Two Birthdays
Physical birth
Physical birth involves the birth of a physical baby. It begins with a mother-to-be welcoming a would-be father into her life and has a relationship with him. About nine months later, a baby is born. What exactly happened to the baby who was inside the womb for the past 9 months is not known to the mother even though she carried it every day. Only God knows. Once the baby is born, the mother then nurtures the baby by breastfeeding, talking to the baby daily and teaching everything there is to know about life until the baby grows up to be a person old enough to know on its own. And thus, he finally becomes a mature person.
Spiritual birth
Similar to physical birth, spiritual birth involves the birth of a spiritual baby. Just as the mother needs to have a relationship with the father, the spiritual birth of a person requires the welcoming of the Holy Spirit into his heart by inviting him, for example, by saying: "Please come into my heart." In this case, the Holy Spirit we refer to is that of Jesus Christ. Since Jesus was born as a fellow human being, we can comfortably visualize Jesus as a person and inviting him as follows: "Jesus, come into my heart."
Jesus once said, “I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” (Revelation 3:20)
You might think it's weird as this might be new for you. But if you invite him, Jesus will keep his promise and come into your heart. No one knows what would happen inside of you and how long the process will take. Only God knows. But as a mother knows the difference when she gets pregnant and gives birth to a baby, you will know the changes inside your body. You will notice that things are not the same as they used to be. You will know if your spirit has already been born.
Since you have previously been born physically, we will refer to this second spiritual birth as "born again."
So now you have two birthdays. But take note that you are still the same person after being born the second time.
Some people, however, do not want to or refuse to invite Jesus into their hearts, so they could not have a second birth. When they die their body get buried in the ground. The reason is that the life they were born with is of earthly origin.
Earthly origin
You will notice that even though the automobile and the airplane are built using very sophisticated technology, they each have limitation of what they can do. This means that although a typical car can be built to travel very fast, it cannot fly through the sky like the airplane can. It's true that a car can be made to fly, but let's just stick to a standard car for our purpose because if a car flies, it won't be called a car anymore.
If you happen to read the book of Genesis, God made man from the dust of the ground. (Genesis 2:7) This means that the body made of dust is meant to stay here on earth. Because our bodies are of earthly origin, we enjoy life here and consume foods grown on the earth. We are pretty much stuck. We were born, raised and will die here on earth. Our physical body cannot fly, let alone go to heaven. Our body simply cannot go against the earth's gravity. How limitting!
Godly origin
Fortunately, we weren't just born with a physical body. Thank God! There is a part of us that can go against the pull of strong gravity. That is our spirit. When God made man, he made us three parts in one: body, mind, and spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:23) For simplicity, let's compare ourselves to a car that is made up of the body, the engine and fuel to run. Is it a coincidence that we were created body, mind, and spirit, and our creator is also known to consist of the father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? We often say, “Like father like son.” But a preferred saying should be, “Like the maker like man.”
As mentioned, our body can only live and die here on earth. Our spirit, on the other hand, has the ability to go beyond the boundaries of this earth. The reason is that the human spirit is not of earthly origin. We know that because the Bible states that “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” (Jeremiah 1:5)
Because the spirit is of Godly origin, it knows things about God. He can communicate with God. He knows when God is calling him. Thus, it also has the capability to return to its maker. But there is a small problem. If the spirit in you is not born, it will not be able to come back to God. In order to make the car useful, you need to put gas. Similarly, in order for you to become whole, you need to fill your heart with the Spirit of Jesus so that your spirit will come alive.
Remember that your spirit is still you as you are made of body, mind and spirit. So, when it’s time for your spirit to go to heaven, which is its rightful home, the whole you will be there also. Great isn't it! However, if your spirit is not born, you would not go to heaven since it’s not alive. As simple as that. If your spirit is not born, then the final destination of the whole you is the Lake of Fire, which was originally intended for the devil who rebelled against God. You shouldn't be there.
Word of caution
In reality, whether you realize it or not, your spirit cannot die just like your body can. For the spirit, dying is the separation from God. Because our forefather Adam disobeyed God, our spirit gets disconnected from God, which may be referred to as spiritual death. God lives forever so your spirit will live forever too. Whether you go to heaven or hell, your spirit will not die because God made you in his image and likeness. You just simply cannot die even if you wish. You may think that everything ends when your body dies. Not so. Even your body will come back alive because the Bible says even those who died in the ocean would be brought back in front of the throne to be judged. (Revelation 20:13) Your dead body, spirit and mind will reunite as the whole you to face the judgement on that day.
Final thought
For these reasons, you might want to give a serious thought when you are alone, close your eyes if possible, then invite Jesus into your heart without delay so that you will be born again. It's a Win-Win for you. The other option is not even an option. God bless.
