4. New Birth

Even though I was searching, I wasn't ready to find anything yet.  I had attended church, read parts of the Bible, attended a Billy Graham movie, and visited a tent revival.  It sounded strange and funny to me, almost like they were speaking another language.  When I took my date to the door after the Billy Graham movie, "The Restless Ones", I apologized to her. I hadn't realized it would be religious.  We were a bit obnoxious in the theater.  We kept giggling.  Although I was genuinely searching, I was not ready to find.

But something happened between my senior year in High School and Spring of my freshman year in college.  

I could say that I found Christ, but He found me.  A group of students at Penn State were systematically sharing Christ with the freshmen in West Halls.  Since my name started with "Z" I was one of the last ones they talked with.  I'm glad they were thorough.  An older student met me in the snack bar and shared "The Four Spiritual Laws" with me.  Finally, it clicked.  He told me that God loved me, that I was a sinner, that Christ had died for me to pay the penalty of my sin, and that I needed to receive Christ as my Savior and Lord.  I was ready.  I prayed the suggested prayer that evening.  I meant it with all my heart.  I received Christ and asked Him to take total control of my life.  I had tried running it for eighteen years and only messed things up.  I wanted Him to take a turn.

For me, the transformation was immediate.  I began seeing everything in a new light.  Nature seemed more beautiful.  People seemed more lovable.  I felt peace in my heart like never before.    When my roommate asked me, "What has happened to you?" I answered, I don't know but I think I've found the answer to life.”  When I read in John chapter three where Jesus told Nikodemus "You must be born again", I thought, that must be what happened to me. It was the new birth.


Not everyone has a dramatic conversion at a point in time.  Sometimes it's more gradual.  The exact moment of salvation may be hard to pinpoint.  But there is a new birth, nonetheless.  Many things happen to us when we trust Christ as our Savior and Lord.  We are born again.  We are transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. We become God's children.  We are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.  The Word of God takes on new meaning for us.  I could go on.  The point is, with salvation comes a radical change from within.  We are not talking about simply reforming our lives or trying to clean things up.

One of the earliest changes for me was taking down the girlie pictures from my side of the dorm room.  I also quit swearing and tried to quit smoking (that took a while).  I sold all my drugs and put the money in the collection plate at church.  No-one told me to do these things.  I was changing from the inside out.  I had a new heart, a new mind- "the mind of Christ".

But the big thing for me was the question of meaning and purpose.  Christ met that need incredibly.  As I read the Bible, I learned more of His great love for me and the purpose for which He had created me. I had always thought that life should offer more. Now I was finding the answer to life. The nagging problem I had struggled with was being resolved by a relationship with Christ.

Questions to consider:

1. What is the issue that you struggled with most?  

2. How has Christ answered that need?

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