How can I be “born again” so that I go to Heaven when I die?
To be born again, we all must pray a simple prayer. In this prayer there are various simple things you must do, without leaving anything out.
- Acknowledge to God that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for you personally, and rose from the dead.
- Ask God’s forgiveness for all of the sins that you have ever committed.
- Turn away from and stop any known sin. This is known as Repentance.
- Forgive anyone who has ever sinned against you, or any member of your family.
- Ask God’s forgiveness because the Blood of Jesus Christ cleans you personally from sin.
- Ask God to send the Holy Spirit to come to live in you.
- Acknowledge to God that Jesus Christ is your Personal Saviour.
Is there anything else I need to know before praying this prayer?
Yes. It is essential to be aware of some Biblical concepts before this prayer is prayed. These are explained below. The Sinner’s Prayer for Evangelism is in a previous chapter.
What is Repentance?
The Bible says we are all sinful. The Bible states: “All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God’, Romans 3:23. We must stop anything sinful, and ask forgiveness from God Who is Holy, and will not allow sin in His presence. There are TWO parts to repentance! One part is to ask forgiveness for the sin, the other is to stop doing it. Half the job doesn’t count! It is essential to repent properly, which means spending some time thinking about your life.
What in practical simple terms does this mean for each one of us?
In simple terms this means that we should obey the Ten Commandments. Here is a shortened version of the Ten Commandments: Exodus 20:3 -17 (shortened, from The Living Bible)
- You may worship no other god than Me.
- You shall not make yourselves any idols, and you must never bow or worship idols in any way.
- You shall not use the name of Jehovah your God irreverently.
- Remember to observe the Sabbath as a holy day.
- Honour your father and mother.
- You must not murder.
- You must not commit adultery.
- You must not steal.
- You must not lie.
- You must not be envious of your neighbour’s house, or anything else he has.
The first commandment is that we must only worship the God of the Bible. We must all remove any false idols in our lives, such our money, our careers, our homes, our appearance, alcohol, drugs, any addictions, or anything else that is more important to us than God Himself. We must stop completely any form of sin such as swearing, murder, any form of sexual immorality, theft, lying, and lust. We all have a conscience, which is God’s voice within us (see below). God uses our conscience to show each one of us what He does not approve of.
Who is Jesus Christ?
The Bible is perfectly clear the Jesus Christ is God. According to John Chapter 1, Jesus was present right at the beginning of Creation, and He made everything. Life is in Him. To those who receive Him, Jesus gives the right to become a child of God. This is explained in the opening verses of the Gospel of John.
‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to his own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believed in His name.’ (John 1:1-4, 10-12.)
Believe that Jesus is the Christ
The Bible is perfectly clear that Jesus Christ, and He alone, is the Messiah. We must acknowledge this to God the Father in prayer. Jesus clarified that He is the Messiah in the following text: ‘The high priest asked him, saying unto Him, ‘Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?’ Jesus said, ‘I am.’ (Mark 14:61-62.)
True faith in Jesus Christ will give us eternal life in Him in Heaven, as stated in the following famous verse: ‘God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes on Him should not perish but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16.)
The Greek word used here implies having faith in Jesus Christ. It is more than an intellectual acknowledgement that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Many people vaguely believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. However, true faith in Jesus Christ is much more than this. It is a true faith in Jesus Christ, which can only come after a true conversion experience, and receiving the Holy Spirit.
We need to know and believe further facts about Jesus Christ, discussed in the next chapter.