Born Again - Regeneration

Read

John 3:3 “Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.’”

2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"

Think

William Booth was asked in 1901 what he regarded as the chief dangers ahead for the 20th century. He replied, “Religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, and heaven without hell.”

Imagine walking into a small, primitive hut where the floor is nothing but hard, packed dirt. Disturbed by the filth, you suggest to the host that you will help them clean it. But the host replies, "The floor is just clay—packed down and dry. Add water, and it turns to mud. The more you try to wash it, the worse the mess becomes."

This image speaks powerfully to the condition of our hearts. Like that dirt floor, our hearts are hardened and stained by sin. No amount of self-effort or scrubbing with the soap of good deeds can cleanse them. The more we try to fix ourselves, the more we realize how deep the stain goes and how impossible it is to clean up the mess ourselves.

Our hearts don’t just need a cleaning—they need to be made entirely new. Just as that dirt floor can’t be restored with a wash, our hearts can’t be transformed by our own efforts. What we need is regeneration—a complete renewal that only God can accomplish.

Regeneration is God’s miraculous work of giving us a new heart. It’s not just about wiping away the dirt of our old lives; it’s about replacing the very foundation. In regeneration, God takes our hearts of stone and turns them into soft, responsive hearts, alive to him. It’s not a better version of who we were; it’s a brand new creation, with new desires, new loves, and new life, all breathed into us by the Holy Spirit.

So, instead of exhausting ourselves trying to clean up our own mess, we need to turn to God and ask for what only he can give—a new heart through regeneration. This is where true life begins, with a heart that beats in harmony with his, filled with the love, joy, and peace that only Jesus can provide. It’s in this new beginning that we find the strength to live the life he’s called us to – not through our own efforts, but through his transforming power.

Apply

Have you turned to him? Accept that he died on the cross for your sins and rose from the dead to pay the price for you. Believe and choose to surrender your life to him. Confess he is Lord.

Pray

Jesus, thank you for paying the price for my sins. I’ve tried to fix myself, but I see now that what I really need is a new heart that only you can give. I invite your Spirit to work in me, to renew me from the inside out. Help me to trust in your power to transform my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.