How to Be Born Again and Go to Heaven
Jesus said,“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3
1. Understand God’s Plan: Life and Peace
God loves you and wants you to experience life and peace. Jesus said:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
John 3:16
“I have come that they may have life,
and that they may have it more abundantly.”
John 10:10
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
John 14:27
2. Major Problem: Separation from God
Being at peace with God is not automatic because by nature you are separated from God because God is holy and you have sinned. The Bible says:
“The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one.” Psalms 14:2-3 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23
People try to bridge this separation from God by trying to get to God by good deeds, religion, philosophy, or morality, but they do not meet God’s holy standard.
3. God’s Remedy: The Cross of Christ
Because God is absolutely holy and just, He could not ignore our sin, so He sent His Son, Jesus to pay the penalty for the sin of the world. God’s love bridged the gap of separation between God and you. When Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, God’s justice was satisfied and this made it possible for you to have a relationship with Him.
The Bible says, “And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”1 Peter 2:24
“For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in [Jesus], and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”
Colossians 1:19-20
4. You must respond: Call out to God
God does not force you to love Him, but He invites you to voluntarily receive His free gift of salvation. Hear His personal invitation and call out to God.
“Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.”
Hebrews 4:7
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23
“Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.” Isaiah 55:6
“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Romans 10:13
Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”
John 5:24
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”
John 1:12
“Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”
Romans 10:11
Entering into a Relationship with God
To enter into a relationship with God, the Bible says you need to do four things:
1. Confess (admit) your sin and your spiritual need.
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” 1 John 1:8-10
To confess your sin means simply admit to God that you have done wrong things in your life, said things you shouldn’t, thought things you shouldn’t, and that you haven’t done everything you should have. God wants to wash away your sin, forgive you, and grant you the righteousness that you need to have a relationship with Him.
2. Repent and be willing to turn from your sin.
The Bible says, “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come
from the presence of the Lord”
Acts 3:19
“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38
Jesus said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” Matthew 3:2
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Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him.”
Isaiah 55:7
To repent literally means “turn around.” It means to stop going one direction, turn around, and go in a different direction. You must be willing to turn from your sins and to walk in a new direction, in a relationship with God.
3. Believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for you and rose from the dead.
The Bible says, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
Romans 10:9-10
“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”
John 20:31
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.”
Romans 1:16
4. Call upon the name of the Lord.
The Bible says, “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13
In the Bible, Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:2
Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him,
and he with Me.”
Revelation 3:20
Prayer of Surrender to God
Pray this simple prayer.
Heavenly Father, I confess that I have sinned against You. I repent, and turn away from my sin to follow after You. I believe that Jesus died upon the cross for my sin and rose on the third day from the grave, as the scriptures say. I now call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I ask for Your forgiveness of my sin. I ask that I might be born again of Your Spirit. I now confess that Jesus is Lord, and now yield my life to His control. Amen.
What Salvation Means
If you have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, called upon His name, repented from your sin and have committed your life to Him, you are now a Christian. Here is what the Bible says happened when you believed: