One can be a believer of Christian obedience, sincere and know of God only his commandments, his demands, his anger, paradise, hell, his apparent distance from men and all the rites of religion with its splendid ornaments, its magnificent ceremonies, powerful organs, sacred scents or its rhythmic music, joyful and full of dances.

It is possible for a sincere and pious believer to be regularly beset by doubt and have, in fact, no deep and stable certainty as to the existence of God or eternity.

Millions of authentic, pious and consecrated Christian believers love the righteous God who resides in heaven, who has certainly sent Jesus but who punishes the sinner and reproaches the lack of holiness of his children. Many of the faithful seek the Lord's favor by imposing penance, all forms of deprivation or abstinence. Some go so far as to mortify themselves, climbing mountains to the point of bloodying their knees.

No one should be advised to make any judgment about a believer and his beliefs. First, because God alone has the right to be a judge. Secondly, because God does not only look at the actions of men, but also and much to their motivations. And He alone can do that because He is the only one who can read in the heart and therefore judge righteously.

It is permissible to have and give an opinion, but this opinion should only be shared if it is not likely to hurt and if it is shared gently. The Lord teaches us that love must prevail over freedom and our convictions (Romans 14:1-6). The wisdom from above is peaceable, gentle, reasonable and full of good fruits. It is neither violent nor bitterly zealous in wanting to defend the truth (James 3:13-17).

Let me share some thoughts. And please listen to me to the end.

For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision (practicing the rites of a religion), but a new creation. And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them... Galatians 6 :15-16

The new creation, the one who is born again, has deep, ingrained certainties in his heart that are not based on any human logic or reasoning.

The one who is born again knows that he or she is loved by God and feels no need to self-suggestion or to convince oneself of it.

The one who is born again knows he or she has been forgiven for all sins and accepts no condemnation, he or she has no doubt about his or her entry into heaven and has been fully convinced in the inner being, by God himself that salvation rests only on Jesus Christ.

The one who is born again knows that he or she will never do enough to win God's favor and does not even try. He or she knows that God's favor is all earned, regardless of any work or action.

The one who is born again loves God with a love flowing from his heart. No need to force oneself. It's flowing. He or she just needs to be taught, by the anointing of the Holy Spirit in him/her and through ministries and the Word of God, how to live and remain in Jesus Christ, in order to sustain himself/herself in this joyful life. A holy and victorious life is now possible.

The one who is born again has the will and the power to free himself from all addictions, from all devastating passions, from all dominating and demeaning sins. He or she has the power to say no to sin and to no longer be crushed by it.

The one who is born again knows without a shadow of a doubt; for his spiritual eyes have opened, that Christ is alive and that He is now the Shepherd of his life, the One who will help him/her to go through all trials which are the share of all humans, indiscriminately. The storm blows on all but those who have Jesus in their boat never sink.

Jesus is alive. Already, historically many know that He died on a cross. But the Father resurrected him. A resurrected is someone who had died and returned to life.

The risen Christ is more than the man who died on the cross. The risen one has regained his divine glory and power. He has the power to save us today. The one who is born again has met this living, truly Living Person, who has passed through death, who is resurrected and who lives forever. He or she met Him in his inner being, more actually than one would have met a visible person. For this reason, he or she will never be able to doubt again.

Are you born again?

The believer, the authentic and pious believer does not necessarily experience all this. Belief does not bring anyone into this life, into these certainties, into this solid and ineradicable faith.

You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. James 2 :19

The Bible tells us that demons are as much believers as we are, even more so, and that is why they shudder. Their belief does not lead them into the presence of God. Salvation is not in belief. The demons are lost for eternity and their future is in a lake of fire despite their great belief.

Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3 :3

Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. John 3 :5

Jesus made it clear that to see the kingdom of God and to enter it, one must be born again! He did not foresee any other means. It is He, the Decision maker, the Chief, the Wise, the Lord, He who tells us insistently, insisting, repeating the word truly twice: truly, truly I say to you: you must be born again or you will not see or enter the kingdom of God.

for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14 :17

The Kingdom of God is not a geographical place or heaven. The Bible, which gives any explanation, teaches us in the book of Romans that the kingdom of God is righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit, already on earth and in fullness in heaven. Then let us paraphrase the words of Jesus, 'If a man is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter into the righteousness, peace and joy that the Holy Spirit shares.

It's more understandable, isn't it? Jesus was talking about these things to a teacher of the law, Nicodemus, a religious man more educated than you and me about God's law. And Nicodemus didn't understand anything to the point of saying: 'but, how could a man get into his mother's womb and then get out?' No, he did not understand that this new birth occurs first in the inner being.

It would not be reasonable to describe how the new birth occurs. For everyone, it is a different experience. But in all cases:

• We do know we are born again
• In the days, weeks following the new birth, we observe changes and even drastic changes in the way we act and think. We really become a different person while remaining ourselves.
• We have made an irrevocable decision and we know that we have changed course. We have firmly decided that Christ would now be the leader of our lives.
• We know, without a shadow of a doubt, that we are forgiven for all our sins and our love for the Lord no longer bears the very idea of displeasing him with any disobedience.
• We know that Jesus Christ lives with us and that He is now our Shepherd
• There is no longer any doubt about the person of Christ, even if we sometimes have questions about His ways that we do not always understand, but deep doubt no longer exists.
• And the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit in us is by no means the product of any mental effort.

No believer, merely a believer, unless he is born again, experiences this. It's supernatural.

The one who is born again enters with wonder into a luminous life. There is, however, no difference between the born again and the simple believer, no superiority of one over the other.

The believer has no less value than the one who is born again because everything is received by grace. He simply needs a witness to tell him that it is possible and necessary to go further, to live more than just belief, which over time may diminish, if it has not already happened. New birth is the standard given by Jesus Christ himself.

You may be saying, is this possible? Why doesn't anyone talk about it? Is there any chance that I too could go through this?

Yes it is possible and someone is talking to you about it today. Someone who has lived it, millions in the world have lived it and it is also possible for you, for all because:

This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus 1 Timothy 2 :4-5

There is no recipe. But there are obstacles to identify. Then it will be between you and the Lord. Let's rely on the texts of the Bible. God has inspired men over centuries to make us know His Will. Through His Word, we know what we can reasonably expect from Him.

Biblical texts are solid foundations. Many people who are ill-intentioned or simply totally ignorant want to undermine the reliability of these texts through all kinds of smoky and unfounded theories. I feel sorry for them. It will be difficult for them to enter into the presence of God, for it is precisely through trust in his promises and in his Word that we can receive from Him all the riches of his grace. There are no other ways.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1 :12-14

This text explains us that by believing in Jesus, in His Name, one is likely to receive a power, the power to become a son of God. We are then born of God and not of the blood, nor of the will of the flesh or of man.

It doesn't come from blood: you don't inherit being a son of God at birth from your parents. You become one.

This does not come from the will of the flesh: the flesh here has the meaning of human nature, its desires, its thoughts and the strength of its will. You are not born again by the power of your will, by your efforts or by your actions. It is not self-suggestion or the result of any mental power.

This does not come from the will of man: no man, even the most sincere and pious, the highest priest or preacher, nor the prayers of either have the power to make you born again even if they contribute to it.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2 :8-9

not of yourselves: We cannot bring anything to God that has enough value for Him to give birth to us again. You can jump, scream, moan, raise your arms to heaven, sulk, haggle, trick or do so many magnificent and praiseworthy works. Nothing will do. Not of yourselves, says the Word. None of our actions can trigger the new birth.

For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; Isaiah 64 :5

Our righteousness, our good deeds, our merits, do not give us any right of entry. They're like a filthy garment. They will not force God to make you his child.

