Have you ever thought about what that verse REALLY means? It means God loved you so much, that he was willing to watch his "only" son die a horrible, painful death, because it meant you could come to Heaven. It meant we could all be saved from dying that horrible death ourselves, even though we deserved it. But Jesus, in His sacrificing love, died in our place.
The Bible says "The wages of sin is death."--Romans 6:23. When sin entered the human race with Adam and Eve, it was decreed that a blood sacrifice had to be made to atone for the sin. In the beginning, the sacrifice was a spotless animal, usually a lamb. But when Jesus came and died on the cross, his blood sacrifice cancelled the bonage of sin forever. The shedding of his blood was that powerful! It was a one-time event that would change the course of history forever! Any man, woman or child could call on the name of Jesus and be saved from their sins, once and for all. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice, the Lamb of God.
Many have wondered what it means to be born again. It's so simple, that many stumble right over it, sure that it can't truly be that simple, but it is. To be born again means simply to accept what Jesus did on the cross for you, that he died for your sins in your place, and to thank him and accept him as your Savior. It's simply accepting the act of love made by Jesus and acknowledging that you believe he did it for you. If you believe you are a sinner and believe that you need forgiveness for your sins before you can go to Heaven and you want to be born again, then you must lay down your own will and give your life to Jesus. After all, he paid for your life with his own blood; meaning he bought you freedom from sin with his blood so that you could go to Heaven when you die, if only you will ask to be forgiven. If you want to say the Sinner's Prayer and ask Jesus into your heart, click here for a simple prayer to use as a guide:
Below are some scriptures and pictures to renew and feed your spirit. May God bless you and keep you until that great day when Jesus returns for us, His church!
"It isn't your sacrifices and your gifts I want--I want you to be merciful. For I have come to urge sinners, not the self-righteous, back to God." --Matthew 9:13
"If anyone publicly acknowledges me as his friend, I will openly acknowledge him as my friend before my Father in heaven. But if anyone publicly denies me, I will openly deny him before my Father in heaven." --Matthew 10:32-33
By now it was noon, and darkness fell across the whole land for three hours, until three o'clock. The light from the sun was gone--and suddenly the thick veil hanging in the Temple split apart.
Then Jesus shouted, "Father, I commit my spirit to you," and with those words, he died. --Luke 24:44-46