What does it mean to be 'Born Again?'

[PATrobas]

Reminders Definitions: Born Again

            The term, ‘born again’ is only found 3 times in the Bible! But it is a phrase more used by those sharing the Gospel than any other. This is due to its importance to everyone’s eternal destiny, because no one can enter God’s kingdom except they become born again. Jesus used the term when speaking to the Hebrew Pharisee, Nicodemus. “Jesus…said unto him, Verily verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said unto 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?” ^{John 3:3-4} No wonder this phrase is so mis-understood! Even this great teacher of Israel could not understand it. Nicodemus tried to comprehend a spiritual truth from a worldly viewpoint. ^{1 Corinthians 2:14} But Jesus clearly explained what He meant saying, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, 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 unto thee, Ye must be born again.” ^{John 3:5-7}

            The Greek word for ‘again’ in the New Testament is most often used to mean ‘anew,’ or ‘a second time.’ But when Jesus said “born again” to speak of a new spiritual birth, He used a different Greek word for again. This word still meant anew, but also signified ‘from above.’  To bring these two concepts together, Jesus told Nicodemus that there is a physical birth and there is a spiritual birth. Men are born physically and by their own traditions practice religion. But to be a part of God’s kingdom and practice true godliness, men must be made alive spiritually. To be born a second time, from above, by God.

            Final Thoughts: The unbelieving world often confuses the meaning of ‘born again’ by categorizing it as if it is a denomination or sect of Christianity. I’ve heard it said like this, “Oh, you’re one of those ‘born-agains.” But to be a Christian, you must be made so by God. You must be birthed by Him. There is no other kind of Christian. In fact, if you have not been born again, you are not a Christian.  Christianity is not something you choose to join, like choosing an occupation. Instead, it is discovering that God did everything to redeem you and there is nothing you can add to His salvation plan. He did it all by first becoming human flesh. Called Emmanuel or, ‘God with us,’ He lived a perfect human life. Next, Jesus obeyed His Father by submitting to the death of the cross and staying dead for 3 days and nights, making payment for the sin and sins of the world. Finally, the Father raised Him from the dead, alive again forevermore. You must do nothing more than to believe that. When God sees that you have believed the Gospel, He will make you spiritually alive forever, which is what He calls being ‘born again.’ Whereas you were spiritually dead in Adam, you have now become spiritually alive forever in Christ. Born again. Born from above. A work of God. “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” ^{John 3:7}     _ph

[Sower]

5 minutes ago, PATrobas said:

In fact, if you have not been born again, you are not a Christian.

I thought I was a 'christian' for decades, and then heard an old believer say those words of good news.
"You must be saved, you must be born again. My wife and I had never heard those words. But, the seed was planted.
Few months of the seed being watered, and two children were born, from above, to God be the glory.

Neat post, Pat.
Many viewers and seekers may be blessed to receive this light...It blessed my wife and I once upon a time.

[Patticats]

Billy Graham used that term when speaking saying "The Bible Says You Must Be Born Again". I use it also by saying I am Born Again/Saved! 

[missmuffet]

John 3: 1-21

3 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ² This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

³ Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born ^[a]again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

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. ⁷ Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

⁹ Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”

¹⁰ Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? ¹¹ Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. ¹² If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man ^[b]who is in heaven. ¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should ^[c]not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ 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. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

¹⁸ “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. ¹⁹ And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. ²¹ But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

We are all born as sinners. We need to be born again by the Spirit of God, or we will never see

the Kingdom of God John 3:3.

We become born again by:

1. Repenting of sins.

2. Genuinely accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior.

3. Being filled with the Holy Spirit.

4. Living a new life.

[PATrobas]

34 minutes ago, missmuffet said:

We become born again by:

1. Repenting of sins.

2. Genuinely accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior.

3. Being filled with the Holy Spirit.

4. Living a new life.

I would suggest that although popular sayings, these do not make us born again.

