We Must Be

     There are only two places in scripture where it is written, "ye must be": (1) "Ye must be born again (John 3:7), and (2) "Certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law" (Acts 15:24). The first "must be" is what everyone must do to enter the Kingdom of God. The second "must be" are two of the things everyone must not do to attempt to enter the Kingdom of God. "Marvel not", Jesus said in the first instance, I would assume that we all expect that keeping the Law is the way to enter into Heaven. Of course, circumcision is the pledge to keep the whole Law!
     What is the Law? God's commandments - a list of things to do and not to do! Marvel not! You don't need to do those things to be born again! There is one and only one thing anyone must do! "Ye MUST BE born again!"  I'm not marveling at Jesus's behest. I know what it takes to be born again. Faith is a gift, and the giving of that gift is by grace.

Ephes 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.

   Remember, marvel not! You don't even need be amazed. Things people do are not saving.  The one thing people must do is use the gift - the one gifted by God to everyone because He desires that "none should perish" (John 3:16).Whether anyone wants it or not, you have the gift of faith. There is a parable of Jesus of what can be done with gifts of money (Luke 19:11-27). Three men were all given the same. Two grew the money; each one was given the same amount. One grew the money by 500%, another by 100%, and one kept God's money safe. He returned to God what God had given him. Two of the three trusted God to grow the money. The latter failed to trust God and endeavored to keep God's gift safe without trusting God to grow it.  God took His gift from the one who didn't grow it at all, and gave it to the one who grew it the most! His reasoning was this:

Luke 19:26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.

     Now apply that parable to God's gift of faith. He gives the faith but the recipient must grow it. That trust is called "the work of faith":

2 Thes 1:11 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power.

     You all have the "gift of faith". Now take that gift and work it? How does one  do that? By trusting God to grow your faith. The one man in the parable got the same gift as the other two. God blessed the two by different amounts because they trusted Him... by different amounts but both trusted. On the other hand, one man failed to trust God at all, and only gave back to God what he had been given. The outcome was that he lost the gift that God had given him because he didn't grow the gift. The same goes for the gift of faith; it is free but we must grow it or lose it!
     If you remember, Jesus used the story of Moses lifting up the brass serpent on a pole. Those who looked up at the snake were kept safe from the deadly poison of vipers. They did nothing but look up because Moses (symbolic of God) held the pole. They trusted that symbolism. On the other hand, those Hebrews who dodged the snakes without looking up were bitten and died. They failed to trust God, and dodged the peril on their own. That brass snake on the pole represented Jesus on the cross. All that must be done for safety is trusting Jesus on the pole. The brass viper appeared red in the sunlight. That represents Jesus's shed blood while on his pole. That was his gift to mankind. Now we must take the gift and grow it by trusting in Jesus's blood:

Rev 1:5 … Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.

     What must one DO to be born again? Have faith in Jesus who on the cross, shed his own blood in place of ours. The spark for that faith is God's gift; it is left to the Christian not only to keep the fire burning, but make it a bon-fire or it can go out!
     Preachers today preach that people "must have a salvation experience."  How does one do that? No one can save themselves, and if they do things for salvation it is like the Hebrews who dodged the snakes themselves. Experiencing salvation is Jesus raising Christians from the grave and the world. You can't do that; only God can! Everyone can, though, trust in the Lord and grow the faith they are given. If that is done, when the time comes, they will then experience salvation! (Unless.) Unless they fail to grow the faith which has been gifted to them. That spark will die if it is not fully burning and kept stoked!
     What is it that you must do? Look up to Jesus who God placed on the pole. Keep looking, for he is there!