Friend, are you born again? Jesus said you MUST be born again and in John’s Gospel, chapter three, there is an insightful interaction between Jesus and Nicodemus, one of the elites of society. If anyone was qualified to be exempt from the need to be born again, it was him. Yet Jesus insisted, he had to be born again, despite being a Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin, Jewish ruling council. But what about you friend? Are you just a church member or have you been born again? Join Carl now as we embark upon the most important podcast, you will ever listen to…
Here is a complete transcript of the broadcast (below)…
Friend you MUST be born again. Join me now, as we read from, the most important scriptural passage of all time. I will read it in its entirety from the Holy King James Bible, John’s Gospel, chapter three, verse 1:
“1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that you do, except God be with him. 3 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. 4 Nicodemus said him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?’
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind blows where it listeth, and you hears the sound thereof, but cannot tell whence it comes, and where it goes: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Are thou a master of Israel, and know not these things? 11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 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. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believes on him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that does evil hates the light, neither comes to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that does truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. “
Friend, this passage is both striking and illuminating for many reasons. Firstly, it should be noted that Nicodemus was the best in his nation at the time, you could consider him, the elite of society. If anyone was exempt from being born again, it was him. Nicodemus was a teacher, a Pharisee, and member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council. The pharisees were a Jewish sect, devoted to the law of Moses, and the Sanhedrin having 70 members, was responsible for religious civil rule under Roman Law. Nicodemus was no doubt esteemed by the common man. He was an important individual by all accounts, yet his need for a savior was no less pressing than ours. Don’t forget, the Sanhedrin put Jesus on trial (Luke 22:66) and Nicodemus later rebuked the Pharisees for condemning Jesus without hearing Him (John 7:50–51). Nicodemus also helped Joseph of Arimathea another member of the Sanhedrin, to later bury Jesus. However, in spite of his acclaim, Jesus said that Nicodemus had to be born again.
Why did Nicodemus visit at tonight? Because he wanted an exclusive audience with Christ and probably didn’t want to be seen conversing with such a controversial figure who claimed to be God incarnate. Nicodemus begins the discourse with the statement, “Rabbi, we know You are a Teacher who has come from God. “We” probably means the favorable ones of the Sanhedrin council. The titles “Rabbi” and “Teacher” are polite and flattering on one hand, but they showed Nicodemus’ inadequate comprehension of who Jesus really was, the son of the living God. Friend, as Christ boldly claimed, no one can see or enter into the kingdom of God unless they are born again. There are no exceptions. They must be born again, from death to life, in contradistinction to Adam our forefather who was born from life to death. Jesus the last Adam set right the transgression of the first Adam. The Epistle of Peter, also states, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides forever” that’s 1st Peter 1:23.
This incorruptible seed of God’s word once germinated in the human heart causes the spirit man living on the inside of you to become born again from death to life. Yes, you have been born of water, everyone has. Everyone entered this world through the birth canal and water filled amniotic sac. Once the amniotic sac breaks, water is inevitable and the birthing process begins. You can ask my wife about that, she’s the expert…lol. Everyone is born of water by default, but not everyone is born of the spirit. Becoming born a second time is a personal choice. It is a supernatural work which can only be performed by Holy Spirit once a man or woman, chooses of their own volition to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
No one has ever gone into heaven and then come back to earth, able to give clear teaching about divine matters. The one exception is Jesus who is the Son of Man and Son of God. Christ is the “Ladder” between heaven and earth with access to both realms. He “descended” in the Incarnation and “ascended” in the Ascension. He also was in heaven before the Incarnation, and therefore knows the divine mysteries, some of which He shared with humanity, but assuredly, there are more to come. The need to be born again is universal, friend. There are no exceptions to this, despite our social status. Although the term Catholic, derived from the Latin term, Catholicus, means Universal, no pope or cardinal has ever preached the born-again message yet and never will. Who knows where Pope Francis is right now along with the countless other popes. Was the Pope born again? Did he ever preach the Gospel? His fate is sealed… I’ll let you decide.