Even our faith will not suffice or our repentance, as we are going to see. Our faith does not save us. Jesus alone saves us even with a billionth of a faith, a grain of mustard. Our faith, big or small, makes no difference. Jesus blessed the one to whom He declared ‘O woman, your faith is great' (Matthew 15:28) as much as the one who said to Him ‘I do believe; help my unbelief' (Mark 9:24).

It is God's gift: We are totally dependent, at the mercy of God's goodwill. If He does not intervene, if He does not decide to act from above, nothing will happen.

What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, "I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION." So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. Romans 9:14-17

And if we persist in wanting to win the Lord's favor pretending to have any merit, this is a major obstacle to new birth. Read the Parable of the Pharisee :

Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: `God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector;

I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.

But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, `God, be merciful to me, the sinner!.

I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exaltedé. Luke 18 :10-13

You have to assimilate that. It's extremely frustrating, annoying, unbearable for human nature. Our nature will always look in one way or another to be part of it. Well, no. It is the Sovereign Grace, the merits of Jesus Christ and nothing else that trigger spark the miracle. Our participation is minimal.

But then I'm wasting my time, will you tell me?

No! On the other hand, just make sure that God has promised new birth. It will be easier to receive because He is faithful unlike man. Everything He promises, He does. And if we are certain to ask for something He has already promised to give, it strengthens us. When you know you are entitled to something, you have insurance to claim it until you get it. Even obstacles or delays can't stop your determination, you know you're entitled to it!

Now you have read the words of Jesus above about new birth. What more do you need? You must be born again.

So here's the path to new birth:

• Repenting
• Accept who Jesus Christ is, what He says, and invite him to live and reign in our hearts.
• REPENTANCE and FAITH. FAITH and REPENTANCE.

Very simple in words!

REPENTANCE

To repent is to realize that we have lived the life of a blind and deaf until now, having heard of God in catechism, in Sunday school, through our parents, our friends, through books, through the Bible or a personal research. Yes, we've heard of God, but He's always been a theory, never a person intensely present in our lives.

The result is that we direct our lives as we see fit, being driven, sometimes in spite of ourselves, by the wills of our thoughts and our human nature, often committing acts that we know to be reprehensible but it is stronger than us, out of selfishness, out of passion.

Repenting is when we decide that this lifestyle, we don't want it anymore. It takes halh a second to repent. Although we are aware that we do not yet have the power to get away from it. It is wanting to change mentality, way of thinking, it is wanting to change attitude, convinced that only Jesus Christ, the Shepherd, will be able to direct our life properly.

"Now I want you Jesus, to lead my life. I am sorry for all that I have done that I knew to be wrong and for all that I have not done and that would have been good. I am sorry and want to change, give my life to you and let you lead it. I no longer want to be a slave to my inclinations, bad attitudes or devouring passions. “

How many times have you ever repented like this?

If you've done it many times, you may have become tired. "It's useless," you maybe said to yourself; "It doesn't change anything anyway, I start again the next day."

Yes, this repentance was a necessary first step but it did not introduce you to new birth. Cheer up, you're not far away!

THE KEY

I've been through that too. I always repented for the same things, all the time and without change. I felt every time I was doing it, that it stayed at a very superficial level. It didn't really spring from the depths of myself, even if regrets were sincere. And I couldn't figure out how to get it out of my guts. It was always on the edge of the skin. It was frustrating. I had no idea how to be more sincere, deeper so that it was really a cry of guts. It was out of my reach.

Then one day I received a very simple instruction and the deliverance came. A brother showed me, through the Word of God, that only God can give true repentance that is profound, authentic and definitive.

The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. 2 Timothy 2 :24-26

Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit John 3 :5-7

 I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us, For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death 2 Corinthians 7 :9

You repented. You were sincere but let’s understand what Jesus is trying to teach us through 'what is born of the flesh is flesh' and apply it to repentance.

It means that repentance that comes from the flesh (from human nature and its abilities) is flesh (remains within the limits of what human nature and capacities can produce). It is sincere, it is not bad, it shows our desire to change course but it is insufficient.

