We hope you enjoy this re-post from March 28, 2013. Be blessed! The Today’s Quote From God Team

Jesus answered and said unto him [Nicodemus], Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. – John 3:3, KJV

This world is home to a lot of defeated Christians. But for many self-identified Christians, the root cause of their defeat is not their failure to claim the promise of 1 Peter 5:7; it is their failure to apply the reality of John 3:3 to their lives.

According to the *Barna Group (see note), in 2011 roughly 80% of Americans called themselves Christians. However, only 48% of those self-proclaimed Christians met the criteria of being “born again,” “born again” Christians being defined as “those who contend they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today, and who also believe they will enter Heaven solely because they have confessed their sins and have accepted Jesus Christ as their savior.” (Source: www.barna.org)

In today’s America, 32% of self-proclaimed Christians are Christians in name only. They have not met the biblical requirement of being born again and, thus, are not truly Christians. To lend credence to the reality that many people call themselves Christians who truly are not, Christ Himself said in Matthew 7:21-23 (KJV):

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

There are, therefore, plenty of people who have a form of godliness, but who deny the power thereof. (2 Timothy 3:5) And it is because they have the form only that they cannot find rest from their cares. They cannot claim the promise of 1 Peter 5:7 because that promise – like all such promises of deliverance in the Bible – is given only to people who have been born again into the family of God. For those who have not experienced this birth into God’ family, there is no rest to be had.

A birth is an event, not an ongoing process (like doing good works to try to earn Heaven) nor something tied to a status (like being a church member or growing up in church) nor a mere intellectual understanding of the Gospel (Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. James 2:19, KJV). The event of the second birth is characterized by an: 1) Understanding that we are sinners deserving of eternal death (Romans 3:23 and 6:23a), that Christ died for our sins (Romans 5:8), and that Christ alone can take us to Heaven (Ephesians 2:8-9), and 2) Deciding to depend totally on Christ to save us from eternal death (John 3:16, Romans 10:9-10). If a person has not reached this understanding and made this decision, then the Bible teaches he or she is not born again.

Are you completely devoid of peace? If so, ask yourself honestly whether or not you’ve been born again. If you have, then claim 1 Peter 5:7 as yours. If you haven’t, then claim **John 3:3 and **John 3:16 (see note) as yours, enter into God’s family today, and then claim 1 Peter 5:7 as your rightful gift from your Heavenly Father!

* NOTE: Located in Ventura, California, Barna Group has been conducting and analyzing primary research to understand cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors since 1984. If you would like to receive free e-mail notification of the release of each new, bi-monthly update on the latest research findings from the Barna Group, you may subscribe to this free service at the Barna website (www.barna.org). Additional research-based resources are also available through this website.

** For more details on how to be born again, please visit our “How To Hear” page by clicking here.