Why you should be born again; Heaven is a gift not a reward

Hello, thank you so much for clicking this link. May God continually bless you. So last week we talked about what it means to be born again. I appreciate all your comments and feedback, it means a lot to me when you interact with me.

By the topic, we are discussing the amazing perks of being born again. Let me drop one of my favourite scriptures that makes me excited about the reality of being born again.

1 Peter 2:9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

See as a believer, you are not regular! You are extra special! You have Jesus on your side constantly negotiating and mediating for you. That is why when we pray in the name of Jesus, it is like Jesus praying to the God the father. There are no limits! God loves you, it is not a maybe it is a guarantee that you are beloved. Christianity is the religion that you don't wait till the last day to be sure that you are approved, you know that you are approved. You are in right standing with God.

Hebrews 9:15 (AMPC): [Christ, the Messiah] is therefore the Negotiator and Mediator of an [entirely] new agreement (testament, covenant), so that those who are called and offered it may receive the fulfillment of the promised everlasting inheritance—since a death has taken place which rescues and delivers and redeems them from the transgressions committed under the [old] first agreement.

How do you feel knowing that you are loved dearly by God? Under the new testament, we love God because he first loved us. We are not afraid of hell because that conversation has been ended. We don't serve him out of obligation, we serve him because we love him. This love is deeper than we can ever imagine.

As a born again, there are amazing perks associated with it.

You have a blessed assurance

This assurance is far greater than Davido's assurance😁😁. I want you to know that whatever you are going through right now God is working for you. The hope you have in Christ will never disappoint you. You will never be ashamed for putting your hope in Christ. Hope is a sure and certain promise that God's will shall come to pass. As believers, our lives can be likened to the highlights of a past football game. No matter how difficult the game looks, there is a guaranteed assurance of the end being victorious.

Romans 5:1-2 TLB: So now, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith in his promises, we can have real peace with him because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 For because of our faith, he has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to actually becoming all that God has had in mind for us to be.

Here is a wonderful song to remind you how much God is on your side. If you are going through something that seems like its bigger than you, I pray this song touches your heart and reminds you of your blessed assurance. (God is fighting for us, pushing back the darkness - Darlene Zschech)

You are at peace with God

As a believer, God is no longer angry with you. You are a child of God, you approach God like a child does by saying, Papa. No matter what you do God cannot be angry with you. He expended all of his anger on Jesus on the cross. Your relationship with God moves from that of judgement to that of love. God is not with a sledgehammer waiting to catch you messing up, he is now your father always there to guide you in everything you do. We relate with God in a love based relationship because he is madly in love with us. This love is a stronger motivation to live a holy and pleasing life. Hellfire has been taken away from the table, now you please him because he loves you dearly.

Romans 5:9-10 AMP: 9 Therefore, since we have now been justified [declared free of the guilt of sin] by His blood, [how much more certain is it that] we will be saved from the [a]wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, it is much more certain, having been reconciled, that we will be saved [from the consequences of sin] by His life [that is, we will be saved because Christ lives today].

So you are probably thinking, Bibi is this freedom to do whatever we want? Absolutely not! We love our father and he loves us, why would we do something to intentionally hurt our papa? Even when we hurt him unintentionally, Just like an earthly father, he disciplines us because he knows sin is dangerous for his children. He always forgives and forgets our offences like they never happened. In God's discipline, there is no wrath.

You have full access to God

Before man fell, Adam and Eve had full access to God. They fellowshipped with God in the cool of the evening. There was no separation between man and God. But after the fall of man, we got separated from our father. But through Jesus, we are united with God and have unlimited access to him. We can talk to him, fellowship with him and hear from him. There is no more limitation. We can't improve on this union, it has been perfected in love.

Ephesians 3:12 KJV:In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

Ephesians 2:18NIV: For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

God formed us, sin deformed us, Christ transformed us!

Now that you have a better understanding who a born again is and what some benefits of being born again are, what will you do differently in your walk with God?

"This impetus of holiness is understanding that nothing I can ever do will separate me from God." - Pastor Dan Addo

With love,

Bibi.