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John 1:12 - The Born Again Experience!!! (Addendum)

John 1:12 - The Born Again Experience!!! (Addendum)

John 1:12 (NKJV) But as many as received Him, to them He gave 
the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His 
name:  

John 1:12 (TNIV) Yet to all who did receive him, to those who 
believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God- 

John 1:12 (CWR)  But to those who did receive Him and believed 
in Him, He extended the privilege of becoming the children of God. 

  When I was an atheist, my wife's conversion to 
Christianity--and the subsequent changes in her character prompted me to use my 
journalism and legal training to investigate the evidence for Jesus. After 
nearly two years, I found myself convinced that he is the unique Son of 
God, who confirmed his identity by returning from the dead. 
  At that point I wasn't sure what to do. That's when I recalled 
hearing about John 1:12 from a friend. Alone in my bedroom on November 
8, 1981, I found the verse in my Bible and noticed that the key 
words formed an equation about how to become a follower of Jesus: 
Believe + Receive = Become. 
  So I prayed a prayer of repentance and faith to receive Jesus 
as my forgiver and leader--and the great adventure of the Christian 
life began for me. 
  Thus, John 1:12 was the last verse I read in my spiritual 
investigation, which is why it's so special to me. Even beyond that, however, 
I've been able to use this equation through the years to help many 
other people understand that believing in Jesus is a great first 
step--but becoming a child of God requires us to receive his freely 
offered gift of forgiveness and eternal life. I'm thankful the Bible has 
encapsulated this critical news in such a succinct and compelling verse. 
  By Lee Strobel, former award-winning legal editor of the 
Chicago Tribune, is the author of more than twenty books, including The 
Case for the Real Jesus and New York Times best sellers The Case for 
Christ and The Case for Faith. [The One Year Bible Live Verse 
Devotional] 

MINI-VIDEO COMMENTARY:

Heavenly Adoption by Pastor Shawn Boonstra: 
http://www.itiswritten.com/betterway/episode/2010/01/29