Having said the above, let's get back to the power of Jesus' blood over sin. Jesus' blood doesn't just cleanse us from sins that are past through repentance (Rom. 3:25). It also deals a death blow to the power of our sin nature to dominate our lives. This means it has the power to eradicate both greater and lesser sin from a person's life. This establishes that a person who claims to be "saved" but still actively lives in sin is either totally deceived or a total liar.

      A person is not saved from anything if they are still stuck in it. The word "saved" means taken out of, freed, delivered! This is why it is so critical for us to know that salvation is 1) from SIN and 2) for fellowship with and service toward God. God's plan is to bring us out of sin and into fellowship with Himself (Deut. 6:23).

      I John 3:9-10, in conjunction with John 15:2 & 6, makes it clear that a born again individual does not and can not live in sin because "His seed remaineth" in them as they are abiding in Him. It is obvious that if someone stops abiding, God's seed (Spirit--which is the eternal life within and the source of power over sin), will not remain in such a person.

      The individual who stops abiding in Christ gives sin access to gain control of his soul again. Unrepentant, he will reap the wage of sin which is eternal death (Gal. 6:708, II Tim 2:12). As Galatians 2:18 states, if we go back to doing the sinful things we were set free from, we've made ourselves transgressors AGAIN. We place ourselves once again under the sentence of eternal death which is IN OUR FLESH THROUGH OUR Adamic sin nature!

      Now that we know a Christian can become a transgressor again, a sinner again, let's make sure we know what "born AGAIN" means.

      All people are "sinners" from birth. But while all babies are born sinners, they are not held accountable for this because Sin is not imputed where there is no knowledge of God's moral law (Romans 4:15, 5:13). Thus, all children are born saved (born spiritually alive) because of what is called God's prevenient GRACE.

      John 1:4 & 9 confirms that Jesus, who is eternal life, is alive in every child born into this world. The Apostle Paul in Romans 7:9-11 alludes to this very thing in his own life. He was spiritually alive once, as a child. But when he grew to be a young man (probably in his early teens or sooner) he became accountable to God for the Sin nature within himself and he spiritually died.

      In other words, Paul was "born saved--spiritually alive," but when he reached the age of accountability he "spiritually died." At this point, Paul needed to become spiritually alive AGAIN. He needed to be born spiritually AGAIN.

      This is the exact point Jesus made with Nicodemus in John 3:1-8! Nicodemus didn't understand spiritual truth because he was spiritually dead. That is to say he didn't have God's eternal life and resultant illumination within himself. Thus, Jesus said he needed to become spiritually alive "AGAIN," like he was when he was a little child!

      Jesus had nothing in His mind about a physical "first" birth, and a spiritual "second" birth. Yet this is what the Salvation Cult conveys as the meaning of the passage.

      It confused Nicodemus who brought up physical birth. Jesus was talking about Nicodemus' need for another spiritual birth (3:6), while Nicodemus was thinking of another physical birth (3:4). The Salvation Cult is more confused about Jesus' words than Nicodemus. At least Nicodemus knew the "births" Jesus spoke of were the "same type of birth!"

      The term "again" means just that--again. It means the same thing happening again. As a teenager, if you asked your dad if you could "drive the car again" and he brought out the riding lawn mower, you'd be upset.

      Jesus told Nicodemus he needed to become spiritually alive again. Nicodemus needed to be "birthed from above" again.

      The Salvation Cult would have us all believe there is a physical birth/spiritual birth connotation behind Jesus' words. This is not so. This cult would have us believe this so we will swallow another lie about being "born again": the lie that becoming "spiritually alive" is a one time event. It is not.

      Every individual born into this world is born spiritually alive, BORN SAVED, because they are a spirit being without the knowledge of sin. Jesus' Spirit, the light that lights every person who comes into the world (John 1:9), is in each baby imparting His eternal life to them under his prevenient GRACE! And God is their FATHER because He is the Father of all spirits (Heb. 12:9; Num. 16:22; Ecc. 12:7)!

      Except we become as little children (Matt. 18:3), except we become "born from above," "born of the Spirit," "put in right relationship with God," "once again," we will not make it to heaven! For some people, this is something that may happen again and again in their lifetime! As Paul told the fallen-from-grace church in Gal. 4:19, "I travail in [spiritual] birth again until Christ be [once again] formed in you."

      We all begin life "saved" and in right standing with God through God's GRACE. But very few people remain in this condition from the cradle to the grave. In my 45 years I've only known a couple. Most all of us, like the Apostle Paul, spiritually die in, or just prior to, our teen years. But, we can return to spiritual life if we "get saved"--again. And yes, we'll become spiritually dead again (just like we did when we reached the age of accountability) if we become transgressors again by failing to abide in Him who alone is The Life.

      "Born again" is a state of being, not just an event. Christians don't just "get" born again, they "are" born again. When questioning someone, we should not be seeking to find out if they've been born again but if they are born again. "Being, born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth, and abideth for ever" (I Pet. 1:23).

      You and I live in a place in time called "today." We do not live in the past nor in the future. It is this bubble of the present, the NOW, which is our ongoing moment of salvation. The Bible speaks often of the principle of salvation being a thing of the MOMENT, THE NOW.

      "But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today [the now]; lest any of you [Christians] be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ [eternal life], if we hold the beginning of our confidence [faith] steadfast unto the end [of our lifetime]" (Heb. 3:13-14).

      "For he hath said, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold now [this present moment] is the day of salvation" (II Cor. 6:2).

      The day of your salvation is much more than that point in time when you "walked the aisle" and made your first profession of faith. Oh, dear friend, please see that according to God's holy word, this ever present moment in which you live is the day of salvation!

      Understand that if we do not abide in Him day by day we will miss heaven. A Christian is a person who shows forth God's salvation "from day to day" (Psalm 96:2).

      When this type of teaching is presented, the Salvation Cult immediately cries: "Fear, fear. You're making people live in fear. God wants His children to just respect Him, not fear him."

      Oh really? Then why does the scripture say "Let US [Christians] FEAR, lest, a promise being left US of entering into his rest [heaven], any of you should seem to come short of it" (Heb. 4:1). Please note that the Holy Spirit inspired this warning right after the pronouncement in chapter three that TODAY, THE NOW, was and is the only time for salvation!

      The Christian is to fear God as well as reverence Him (Heb. 12:28-29).

      "There is one law giver [God], who is able to save and to destroy [in hell]" (James 4:12). "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him [God] which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell... But he that endureth [abides in the faith] to the end shall be saved" (Matt. 10:28 and 22).

      If JESUS' statement that only those who endure in obedience to God unto the end of their lives will be saved puts some fear in your heart, that's OK because it's supposed to!

      God wants us to remember that He can send any body to hell, including a backslidden Christian. He wants us to never lose sight of this fact so that the "terror of the Lord" will work along with our "love of the Lord" to insure that we keep in the right way (II Cor. 5:10-11)!

      Ironically, for the Christian who has the "fear of the Lord" there is nothing to fear (Luke 12:7). This person is God's friend because he is living in obedience (John 15:14). Thus, if we obey, we are Jesus' friends. If we disobey, we are not. If we keep the faith, we are saved. If we don't, we are not.