Salvation Is A Birth!

The following was written by my son-in-law Todd Lassitter a few years back during the time we had our church. It was done on behalf of so many people who confuse salvation with just saying a prayer, joining a church, or doing good works for salvation.

Salvation is a Birth

(not a prayer)

   If you were to go up on top of a fifty story building and step off, what would happen? Obsiously, you would hit the sidewalk pretty hard...But what if you didn't believe in gravity? Well, you would still hit the sidewalk regardless whether you believed in gravity or not.

   Hell is exactly the same. Hell exists whether you choose to believe in it or not. The scary part is, the day that you were physically born is the same day that you stepped off the building. According to the scripture, if your body dies before you are 'born again' you will splash right into a lake of fire where you will burn for ever and ever.

   There are several misconceptions that people have concerning spiritual things. One of the most common of which is that you are your body. Your body is physical, you are not. You are inside your body, you are not your body. Think of your body as a vehicle that carries you around where ever you want to go in this life. One day it will die, but you will not. You are not physical. You cannot die. People seem to have a hard time with this, but simply put let's say that you were in a car accident and lost both your legs. There is now 35 to 40 percent of your body missing...how much of you is gone? Is 40% of your memory perished, or your feelings, what percentage of your ability to reason is gone? So it is very easy to establish that you are not your physical body. You also have a spititual body referred to by the scripture as your soul. An exact duplicate of your physical body, your soul has eyes, ears, nose, tongue, arms, legs, etc. it can touch, taste, feel, smell, hear, etc., but it cannot die. It is not physical. That is the problem with hell.

   Hell is a real place, just as real as the sidewalk in the above illustration, real flames, real heat, real pain, but your body (your spiritual body, your soul) can't burn up. It's not physical. It and you (because you're in it) can feel the flames, experience the torment, but neither it nor you can ever die because neither you nor your soul is physical. And hell will never end because God will never die.  God is a spirit according to the scriptures, and cannot die. He will place in hell everyone that does not get spiritually born before their body dies. (John: 3)

   So, what is this spiritual birth? It is an actual, literal, real birth (it's just not physical) but there are many similarities. In physical child birth a process is involved that leads up to the actual birth. A seed must be planted, conception has taken place, then the fetus starts to form and grow. Finally, if there are no problems or complications the child is birthed into this world. Physical child birth is referred to by the scripture as 'born of water' because it is impossible for a woman to birth a child without first breaking her water. But according to the scripture, physical birth is not enough. You must also be born spiritually.

   Just as you had nothing to do with your first birth neither do you have anything to do with your second birth. The first time you were born your mother birthed you. The second time that you are born God births you, or more specifically the Holy Spirit births you. Therefore, it is called by the scripture 'born of the Spirit'. Likewise, there is a very similar process involved in this second birth (Romans 10:14,15). A seed has to be planted in you which is the word of God. No seed will grow without water, so someone has to pray for you. Slowly, understanding begins to form, and if there are no problems or complications you will come to the point where you realize that your sins are against God and repent. If you come to this point then God will give you the faith to believe that Jesus Christ bore your sins on the cross at Calvary and that his shed blood atones for those sins. Then when you call on him he will spiritually birth you into His family.

   That is salvation. And just as you cannot be physically unborn (once you're born, you're born, you can't undo it) neither can you be spiritually unborn because a literal birth has taken place. You were birthed by God himself according to the scriptures. If you get 'born again' you still might have many concerns because you're still in this flesh and it will trouble you, but hell will never again trouble you. You are no longer a child of the Devil--you have been born a child of God.

   Repentance is the key. You must recognize yourself reprobate before a righteous and holy God, deserving of hell, and repent. It doesn't matter how many prayers you pray or how much you believe (the devils believe also) the scripture says, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish".

Sinner, repent and call on Jesus Christ to save your soul from hell today. Tomorrow is too late!!!