We need the intervention of the Spirit. The fire from above must consume the sacrifice. What is born of the Spirit is spirit. There is a repentance of the flesh, human, and a repentance by the Spirit, led by the Spirit of God. There is a sorrow of the flesh, human, which is limited to sincere but vain regrets, and a sorrow by the Spirit, according to God led by the Spirit of God which leads to true repentance. 

It is God's gift so that no one will glorify his beautiful repentance or great faith. God is the author of our salvation from beginning to end.

The brother encouraged me to ask God for true repentance, the one that comes from Him. I followed the instruction. Blessed be this inspired man! It triggered everything.

We cannot bring anything to God that is acceptable, as we have said. Only the recognition and confession of our total inability to please him in any way, and our request that He do in us, what we fail to do, is the trigger for any blessing from above. It's not from you. What is born of the Spirit is Spirit. God gives to anyone who asks.

He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5 :3

The kingdom of God, righteousness, peace and joy through the Holy Spirit, new birth is for the poor in spirit, for those who recognize their spiritual poverty (life of the spirit).

The day God granted me his repentance, I saw my sins and rebellion like I had never seen them before. It happened when I didn't expect it anymore and it's a memorable day I'll never forget. In the presence of love of the Holy Spirit, I repented with all my heart, as I had never been able to do by myself.

The experience varies from person to person. For me it was very emotional but it is not a reference. For others it will be quite different in its manifestation. It may be different for you.

But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth… John 16 :13

But whatever the way the new birth takes place, in all cases, because it is the Comforter, the Holy Spirit who leads you into repentance, you repent in truth, deeply, resolutely, decidedly, in a depth and authenticity that only the Spirit can infuse, in the light of Grace which is in Jesus Christ and which instantly erases from your conscience, all the sins that He shows you and that you recognize. You're forgiven. Definitely washed. You know that and nothing can make you go back. That day you are born again.

A visitation of the Holy Spirit in a meeting of the Church, this feeling of having been touched by the presence of God, those tears that may have flowed from your eyes do not make you be born again. A decision is needed. Faith alone is not enough as it is not a decision. Repentance given by God leads to a profound and definitive position. We are driven to commit all our will. In that moment, the whole being finds the determination to change course.

Only this moment of decision gives the green light to the Lord. Then you decide who to follow, your old way of life or Him? You tell him, He takes note and your life is transformed.

Don't be discouraged. It sounds inaccessible, too good to be true but it's real. Supernatural, extraordinary but very real. It is the normal experience of the Christian according to the New Testament stories and that makes you the happiest person in the world. Does that mean you're out of range? You are right! It's totally out of YOUR reach. So what? It is not your work but that of the One who wants you to be born again, even more than you do, to add you to the community of His children. He made you his child by adoption, before the foundation of the world. He is at work today. Ask God to lead you into the deep and true repentance that comes from Him. He will take you there and change your life forever.

Let me share one last thing that should help you. I do not preach an experiment; I illustrate with experience what is taught in the Scriptures; it's quite different.

I would like to mention that during this time of repentance given by the Spirit, I had a moment of cold sweat. As I was bathed in tears, in His presence, and receiving His relieving forgiveness for all sins passed, the Spirit began to point out things that I was still doing and that I clearly had to also give up.

To my amazement, something woke up and roared within me. I found myself unable to give up anything and began to argue, to negotiate, to justify myself, to minimize the seriousness of these things. But no matter how much I did and said, the Lord showed me that it was not negotiable and that I had to give up everything at his feet. That's when I got cold sweat.

I wanted to, but my whole being was hardly saying no. I couldn't give up. Impossible. I didn't want to. And I felt that this new life that was offered to me was escaping me because I was unable to accept the Lord's conditions. Incredible massive forces of resistance that I had never carried out were there, in me, in spite of myself, raised like a mountain against the Lord's will, stronger than my will; and it lasted a while. I realized that I was lost. I didn't want to, I couldn't; the answer was no, definitely no. I will not give up or give up anything, I liked those things too much….

