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To be saved you must be born again. But what does it mean to be born again?

There are many synonyms of born again in the Bible and they essentially mean the same thing. Walking in the light, regeneration, putting aside the old man all carry a similar meaning. What they boil down to is this – truly, whole heartedly follow Jesus and quit sinning.

You might start the process of being born again with a prayer of salvation or by hearing the word and having it change your heart. If you understand baptism, you are born again at baptism in water. If you believe that Jesus is Lord, the Son of God, that he died on the cross for our sins, that he was resurrected and now sits at the right hand of God and that baptism is the opportunity to set aside the old man, the sinful man and wash away your sins you are born again at baptism.

If after immersion in water baptism you sin, God lovingly provides a way to get back on track with him. 1 John 1:9.

Being born again was a long process for me, but the Lord was gracious and patient.

I was baptized at the age of 12. Growing up I immediately fell into sin and porn and continued in that lifestyle even while professing to be a Christian and attending Church. That led later in life to fornication and other sinful behavior. I quit attending Church. I lived with a girl out of wedlock for several years. I was a porn and tobacco addict. But eventually I came back to Jesus and he set me free. For me, that was when I was actually born again. It didn’t happen overnight. I read the Bible, I confessed my sin, and I made an effort to follow Jesus better. I worked on my relationship with God by keeping his commandments, attending Church, and spending time in the Word. It took several years, but by God’s grace and 1 John 1:9 I was born again. He helped me break my addictions and today, every day he helps me walk in the light.

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The Gift

What is the gift of eternal salvation? Romans 6:23 KJV, tells us, For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 2 Corinthians 9:15 KJV calls it the … unspeakable gift.

Is it free? Romans 5:18 KJV says, Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

So what is the free gift? Jesus left his Heavenly throne in Heaven to come down to the Earth to live as a man. He showed us how to walk in the light and to live sinless before the Lord. He went to death on the cross showing us how to live our own lives. He became the sinless sacrifice for our sins when he died, the Lamb of God slain for our salvation. His resurrection further demonstrated who he truly was. It became the example to us of regeneration. Leaving the old man behind and becoming a new man after water baptism.

It was indeed a free gift. Jesus completed his offering to the Lord God Almighty, Jehovah, and to us. He died to show us the way.

How do I accept the gift? You accept the gift by believing Jesus was the only begotten Son of God who died as our sacrificial atonement before the LORD. John 3:16 The Gift is complete when you believe  and are baptized. Mark 16:16.

You have accepted the gift. Upon acceptance, the gift is complete. What now? Like any other gift you can cherish the gift, you can despise the gift, you can even throw it away. The purpose of God’s great gift is to cause us to conform our life to mirror Jesus’ life. Honor Jesus’s sacrifice by not sinning.

God will help you walk in the light. Where there is temptation God will provide a way of escape. 1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV says, There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

After water baptism God gave us a way to receive forgiveness for our sins. 1 John 1:9 KJV If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Proverbs 28:13 KJV tells us, He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

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Faithful

You may indeed be called and chosen, but one thing remains – are you faithful?

Your life is the answer to that. And your faithfulness ultimately answers two big questions that as a Christian you need to know so that you can live your life accordingly.

Can you earn your salvation? Contrary to popular opinion, with belief in Jesus the answer is yes. In fact Jesus said, For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:20 KJV. Make no mistake, you need to keep the law. It is a part of our faithfulness to the Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your mind, spirit, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. The Ten Commandments offer insights on how to do this. Remember the wages of sin is death. The wages of believing in Jesus and honoring his sacrifice (The Gift) by living in the light is eternal salvation.

Can you lose your salvation? Yes, you can lose your salvation. That is why Jesus admonished in Revelation 2:10 KJV … be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

Or Matthew 24:13 KJV where he says, But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

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Works Based Salvation

It is true that our salvation is not a result of works. Our salvation comes from belief. We must believe in Jesus, who he was, who he is, and what he did for us. Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. He came to Earth, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross so we could be redeemed from sin and damnation.

The trap many fall into is a misunderstanding of works. What are works? And when must we work for our salvation?

Hear me out.

I think the correct understanding of works is good deeds. Deeds such as feeding the homeless, visiting the imprisoned, helping others. These do not promise us salvation, but should be a fruit of our religion. So when do works earn us salvation?

Is it work for you to not murder?

Is it work for you to not steal?

Is it work for you to not lie?

Is it work for you to not take the name of the Lord in vain?

Regarding the Sabbath, is it work for you to not work?

Go through the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20. One or more of them may be work for you. In other words it may require some effort on your part to keep them. These works are crucial to your salvation. They could even be described as good works. Yet, the Bible tells us the wages of sin is death. This refers to the second death or eternal damnation. It is extremely serious, so much so, Jesus will say in that day, I never knew you, depart from me you workers of iniquity.

We keep the law because God through the gift of his Son wrote it on our hearts. Keeping them can come from fear of God or through the fruits of our changed spirit, seeing the example and sacrifice of his Son. Make no mistake, you do need to keep the law in order to be saved. You can argue all day that our works do not save us. The truth is God did not intend law keeping to be work, but rather actions which flow naturally from our love and understanding of Him.