1. The NT does not tell unbelievers to repent of their sins. They are incapable of not sinning. They are dead. Part of the problem is the definition of repent. It doesn't mean to stop doing, it means to turn towards God; to change ones mind about God. Act 20:21  "Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ."  Repentance does take place at salvation but in the form of changing ones mind about God and how to be saved. It is hearing that God reconciled us to Himself by the death of Jesus and responding to the Gospel. Rom 2:4  "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?"

2. Whether we accept it or not, believe it or not, Jesus is the Savior of all men. 1Tim 4:10  "For therefore we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, specially of those that believe." He fulfilled that role when He died on the cross. Yes we do acknowledge Him as the Savior but we accept His Lordship in place of our selves. Rom 10:9  "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." His fulfillment of the law in walking by faith and His paying the penalty by dying the death made Him the Savior of the world. His resurrection from the dead made Him both Lord and Christ.  Act 2:36  "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ."

3. This is an act of God, not the will of men. John 1:12  "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: :13  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." After (or at the moment of) we are born again, we are given the seal of the Holy Spirit. He is an evidence of having been born again and is given, not worked for or even asked for and is in all who have been born again. Rom 8:9  "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."

4. Again, this is an evidence of having been born again, not the cause. Only one who has been born again can live a new life. Speaking of those who have been born again Paul said, Rom 6:4  "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." Dead men can't live a new life unless they have been born again.

[enoob57]

6 minutes ago, PATrobas said:

The NT does not tell unbelievers to repent of their sins.

Matthew 4:17 (KJV)

[17] From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Luke 3:8 (KJV)

[8] Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

2 Corinthians 7:10 (KJV)

[10] For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

Luke 5:32 (KJV)

[32] I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Revelation 2:5 (KJV)

[5] Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

Acts 11:18 (KJV)

[18] When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.

2 Timothy 2:25 (KJV)

[25] In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

[Jedi4Yahweh]

26 minutes ago, PATrobas said:

The NT does not tell unbelievers to repent of their sins.

New Testament Great Commission is this: 

And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. - Luk 24:47 KJV

[missmuffet]

17 minutes ago, enoob57 said:

Matthew 4:17 (KJV)

[17] From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

 

Luke 3:8 (KJV)

 

[8] Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

2 Corinthians 7:10 (KJV)

[10] For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

Luke 5:32 (KJV)

[32] I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

 

 

 

 

Revelation 2:5 (KJV)

[5] Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

Acts 11:18 (KJV)

[18] When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.

2 Timothy 2:25 (KJV)

[25] In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

 

 

 

 

You are right. Unbelievers definitely need to repent of their sins.

[PATrobas]

16 minutes ago, enoob57 said:

Matthew 4:17 (KJV)

[17] From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

 

Luke 3:8 (KJV)

 

[8] Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

2 Corinthians 7:10 (KJV)

[10] For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

Luke 5:32 (KJV)

[32] I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

 

 

 

 

Revelation 2:5 (KJV)

[5] Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

Acts 11:18 (KJV)

[18] When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.

2 Timothy 2:25 (KJV)

[25] In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

 

 

 

 

Two things. I didn't say we aren't to repent. I said an unbeliever cannot repent OF HIS SINS. That is, an unbeliever cannot stop sinning. He is in Adam; dead. The church has changed the definition from turning to God and changing our mind, to turning from sin. If you don't turn TOWARDS GOD, you'll just turn to another different sin.

Second,

16 minutes ago, Jedi4Yahweh said:

New Testament Great Commission is this: 

And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. - Luk 24:47 KJV

again, we preach repentance towards God. Why? Because He dealt once for all forever with the sin and sins issue at the cross. God reconciled THE WORLD to himself and Jesus died for the sin and sins of the world. Payment has been made, now we are to tell all men to be reconciled to God by repentance...changing the mind towards God.

[enoob57]

6 minutes ago, PATrobas said:

I said an unbeliever cannot repent OF HIS SINS

Just show me where this is stated by Scripture? Because this says Jesus is expecting it from them
 

Luke 5:32 (KJV)

[32] I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.