BORN AGAIN
What does "BORN AGAIN" mean and who is "BORN AGAIN"?
The term “born again” is being very much abused in this darkening world. Secular movies and songs have been produced using secular meanings for the words “born again”. There are many people who call themselves “Christians” but don’t really know what it means to be “born again”.
Let us explain what the real meaning of the term “born again” is.
When God created Adam and Eve they were spiritually alive and in communion with God. The moment Adam sinned he died spiritually even so he continued living physically until his physical death. That spiritual death is passed on to all his descendants and that is ALL MANKIND. We are all born spiritually dead and on our way to the Lake of Fire. No exceptions!
Praise the Lord, our God is a Merciful and Loving God, not wanting anyone to go to the Lake of Fire.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever BELIEVES IN HIM shall not perish, but HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.”
NOW we come to the beautiful MYSTERY of being “BORN AGAIN“.
What does it mean to be “born again”?
The first time we are born, we are born of man, physically alive but spiritually dead, separated from God.
The second time we are born is NOT of man BUT of God.
John 1:13 “who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, BUT OF GOD.
We are incapable in our helplessness and our absolute dependence on someone (namely, God) outside ourselves.
1 Peter 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has CAUSED us to be BORN AGAIN to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”.
We do not cause the new birth. God causes the new birth. It is the SOVEREIGN work of the Holy Spirit. If we were left to our own ways we would never seek God. Romans 3:10-11 “as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,
THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;”. We. in our inherited fallen state are INCAPABLE of seeking for God.
God GIVES us faith. It is a GIFT from God. Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through FAITH; and that not of yourselves, it is the GIFT of God; NOT as a result OF WORKS, so that no one may boast.”
Hebrews 12:2 “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the AUTHOR and perfecter OF FAITH“. Faith is something given to us by God, and Jesus is the Author, the Originator, of faith. When Jesus walked His life here on the Earth He lived His in complete and perfect FAITH. What God has ordained in eternity past, Jesus fulfilled in perfect faithful obedience.
Revelation 19:11 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called FAITHFUL and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.”
In this whole process of the new birth we can see the harmonious work of the Holy Triune God.
John 6:44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me DRAWS HIM. And I will raise him up on the last day.“
The new birth is a mystery that even Nicodemus, who was a highly educated Pharisee and ruler of the Jews. didn’t understand.
Being scared that he might be seen by other Pharisees, he came to Jesus at night to ask Him certain questions.
John 3:1-2 “Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
What did Jesus reply to him?
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is BORN AGAIN he cannot see the kingdom of God.” It is the Holy Spirit that gives us the new life, we are BORN AGAIN by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Nicodemus was confused and said, John 3:4 Nicodemus *said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”
He thought one had to be born again physically. However, Jesus explained it to him in John 3:5-6 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
So no we know that being BORN AGAIN (believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, that He died on the Cross, was buried and rose again on the third day) has nothing to do with ourselves. It is God that draws us and it is the Holy Spirit that administers to us the FAITH originated from Jesus Christ, so we can understand the Gospel and believe and trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour.
The moment a person truly believes in their heart that Jesus died on the Cross, was buried and rose again on the third day, repents and asks for forgiveness, that person is BORN AGAIN.