If anyone could have circumvented the need to be born again, it was Nicodemus but I believe this encounter was providential. From top to bottom of humanity, we all need to be born again, you MUST be born again friend. This is the only instance in scripture where Jesus said, “You must.” That means that every Muslim, Hindu, Zoroastrian, Pagan, Heathen, Christian Scientist, Mormon, Jehovah’s witness, Christian Scientologist, Methodist, Anglican, Catholic, Baptist, Episcopalian and every American, must be born again without exception. If they are not, they are lost…forever and condemned to an eternity without Christ in Hell. As Derek Cleave likes to put it, “If you are never born again, you’ll wish you had never been born at all.” Why? because the consequences of not being born again will result in eternal damnation, in a fiery, hell, lost for eternity in raging torment. Heaven forbid; but there is still time for you friend.
But some might say, what about the indigenous South Pacific Islanders, living in the remote jungle, who’ve never heard the Gospel, what about them? Great question, I will answer it shortly, but lets first define the Gospel, and it’s definition is found in scripture, 1st Corinthians 15:1-4, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you have received, and wherein you stand; 2 By which also you are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached to you, unless you have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day, according to the scriptures.”
In the Greek New Testament, the word ‘gospel’ is the translation of the Greek noun euangelion (occurring 76 times) and the term “good news,” which is the verb euangelizo (occurring 54 times), meaning “to bring or announce good news.” In classical Greek, an euangelos was a person who brought a message of victory, political or personal news that caused great joy. And what causes joy in this instance? The good news that you are no longer at enmity with God, your sins are forgiven and Jesus has punched your ticket on the highway to heaven.
Now, regarding the South Pacific islanders, it is a scriptural principle that a man be judged strictly according to the measure of light granted to him in his lifetime. If that indigenous islander never heard the gospel, he will be judged according to two things: How he obeyed his conscience and how he responded to Gods creation all around him. This is covered in more detail within the first two chapters of the Book of Romans and I urge you to check this out for yourself. But God is a good God, He judges justly. He never holds anyone accountable for something they were never privy too. But what about you friend, you are not ignorant, light has been shone on your conscience. The light of the good news that is. It is the good news that Christ has paid your wage of sin, by His precious blood, and that He was raised from the dead, to absolve your sins, once and for all. Once you become born again, your spirit man can then influence your soul and body for Christ. The transformation starts from within and works outwardly. Your soul comprises of your mind, will and emotions. Once you are born again, your soul is greatly influenced for God as you interact with His Holy Word on a continual basis, in union with your spirit man which has been made alive.
The word and the Spirit are both witnesses for Christ, working together, to transform you in preparedness for your righteous reign with Him in the coming millennial reign. Some cooperate with God’s word more than others, and your eternal reward will bear witness to your cooperation. 2 Corinthians says 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
The new creature is you friend, you are the creature, who has become new in the sight of God, as you become born again. As John Henry Newman likes to put it, “Your whole nature must be re-born, your passions, and your affections, and your aims, and your conscience, and your will must all be bathed in a new element and reconsecrated to your Maker and, the last not the least, your intellect.” This transformation can only begin when you make the decision to abide with Christ as a new creature. As Charles Spurgeon rightly said, “Every generation needs re-generation” and that regeneration begins when we become born anew in Christ. Regeneration is not a natural forward step in man’s development; it is a supernatural act of God. It is not evolution, but involution—the communication of a new life. It is a personal revolution—a change of direction resulting from the decision to follow Christ. Regeneration is the impartation of a new and divine life. Jesus the last Adam, solved the problem of sin. You see, you were born dead in trespasses and sin by default. You were born once indeed, but you also have the choice to be born twice and that is on offer today.
