The New Birth is a spiritual transaction that occurs in the spirit realm. There are two areas of reality: they are (1) the area of "seen reality" and (2) the area of  "unseen reality".  (See Colossians 1:16)  That which occurs in the area of "unseen reality" is more real than that which occurs in the area of "seen reality", for so much of what occurs in the area of "seen reality" originates in the area of "unseen reality", in the spirit realm.

After the 'fall of man' in the Garden of Eden, man inherited a 'sin nature' and lost his immunity to sickness, disease, sin and death (Romans 5:12). God Himself instituted the 'Blood Covenant', the innocent dying for the guilty in Genesis Chapter Three.

In the Old Testament, the sins of the guilty were transferred vicariously to a sacrificial animal so that the sins of the guilty were 'put to death' in the death of an innocent sacrificial animal! That transference occurred in the realm of 'unseen reality' because it occurred in the spirit realm.

The repentant sinner brought his sacrificial animal to the Priest, placed his hands on the head of the sacrificial animal, confessed his sins, and then the sacrificial animal was killed as a sacrifice for the sins confessed.  When the sacrificial animal died, the sins of the repentant sinner 'died' in the animal. The sins were 'put to death' so that the sinner could be forgiven.

In that way, the sentence of death that is on every sinner was executed upon the sacrificial animal so that the repentant sinner received a 'pardon', so to speak. All of the animal sacrifices in the Old Testament provided only a temporary covering of sin, and had to be repeated yearly. Those sacrifices pointed toward the day when God Himself would provide the final, complete, once-for-all sacrifice in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the 'Lamb of God'.

In the New Testament, the exchange in the 'spirit realm' is even more dramatic. As the repentant sinner comes to Jesus Christ, confessing their sins, and in child like faith believing in and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as their 'sin offering', all of their sins, past, present and future are put to death in the Lord Jesus Christ - The Lamb of God. At that time, the 'old man' (the old sin nature), is put to death and the sinner is 'Born Again' in the spirit realm. The repentant sinner receives a 'new nature' - the nature of their Heavenly Father, and then through the process of 'sanctification' they become progressively, increasingly more and more like their Heavenly Father as they submit and surrender in obedience to the Lordship of the Lord Jesus Christ in their day to day life. (See 2 Peter 1:4 and 2 Corinthians 5:17) Sanctification is a lifetime process.

That is exactly what a Pharisee named Nicodemus asked Jesus over two thousand years ago. Read John 3:1-7 and see how Christ Jesus answered that question.

Note: In John 3:5, the word Spirit is capitalized meaning that this 'birthing process' is accomplished by the Holy Spirit, not man's efforts!

1.     Jesus told Nicodemus that a man could not "see the Kingdom of God"
        except or unless they were
      
2.     Jesus told Nicodemus that there were two requirements to enter into the
        Kingdom of God What were they?
       

 (1)
       

 (2)

3.     Being born "of water" (the natural birth process) is a process that occurs in
        the realm of "seen reality or "unseen reality, - which?     
       
4.     Being born "of the Spirit" (spiritual birth - being born again) is a process that
        occurs in the realm of  'seen reality' or 'unseen reality' - which?

5.     Paraphrase, put in your own words, John 3:6.

6.     What role did you play in the process when you were 'born of water'
         (i.e., naturally born of the flesh)?

7.     If you wanted to become 'unborn' now that you are born, how would you
        go about doing that?
       
8.     Read John 6:44 and Ephesians 2:8-9, and state your understanding of the truths
         contained in those verses.

9.     In John 1:12 we find two requirements to be born again. What are they?
       
       (1)
     
       (2) 

10.    What are the results of obeying John 1:12? (See verse 13)

11.    Read Romans 10:9-13. What are the two requirements to be "saved"?
         (To be "saved" is the same as being "born again")

(1)

(2)

12.     Read Acts 16:25-34. What did Paul the Apostle tell the prison keeper he
          must do in order to be 'saved', i.e., 'Born Again'?

 13.     What four proofs do you find in the actions of the prison keeper that he
           actually asked and received Jesus Christ into his heart as Lord and Savior?
       
          (1)
         

  (2)
         

  (3)

  (4)

14. Jesus Christ changes lives! We see a change in the life of the prison keeper in the above episode from the life of Paul the Apostle. These changes can best be described as changes in the a___________s and the a__________s for the keeper of the prison. This was sure proof that he was "born again"!

In order to be born again, one must b_______________ on the Lord Jesus Christ and r____________ Him into the heart as an act of f________.

One must recognize that they are a s_____________ with a s______ n________ at birth and desire a new n___________.

When one believes in their h________ that Jesus is the Son of God, and c______________, with their mouth that God raised Him from the d_________, they shall be s____________. (Romans 10:9-10)

To be born again means the same thing as to be s____________. A person is s___________ from eternal separation from God and from God's eternal judgment upon his s_______s, because his s______s were judged and put to d_________ in Jesus Christ.

When one is born again, their o__________ n_____________ is put to death (Romans 6:6) and they receive the n__________ n_____________ of his H___________ F____________. (2 Peter 1:4).