Christianity is not a religion. It’s a personal relationship with Jesus. But I think the hardest people to witness to are people who already know about Jesus but don’t have a relationship with him. They believe Christianity is only a religion with a set of beliefs. They like the belief system, but they miss the point that Jesus died to pay for our sins so we could be saved and be reconciled to God the Father to become his sons and daughters. That’s what sets us apart from all the religions of the world. We who are born again have a personal relationship with our God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. We don’t have just a set of beliefs to guide our life, we have the living God who is our heavenly Father.
In this study we are going back to the basics of Christianity 101. The Apostle Peter admonishes us in 1 Peter 3:15 in NIV translation to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
So in order to witness Christ we must study what the bible teaches to prepare ourselves to share our faith in Christ with others.
The following will be discussed in this study:
- God’s Plan and Purpose for Redeeming Mankind
- What it Means to be Born Again
- What the Resurrection of Jesus Means to Us
God’s Plan and Purpose for Redeeming Mankind
The core of our Christian belief is the plan of redemption through the sacrifice of Jesus. When Adam disobeyed God, sin entered into the world. Sin separates us from God because sin is an abomination to him. The penalty of sin has to be paid. Just like when someone commits a crime they must serve their sentence. So man and God had a problem. It is not God’s will for anyone to be lost so he enacted a system in which man could offer blood sacrifices of perfect unblemished bulls, goats, lambs, or turtle doves. The book of Leviticus explains this elaborate system were the high priest were given sacrificial animals by the people so their sins would be covered. This was the Old Covenant system. But there was a problem, the sacrifices had to be done over and over again because the blood of animals cannot atone for mankind’s sins forever. Only the precious blood of God’s son Jesus could do that.
Hebrews 9:11-15 NLT, describes how the sacrifice of God’s son Jesus created a New Covenant between God and mankind.
[9] So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world.
[12] With his own blood-not the blood of goats and calves-he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.
[13] Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity.
[14] Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.
[15] That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.
Hebrews 10:4 KJV, teaches us, “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” This is why the sacrifice of the Jesus the sinless lamb of God was necessary. He paid the full price for sin.
2 Corinthians 5:21 KJVS
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Our sins are no longer covered they are wiped clean when we confess them and ask God for forgiveness in Jesus name.
Now we know Jesus paid the price for sin let’s look at why God would want to redeem mankind. To do that we must go back to the beginning when man was first created.
In Genesis 1:26 KJV, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” When God said our image he was speaking of the trinity himself, Jesus who was known as the Word as described in the first chapter of the Gospel of John, and the Holy Spirit. Genesis 2:7 KJV describes how God created man. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
God formed man in his own image and breathed life into him because he wanted a family. We don’t know what God looks like but we do know he is a spirit as stated in John 4:24. God breathed the spirit of life into Adam. In doing so God created him in his own image and gave him dominion over everything he created making mankind his greatest creation. But when Adam sinned he lost his close relationship with God and his authority in the Earth. But God had a plan before the sin of Adam was committed. In Revaluation 13:8 Jesus is described as the “Lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world.” God already knew Adam would sin so it was decided before the foundation of the world that Jesus, the Word, would come as a human to die for the sins of mankind. God loves mankind so much he gave his only sinless son as a ransom to redeem mankind. The Apostle John teaches us how God redeemed mankind in John 3:16-18 KJVS,
[16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth 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 believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Because of God’s great love for us he gave us a way to be reconciled to him so we can become his sons and daughters. All we have to do is to repent of our sins and confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
The Apostle Paul teaches us this in Romans 10:9 KJV, “if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
What it Means to be Born Again
When we make Jesus our Lord and savior we became born again.
So what does it mean to be born again?
In John 3:1-6, Jesus teaches Nicodemus about being born again. The passage reads in the KJVS:
[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 thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, 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 saith unto 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.
Jesus is teaching Nicodemus in this passage that being born again is a spiritual rebirth. When Adam sinned he died a spiritual death. He was no longer connected to God like he was before he sinned. He could no longer fellowship with God as he did before. That spiritual separation from God has been passed down to all of us. That is why it is necessary for our spirits to be born again so we can enjoy fellowship with God. When we become born again, God gives us his Holy Spirit to live inside us. We become able to fellowship with God through his Holy Spirit. Not only that, God adopts us as his children. The Apostle Paul teaches us this in Romans 8:15-16 KJVS:
[15] For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
[16] The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
The bible clearly teaches we must be born again. Being born again is the rebirth of our spirits from the spiritual death handed down to us from Adam. It is the plan of God to bring us in fellowship with him and for us to be adopted as his children. What an awesome God! But this is not the end of the redemption plan. It gets even better.
What the Resurrection of Jesus Means to Us
Now that we know the redemption plan of God, his purpose for redeeming mankind, and what it means to be born again. Lets see what the bible has to say about what the resurrection of Jesus means to us.
Jesus death on the cross is not the end of the redemption plan. After three days Jesus rose from the dead.
Jesus defeated death, hell, and the grave.
In Revelation 1:18 KJVS Jesus declares, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”
KJV Life Application Study Bible explains it like this:
“1:17-18 Our sins have convicted and sentenced us, but Jesus holds the keys of death and Hades. He alone can free us from eternal bondage to Satan. He alone has the power and authority to set us free from sin’s control. Believers don’t have to fear Hades or death. Instead, we must turn from sin and turn to him in faith. When we attempt to control our lives and disregard God, we set a course that leads directly to hell. But when we place our lives in Christ’s hands, he restores us now and will resurrect us later to an eternal, peaceful, and vibrant relationship with him.”
When God created man, he didn’t create man to die. God made the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden which is recorded in Genesis 2:9 KJV,
“And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.”
When Adam sinned the curse of death was brought upon the Earth. Because of this sin God kicked Adam and Eve out of the garden to protect the tree of life which is recorded in Genesis 3:22-24 KJV,
[22] And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
[23] Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
[24] So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
Verse 22 in this passage clearly states the man could eat from the tree of life to live forever. So God had to evict man from the Garden of Eden to keep man from eating from the Tree Life which would have resulted in man living forever in a fallen sinful state.
Because of sin everyone must die a physical death. Hebrews 9:27 KJVS teaches us this, it says “…it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”
Romans 6:23 KJVS teaches us that “…the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
So in order to completely defeat sin, death must be defeated. When Jesus rose from the dead he completely defeated sin and death.
His resurrection proved his divinity and his identity as the Son of God. Because he defeated death we will all be raised from the dead.
1 Corinthians 15:50-57 NKJV teaches us:
[50] Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.
[51] Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed
[52] in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
[53] For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
[54] So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
[55] “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”
[56] The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.
[57] But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 KJVS, also teaches:
[16] For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
[17] Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Jesus defeated death so we will one day rise again and be forever with the Lord. Hallelujah!
We Christians serve a living God who wants a relationship with us. He wants us to be his sons and daughters. God has done the hard part. He sent his son Jesus to die for our sins and rose him from the dead. All we have to do is believe and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
Prayer of Salvation
If you want to begin having a true relationship with God, all you have to do is pray a prayer like this one. Father God, please forgive me of my sins. Thank you that Jesus died for my sins so I can be saved. I believe he was raised from the dead, and I confess him as my lord and savior. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Congratulations on becoming a son or daughter of God. As with any relationship you must spend time developing it by spending time with God through prayer, reading your bible, and just talking to him. I suggest that you find a bible based church where you can learn and grow in faith with other believers. May God bless you!!!
Deborah K. Givens, Admin
