What is meant to be born again?

[firstthings1st.]

What is meant to be born again?

<<<< Edited out website due to false teacher... >>>

Edited May 7, 2013 by GoldenEagle
<<<< Edited out website due to false teacher... >>>

[Tinky]

It means dying to self and being reborn in Christ through repentance and faith.

[bibleknowledge]

Being born again is something that does not depend solely on being an affiliate of a particular Christian denomination. It refers to being renewed with the Holy Spirit through the mercy and forgiveness of Christ. There are many individuals who may say that they are born again, yet, their ways are still old-fashioned in the sense that they had not given up their sinful ways.

[Enoc]

Scripture comes to mind:

John 3

4. Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

1 John 5:8

And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.

[Qnts2]

Being born again, or born from above, happens at the moment of salvation. It is when our 'old man dies', and we become New Creations. It is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:

⁹ However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. ¹⁰ If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. ¹¹ But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

¹² So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— ¹³ for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴ For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

[gdemoss]

Psa 78:5 For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:

Read and understand. Jesus expected Nicodemus to understand and he did not. It isn't a new thing. Even the law was to lead them unto Christ. Ye must be born again.

[missmuffet]

It means dying to self and being reborn in Christ through repentance and faith.

Yep

[gracelovehope1]

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 things that You do unless God is with him.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ 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?’ 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. Do not be amazed that I said to you, you must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it’s going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.’ Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can these things be?’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?’”The message of our Lord is very simple.We can enter the Kingdom of God through being Born-Again.The point of our Lord here is this God created you by the means of your parents, but nonetheless God created you,your parents gave you physicality but only God can create a spirit in you. In the spiritual sense being Born Again is an act of God by which He recreates you.It's a new birth.We recieved a new life,new nature,new character,new disposition,the new mind of God. And we make no contribution to that.

[Mcgyver]

Well, I read the article you linked; and I take extreme issue with much of what has been written. Excerpts follow:

The Scriptures speak of a "NEW BIRTH", but millions are confused as to just what it is, how it happens, and what it involves! The overwhelming majority who profess to be "BORN AGAIN" are deceived, and don't even know what they are talking about! Being "born again" involves FAR MORE than merely "accepting Christ." The true spiritual birth is a LIFELONG PROCESS! Here is the PLAIN TRUTH about being BORN AGAIN!

Most professing Christians, today, seem to believe that being "born again" is a simple matter; it merely involves professing the Messiah as your personal Saviour, and "presto," you are thereby automatically "born again," or "born of the Spirit"!

The common idea of being "born again" at the moment of conversion or acceptance of Christ is FALSE! If you imbibe it, you imbibe spiritual POISON -- and the bite you take could be FATAL! Says the old Correspondence Course:

"'Born Again NOW' a False Teaching

Yeshua said plainly, "The Spirit gives birth to SPIRIT" (John 3:6). He then went on to explain that the spirit birth is just as real as the physical birth, but the new spirit being so born is "like the wind" which we cannot see. It is very real, and can be very powerful, but it is invisible. We don't know where it comes from or where it goes, but we notice it by its effects. A powerful wind can blow down trees, tear the roofs off houses, destroy buildings -- as a tornado or hurricane does. Yeshua said, of everyone who is literally "born again," "So it is with everyone BORN OF THE SPIRIT" (John 3:8).

Therefore, if you have been "born again," then YOU SHOULD BE INVISIBLE -- LIKE THE WIND! Are you?

<snip>

If you have really been "born again," at this very moment, you should be a powerful, invisible presence. You should be COMPOSED of "spirit." Are you? Or are you still flesh and blood?

If you are still flesh and blood, then in no way have you been "BORN AGAIN," OR "BORN OF THE SPIRIT"!

There is so much wrong and cultic about that article, that it is difficult to know where to begin...so I'll start with being "born-again".

It is written: He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 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. (John 1:11-13 Emphasis mine)

Matthew 18:3 says: And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Romans 8:15-17 tells us: For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

And there is also 2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

These, and many other passages testify to the fact that at the moment of conversion we are born-again through faith in Jesus Christ and the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It can not be any other way, for the Christian life is a life lived by and in the Spirit...and as it is written: But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

At the moment of conversion, we become new creations in Christ...old things past, all things new...we become "spiritually alive" and receive the adoption as sons/children of God. That can not happen apart from being born again.

Sanctification (or being set apart for Christ's use and being conformed to His likeness) is a life long experience that terminates in a 6' deep hole in the ground. Philippians 1:6 tells us: Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: How can Christ perform good works in us apart from being born again?

1 Corinthians 2:15-16 tells us: But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ. How can we as natural people have the mind of Christ? We can't. Only those who have been born from above, born again by the Holy Spirit of the living God with the Spirit indwelling them can claim this passage...yet Paul when writing to Christians in Corinth tells them that it is a "done-deal".

Being born again then, is the starting point for the Christian life...and not something saved for the future resurrection as is asserted in the article. Eternal life starts at the point of conversion...not at the point of death.

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. 1 John 5:13

[Mcgyver]

I scanned the article as I am short on time right now, but it seems the author is basically refuting Herbert Armstrong and the Chruch of God? I am wrong there? Have to read it better later

It goes much deeper than that...The World Wide Church of God actually recanted the teachings of the Armstrongs and moved toward orthodox Christianity in the early 90's. Although they've had a lot of problems since...to include losing most of their membership...doctrinally they've moved firmly into the camp of the evangelical church and are now known as Grace Communion International.

Joseph Tkach who took over after the death of Armstrong has written a book: Transformed by Truth: The Worldwide Church of God Rejects the Teachings of Founder Herbert W. Armstrong and Embraces Historic Christianity. This Is the inside story.

This article can best be explained by the following quote from within the article:

Proof that Herbert Armstrong and the Church of God knew and understood the range of meanings of the Greek word gennao is given in the OLD, original (and best) Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course Lesson, published by the Church in 1958, Lesson 16, entitled "What it means to be 'BORN AGAIN'!"

Makes me wonder if the article was written by an adherent to the old Worldwide Church of God under Garner Ted and Herbert Armstrong. Much of what is there is in line with the (cultic) teachings of that church.