A term that is used often in churches all across the world is “Born Again”. We must be born again, being born again is the answer, etc. However beyond the mere terminology, a surprisingly few number of believers actually understand what it means to be born again. It has become a buzzword that Christian-folk use, but the power behind the words have been lost.
Today we will be studying what it truly means to be born again. As we see the power behind what Jesus was saying, it will create a new appreciation for the work which Christ has done for us.
So let’s jump right into the scriptures, beginning with John 3:3-7:
“Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus said to him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, Except a man be born of water and of 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.
Marvel not that I said to you, You must be born again.”
We can plainly learn from these verses that this rebirth which Jesus is speaking of is not a physical rebirth as Nicodemus supposed, but it is a spiritual rebirth. This may seem like a trivial piece of information, but it is important to make the distinction.
To understand this further, let’s examine how exactly our spirit has “died” to begin with. Genesis 2:16-17, tells us how it happened:
“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat:
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die.”
Now many of us read these verses and think that they are referring to physical death – and that is certainly a part of it – but there is another key in the original Hebrew text. The phrase “you shall surely die” in the original Hebrew text is read literally as “die dying”. In other words, double-death. From this we can learn that this scripture is primarily referring to spiritual death, and what God is pointing out in these verses is that on the day that the forbidden fruit was eaten, a double-death came into effect… sin with its curse came in, and because of that Adam and all of his descendants are dead spiritually (meaning cut-off from God) and by extension of that spiritual death, physical death is also a result.
So now as we begin to understand this, what Jesus is saying in John 3:3-7 starts to make sense as well. Without having our spirit reborn, we can never see or enter the Kingdom of Heaven because our spirit by default is cut-off because of Adam’s sin.
How then do we receive this new life? The answer comes a few verses down, in one of the most famous scriptures in the whole Bible… John 3:16-18:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
He that believes on him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
We have several assurances in these three verses. First that God does indeed love us. There are those today that have an erroneous belief that God hates them and that He is out to get them. This is not the truth. We know this because honestly, if He wanted to punish us and eradicate us, He would have never sent Jesus to suffer and die in our place. The fact that Jesus came, is the evidence of the Father’s love for us. We also see that anyone who believes in Jesus Christ and His redemptive sacrifice, will be saved This is the crux of verse 16.
Verse 17 – which is often not read together with verse 16 – continues on to state that the purpose of Christ’s coming was not to condemn the world (though He rightly could have), but to save the world through their belief on Him.
Verse 18 confirms the previous two verses. We can see that those who believe on Jesus Christ receive His gift of no condemnation, and those who do not believe are already condemned. This is because of Adam’s original sin which we have examined earlier in this study.
So what happens when our spirit is reborn? This is where the wonderful news comes in! Just as spiritual death results in physical death, so too does spiritual life result in physical life. Romans 8:11 tells us this:
“But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwells in you.”
That word “quicken” is a very rich word in the Greek text, which means to revitalize, regenerate and rejuvenate, and I am so very glad that the scriptures specifically make a point to inform us that the Holy Spirit revitalizes, regenerates and rejuvenates our mortal bodies. This is not just some future promise that only takes effect once we reach Heaven. No, this is a divine statement of fact for right now in our mortal bodies.
Furthermore, the wonderful rebirth that Christ has given us, changes our very lineage. If you have ever been in despair because you felt that you came from a lowly house or a poor family, it’s time to rejoice – because once you accept Jesus Christ, your are now a part of the most regal line and wealthy family in existence! Do you think I am simply making this up? Turn to John 1:12-13 and let’s read what the scriptures say:
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
When we receive Jesus Christ and His Spirit into our lives, our very nature and position are changed. We are not the lowly sinful creature that we once were. We are no longer dead in our sins, but we are alive in Christ Jesus with His Spirit of new life inside of us! In Christ, you have the right to call God your Father; and that is not “Father” as a distant title, but it is Father as in “Dad, Daddy, Papa, Dada” or wherever close loving name you use for father. You are in His family, and He loves you beyond measure. This is the new relationship and new life in Christ that Jesus came for each and every one of us to have.
So I encourage you today, don’t spend another minute outside of the true family that you belong to. Embrace your new life in Christ. Stop living below your means, and start letting your Heavenly Father fill every need with His Spirit, as it is meant to be.
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