There was a moment of silence and immobility and in my desperate mind, the Spirit of God suddenly gave me a way out. "Ask me for the strength and the will to abandon everything to me." After a few very struggling moments of hesitation, I reluctantly said to God, and against my apparent will (but which will !?) and in any case not feeling any real personal desire that He do it: “Lord, give me the will to yield and give you everything “. Instantly, resistance faded and peace and joy flooded my soul. And that flow flowed for weeks and weeks. We can't invent that!

And even less give up everything, without His help, by the sheer force of our will!

Our human nature rejects God and it becomes very obvious when the Lord casts His light upon us. Our eyes open and we realize how much our natural being hates God's ways. But that doesn't stop Him from saving us. Jesus Christ offered Himself for us on the Cross and to put to death this human resistance. This resistance is called: sin, singular. Jesus Christ saves us even and above all from sin.

Yes, I understood that every human being is truly lost, irretrievably rebellious to God and that the Lord is truly a powerful Savior. He can save us perfectly from ourselves and our resistance. Jesus Christ is the perfect Savior, I repeat. He perfectly saves the one who accepts to receive everything from Him. This lesson is engraved and I do not think it was useless to share it.

That day, I experienced (before I had even read them and knew them) these few truths that the Word teaches us:

and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority. Colossians 2 :10

for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Philippians 2 :13

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Romans 11 :36

and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Colossians 2 :11

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4 :8

If you cannot make the decision, He can still help you, inspire you, give you intelligence, and click to desire to repent. He knows what we are formed of, he remembers that we are dust (Psalms 103). You have to ask Him everything. The new life He gives is bright, beautiful, exciting, peaceful, joyful, productive, and fruitful. We are dependent on God. Salvation is God's gift. Jesus Christ is our Savior. He saves us from ourselves.

FAITH

Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ--this Jesus whom you crucified.
Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?
Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit; For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself. Acts of the Apostles 2 :36-38

The promise is for all in as great a number as the Lord will call. But it is said on the other hand that Jesus attracts all men to Him, men and women:

And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself. But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die. John 12 :32

Jesus was raised on a cross first. Then he was raised in glory to the Father and from there He sent what had been promised: the Holy Spirit, the Comforter who Alone can lead us into the Kingdom of God, from new birth to our entry into heaven in the full and perfect presence of God.

To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, which, He said, you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. Acts of the Apostles 1 :3-5

The Holy Spirit was sent at Pentecost (Acts of the Apostles 2) and since then, He is here, on earth, among the son of men. If the Holy Spirit attracts you, too, as you read these lines, recognize His way of speaking. You won't hear a voice. He does not utter audible words: 'Come to Jesus, give Him the direction of your life'. He attracts you, it is His words to Him, living words that speak to the heart and will. You know it in your heart. It's time to hand over to Jesus Christ the direction of your entire life.

For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. 1 Peter 2:25

God would like all men to be born again through the Spirit of God. Jesus was crucified. And his crucifixion is the price paid so that all may receive a new cleaned heart that becomes the dwelling of the risen Christ.

An inspired Christian song says, you can be born again, you can start all over again, sweep your past life, and start over with Jesus for Shepherd.

You must be born again, said Jesus Christ. Change course, give Him the direction of your whole life (that's what means the old term repent), and believe in Him, in His help and in His action in you from beginning to end. To have faith also means to ask God to add to our human repentance, the true repentance and the faith that also come from Him (Hebrews 12:2; Romans 10:17). What is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Jesus is dead, resurrected and He ascended into glory to send the Holy Spirit who wants to take you by hand and lead you to the foot of the Cross, for the forgiveness of all your sins, to be freed from sin (singular) and then once your heart is cleaned, to lead you, into an increasingly intimate communion with Jesus, making you a dwelling of Christ in Spirit on earth.

Tell him yes, come Lord Jesus Christ to live and rule over my life, over my heart!

This is the message of the gospel for you and for me.