is good theology.  No one is perfect, but good theology is a necessary start.  The Veritas Fellowship is all about proclaiming true-Truth and the process of good "theology-faith-living," which leads to our sanctification into the image of Christ.

And this week I will add one more blog post on 3/21 if my schedule permits.  For on March 21, 1976 I became a Christian and this will mark my 37th anniversary of living in faith.  That's something to look back on.  Wow, is all I can say.  True faith brings lots of ups and downs, but faith is much deeper today than it was at the beginning.  We are saved by Christ, by grace and through faith.

Soli Deo gloria.