It should have been easy for my wife to satisfy the bank. The FICA regulations meant she had to show our municipal account which comes in my name, and prove she is married to and living with me. She took along our abridged marriage certificate which is dated 27 April 1968 and still bears the signature of Rev. Crawford who performed the ceremony 46 years ago. It was old, they remarked: not computerised. The ID numbers no longer exist in that form. Indeed the computers we now carry around in our smart phones would have filled a warehouse in 1968. The dread question arose: are we still properly and legally married? A happy union is not enough to satisfy officialdom.
I spent over an hour in the room marked “Marriages” at Home Affairs, until a very polite gentleman could assist me. He looked at the ancient certificate, asked for my ID number and immediately his computer turned up a proper account of our marital status. What a relief! All we had to do was fill in form BI-130, pay R20 at the cashier and collect our up-to-date computerised abridged marriage certificate.
One certificate which Home Affairs cannot access is my rebirth certificate. Jesus explained to Nicodemus that he needed to be born again. Anyone can be born again by turning to our Saviour, Jesus, in belief and prayer. We can accept his forgiveness for all the wrongdoing we confess. If we are prepared then to welcome him into our lives as our Lord, we become reborn children of God with a new spiritual dimension to our lives and an eternal future with him. His message to us is: “I will never erase his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.” Rev. 3:5.
There is no need for uncertainty about the records in this book. If you have come to accept Jesus in this way you are born again and have citizenship in heaven throughout eternity. If you are not sure your name is entered in the book of life, don’t rest until the record is set straight. Talk to your minister or a Christian friend and make sure.
Jesus said: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live even though he dies.” John 11:25