“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God” 1st Corinthians 1:18. I am saved friend, are you? The cross is no longer foolishness to me, it is the power of God. Friend, it is time to be born gain. Go to my website, carljosephministries.com., go to the header, hover your mouse over ‘essentials,’ click on ‘Time to Roar!’ and you will be directed to the sinner’s prayer. If this message touched your heart, I urge you to pray this prayer right now, as there is no promise of tomorrow.
https://christianeducatorsacademy.com/how-to-become-a-born-again-christian-a-step-by-step-guide/
https://carljosephministries.com/podcast/what-is-sin/
Title: You MUST be Born-again…
Bibliography:
Edwin A. Blum, “John,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 280–281.
Martin Manser, ed., Christian Quotations (Martin Manser, 2016).
https://bible.org/article/what-gospel
William Evans and S. Maxwell Coder, The Great Doctrines of the Bible, Enl. ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1974), 152.
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Six Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What does it mean to be “born again”?
Being “born again” refers to a spiritual rebirth, where a person experiences a transformation through the Holy Spirit. It means moving from spiritual death to spiritual life by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. This is different from physical birth—it’s a supernatural renewal of the inner spirit-man. Being born again means you enter the kingdom of God, not the Kingdom of Heaven. These kingdoms are not synonymous but separate and distinct.
2. Why did Jesus say Nicodemus, a respected Pharisee, had to be born again?
Nicodemus was a religious leader and part of the Jewish ruling council, yet Jesus told him that no one can see or enter the kingdom of God without being born again. This shows that spiritual rebirth is essential for everyone, regardless of status, knowledge, or religious background. Those who are not born again will suffer eternity in Hell-fire (see the discussion below on Rom 1-2, for those who never heard the gospel).
3. Isn’t being a church member enough to enter God’s kingdom?
No. Jesus clearly states that being born again is necessary to enter the kingdom of God. Church membership or religious affiliation alone does not guarantee salvation or a personal relationship with Christ. Spiritual rebirth is a personal, transformative experience and independent of church attendance, although Christians are commended to attend church services for their benefit, growth, fellowship and maturity.
4. How can someone be born again according to the Bible?
Jesus explains that a person must be born of ‘water’ and the Spirit (John 3:5). Every person is born through amniotic fluid from their mothers womb, in order to enter this world (water). It’s a personal decision to believe in Jesus, receive His forgiveness, and invite the Holy Spirit to live within. This life is activated in our spirit man. Water Baptism is a command following salvation as a formal act and public dedication to Christ, yet water baptism is not required for salvation.
5. What about people who have never heard the Gospel, like indigenous tribes?
God judges all people according to the light and knowledge they have received. Scripture teaches that those who have not heard the Gospel will be judged by how they respond to their conscience and God’s creation around them (Romans 1–2). God is just and merciful and never judges anyone unfairly, or against knowledge they were never privy to in the first place. For those who never heard the gospel, God will judge them rightly.
6. Why is being born again so urgent?
Without being born again, a person remains spiritually dead and separated from God, facing eternal condemnation (John 3:18), in a fiery hell. The message of salvation is urgent because life is uncertain, and this decision impacts one’s eternal destiny. Jesus offers forgiveness and eternal life now. You never have the promise of tomorrow. Repent today and believe in Him.
Carl is an authority. He is a biblical scholar, minister, author, husband, father, and life coach. In his mid-twenties he had a powerful encounter with God and saw miraculous healings as a result. Carl is a unique researcher who investigates current affairs, societal trends, prophecy, technology, cults, and end time events, all through a biblical lens.
Carl holds a Doctorate in Theology (Th D). His Alma Mata includes: Salford University, Manchester, UK, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, UK, Rhema Bible Training College (Tulsa), and Southwestern Christian University (Oklahoma City).
Carl Joseph Ministries empowers believers in Christ to fulfill their God given potential. Join Carl every other Monday on the Lions Unchained Podcast, available on Spotify, iTunes and other mainstream platforms.
He currently resides in Colorado, with his lovely wife Amy, and their three children.
