You Must be Born Again

Jonathan Master

Reviewed by: Sandy Finlayson

You Must be Born Again, by Jonathan Master. P&R, 2024. Hardback, 80 pages, $15.99. Reviewed by OP elder Sandy Finlayson.

Acts chapter 16 contains the account of the Apostle Paul and his companion Silas being unjustly imprisoned in Philippi for preaching the good news about Jesus. An earthquake shakes the foundations of the jail, and the prisoners’ bonds are released. The jailer, assuming that the prisoners have escaped, is about to kill himself. But Paul cries with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” The jailer is so shaken by the events that we are told he asks Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

This vital question is at the heart of Jonathan Master’s book You Must Be Born Again. It is critically important for all of us to understand the biblical truth that we all need salvation and to be made right with God. How does this happen? As Jesus told Nicodemus, we must be born again. So, what does this mean? This short book provides the answer.

In the introduction, Master, president of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, makes this key point: “God has promised that radical transformation is possible. . . . We desperately need it, [and] it completely changes our lives both in this life and in the age to come” (22).

The message in the first chapter that everyone is living in sin and rebellion against God dispels the prevalent notion that humanity is basically good. Instead of thinking that all we need to do is live up to our potential, humanity needs to understand that we are spiritually dead. This can leave us in despair. However, the next two chapters describe the hope that is offered in the good news about Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit who changes our hearts.

If we are truly born again, having come to Christ in repentance and faith, then our lives are changed. Master explains what the Christian life should look like, including how we can understand and respond to suffering, and how we must live lives that are marked by holiness and righteousness and that are fruitful for God.

The final chapter contains a clear call to repentance and faith. “If you are learning these things for the first time, know this: Jesus Christ has invited you to come to him for a new life. . . . Many will ignore him, denying his diagnosis of their own sinful hearts. I plead with you not to reject his call” (72).

Master has done a masterful job of clearly and concisely explaining the most essential question that we all must face. This little book will only take a few minutes to read, but it is packed with insights that are full of pastoral wisdom. The summary questions at the end of each chapter provide an opportunity to reflect on the content of the book.

This book is proof that the gospel can be presented briefly, clearly, and powerfully. It can be read with profit by Christians who want to better understand the way of salvation. It could be used in the context of evangelism training in the local church, and it is a book that could be given to non-Christian friends who are searching for meaning and peace in their lives.