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Spirit and Truth

There are many that seek to be in the presence of the Lord. There is nothing wrong with that. They want a feeling of love and peace or they want to be slain in the spirit. There are yet others who spend hours, perhaps even days, fasting and praying to get into his presence.

There is no secret to finding and being in the presence of the Lord. Jesus said in Matthew 18:20 KJV, For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

If you attend Church you are in his presence. If you pray with your spouse, he is there. If you have a bible study in your home – he is there.

Meanwhile, others seek the dispensation and gifts of the Holy Ghost. If you want the blessing of the Holy Ghost living in you, learn and accept TRUTH. The Holy Ghost is known as the spirit of truth. John 14:17.

If you let the truth take root and grow in you, you have the Holy Spirit. Read your KJV Bible. Let it sink in. Meditate and memorize verses from it. It is 100% truth. You don’t need speaking in tongues as evidence of the Holy Spirit. You do need to understand truth and have the wisdom to perform it.

Finally, remember God told us in Jeremiah 29:13 KJV, And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. So seek the presence of God, but remember he is not far off. Draw near to him and he will draw nigh to you. James 4:7-8.

If you seek to be in the presence of the Lord God Almighty, Jehovah, there is only one way that I know of, bring Jesus with you and approach him in PRAYER.

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The Spirit of Rebellion

I believe in keeping the Sabbath, however I have not done it very well.

I wake up and I feel like it doesn’t matter if I just go to the gas station. It doesn’t matter if I just go to McDonald’s. This last weekend I did both. I also picked up some sticks outside and did a few little things indoors.

That’s the foundation of the Spirit of Rebellion. It doesn’t matter. It’s not that serious. Oh, its just a small thing.

Yet, God has asked us to do better. He asks us to not sin willfully after we have received knowledge of the truth.

Your prayers to do better and live the faith more perfectly would be appreciated.

After doing better for several Sabbaths I had a bit of a relapse today August 22, 2026. I went to the gas station and McDonald’s this morning, then DG for a frozen pizza later in the day. I also did some laundry. You would think not working would be one of the easiest Commandments. Yet, I find it to be difficult sometimes. Thank you again for your prayers to do better.

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Traditions Worth Keeping

As we learn to trust in God’s finished work in the Holy Bible KJV, we should also place our trust in some of the traditions of the Church. The body may indeed know best.

As a former smoker, I would be first to mention the Bible doesn’t specifically label smoking as sin. Yet by church tradition it is considered a vice and you could certainly argue it has the appearance of evil. Perhaps even something as simple as not caring about your own health or temple. With the Lord’s help I quit smoking. Based on my own experiences, I believe it could be a gateway drug to other addictions like sex, porn, or even stronger drugs.

Church opinions or traditions can often be right, but they should be weighed and considered in conjunction with the Word. If we take a look at the Sabbath, we see the Jews faithfully keep the Sabbath from every Friday eve to Saturday eve. You can find evidence of this in scriptures. Seeing God in creation observing eve to eve in Genesis. And then in Leviticus 23:32 and Isaiah 58:13-14 we see the example of how to observe Sabbath.

Keep those things God moves you to keep. He will help. Keep a soft heart to write them on and practice discernment with which traditions are worthy of observing.

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Trust

With the exception of Catholics, most Christians have accepted 66 books as the Holy Bible. These books were chosen and separated by men, presumably under the guidance of God. Several books were intentionally left out and removed from Holy Canon and placed under the category of Apocropha.

I believe the King James Version was translated with the guidance of God. Briefly, God appoints Kings thus the KJV was authorized. Moreover, I believe the men responsible for the translation were led by pure motives under the supervision of the Holy Ghost. If you get the opportunity, read the dedication page available at the front of some KJV Bibles.

It is good to question, but sometimes simple acceptance is the best choice. I believe my King James Holy Bible was assembled by men with the permission and guidance of God. If you believe this, you don’t need to chase after new translations or go back to the Greek or Hebrew. You can simply trust in the finished work of God.

Where does your trust begin and where does it end?

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Reverence

Reverence for God isn’t just a result of the fear of the Lord. It’s about respect and honor.

When you pray to the Father you are approaching the throne of the Lord God Almighty, the Creator of the Universe and all that exists.

Therefore it is my opinion that you should not pray in the shower or when using the restroom. I’m not saying you need to put on a three piece suit to pray, but there is precedent for not displaying nakedness when coming before the Lord. Exodus 20:26 KJV says, Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.

Common sense and respect, reverence is due the Lord in all our actions before him.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, spirit, mind, and strength. This is the first and greatest commandment.

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Clean

According to a DJ on WayFM, Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good, he came to make dead people alive.

I think both of these are correct. He came to make bad people good. He came to make dead people alive. But above all he came to make dirty people clean.

Water baptism is for the forgiveness of past sins. 1 John 1:9 is for the forgiveness of sins after baptism. His mercy is for those who both confess and forsake their sins. Proverbs 28:13.

To go to Heaven you must be found clean. Washed in the blood of the Lamb.

Do you believe Jesus can strengthen you so that you don’t sin. Do you believe Jesus can help you walk perfectly before the LORD?

Do you really believe in Jesus?

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