For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast – Ephesians 2:8-9.
INTRODUCTION
The phrase translated “born again” can also be translated as “born from above.” John 1:12–13 indicates that being “born again” also carries the idea of becoming “children of God” through trust in the name of Jesus Christ.
Jesus’ Conversation with Nicodemus
The passage from the Bible that answers this question ‘What it means to be Born Again?’ is John 3:1–21. The Lord Jesus Christ is talking to Nicodemus, a prominent Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin (the ruling body of the Jews). Nicodemus had a real need. He needed a change of his heart—a spiritual transformation that could only come from above.
To understand John 3, it is crucial to look also at John 2:23-25: “Now while He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs He was performing and believed in His name. But Jesus would not entrust Himself to them, for He knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for He knew what was in each person.”
Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night and declares his belief in exactly the terms we would expect from one of Jerusalem’s believers: “After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.” – John 3:2.
Jesus challenges Nicodemus’s thinking and announces a great truth: “I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” – John 3:3.Nicodemus’s response are not positive, believing responses, but the words of a man who doesn’t understand what is being said:
“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘Youmust be born again.’
The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked. – John 3:4-9.
The telling words that indicate most clearly how this passage must be understood are verses11 and 12: “I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
Here’s the key: the crowd believed what they say Jesus do, but they didn’t believe what they heard Jesus say. Yet nowhere in Scripture are we told that people come to faith through the eyegate. Instead, we are told that “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ” – Romans 10:17.
Regeneration is like physical birth. Here is an important question to ponder: What part did I play in my first birth, my physical birth?
Obviously we didn’t give birth to ourselves. We didn’t dictate who our parents would be. We didn’t even suggest the time at which we were to be born. We in no way participated in making decisions leading to our conception or in managing the events of our birth.
It would seem incongruous to suppose that we, who had nothing to do with determining the events of our first birth, would have a great deal to do with bringing about our second birth. It seems perfectly logical to assume that, if it is the parents who are responsible for the physical birth of a child, there must be someone other than ourselves responsible for our spiritual birth.
Being born again, or regeneration, is not something we do; it’s something God does. We can’t enter the kingdom through sight – through seeing miraculous works. We must be born again to enter it, and the new birth is something that God must bring to pass.
God does the initiatory work: He awakens us and brings us to life. When He has done this, we must believe what we hear in His Word and repent of all that has displeased and grieved God. Then God will justify us through the work of Christ, the Redeemer, and we will be in the midst of the work of salvation. We will be new persons in Christ, “born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” – John 1:12.
Conclusion
To be born again is to have the Holy Spirit transform our hearts from indifference and hostility toward God to a love of God and a desire for righteousness and holiness. The only way one can come to God and experience what it means to be “born again” is through repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ.
To be “born again” often involves the following elements:
- Recognition of sin: It begins with acknowledging one’s sinful nature and the need for forgiveness.
- Repentance: It is a turning point where the individual seeks forgiveness from God and strives to live a life aligned with God’s teachings.
- Faith in Jesus Christ: It involves accepting that Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross provides forgiveness and redemption for sins.
- Rebirththrough the Holy Spirit: Christians believe that being born again involves a spiritual transformation initiated by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells believers, empowering them to live according to God’s will and guiding them in their spiritual journey.
- New life and discipleship: a new life characterized by a growing relationship with God, a desire to follow Jesus’ teachings, and an ongoing process of spiritual growth. It often includes participating in a faith community, studying the Bible, and seeking to live out the values and principles taught in Scripture.
