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Subject: TO BE BORN AGAIN
Replies: 8 Views: 429
ray777 23.10.10 - 11:26pm
What does it mean to be a born again Christian? The classic passage from the Bible that answers this question is John 3:1-21. The Lord Jesus Christ is talking to Nicodemus, a prominent Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin (a ruler of the Jews). Nicodemus had come to Jesus at night. Nicodemus had questions to ask Jesus.
As Jesus talked with Nicodemus, He said, I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. How can a man be born when he is old? Nicodemus asked. Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mothers womb to be born! Jesus answered, I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, You must be born again (John 3:3-7).
The phrase born again literally means born from above. Nicodemus had a real need. He needed a change of his hearta spiritual transformation. New birth, being born again, is an act of God whereby eternal life is imparted to the person who believes (2 Corinthians 5:17; t*tus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1-4, 18). John 1:12,13 indicates that born again also carries the idea to become children of God through trust in the name of Jesus Christ.
The question logically comes, Why does a person need to be born again? The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:1 says, And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins... (NKJV). To the Romans in Romans 3:23, the Apostle wrote, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So, a person needs to be born again in order to have their sins forgiven and have a relationship with God.
How does that come to be? Ephesians 2:8-9 states, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faithand this not from yourselves, it is the gift of Godnot by works, so that no one can boast. When one is saved, he/she has been born again, spiritually renewed, and is now a child of God by right of new birth. Trusting in Jesus Christ, the One who paid the penalty of sin when He died on the cross, is what it means to be born again spiritually. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17).
If you have never trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, will you consider the prompting of the Holy Spirit as He speaks to your heart? You need to be born again. Will you pray the prayer of repentance and become a new creation in Christ today? Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husbands will, but born of God (John 1:12-13).
If you want to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and be born again, here is a sample prayer. Remember, saying this prayer or any other prayer will not save you. It is only trusting in Christ that can save you from sin. This prayer is simply a way to express to God your faith in Him and thank Him for providing for your salvation. God, I know that I have sinned against you and am deserving of punishment. But Jesus Christ took the punishment that I deserve so that through faith in Him I could be forgiven. I place my trust in You for salvation. Thank You for Your wonderful grace and forgivenessthe gift of eternal life! Amen!
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steward1 28.10.10 - 05:56pm
Thank you! While reading John I came across the same question What does it mean to be a born again Christian. This lead to more questions such as, In order to enter the kingdoms gates you have to be baptized with the holy water? What about those people that have never been baptized, are they just left behind?
As I studied more and more and asked questions of friends and family I was informed that the verses do not imply that one has to be baptized to be saved (See 1 Peter 3:21 for the meaning of baptism). At that point in time, no one knew of the Christian baptism (since it was before the emergence of the Church). What Nicodemus had in mind was Jewish ritual washings--and even then, the ritual wasn't so much about having water thrown on a person, but rather what the act signified--purification before God! The outward display was to be a reflection of their inward desire to be pure! So what Jesus is telling Nic is Yes, seek to be purified in the sight of God. This is good. But realize, Nic, that the Spirit's work is crucial for this to take place. Its not simply about outward rituals, but an inward, God-performed work! The Greek word born again, indeed means born from above. The work of internal purification. PTL a&f
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levi4u 28.10.10 - 10:57pm
Cleansed by the Blood & Water: Three laver's to this..
First, the word of God is a mirror. James 1:23
God's word shows the inward spiritual condition.
Second, God's word is our Judge, John 12:47-48
The third aspect of the laver is water, which is the Word of God as a cleansing agent. Ephesians 5:25-27
This is He who came by water & blood; Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water & blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is Truth-1 John 5:6
Jesus came by water as the Great Teacher. But he is also the Redeemer who had to shed His blood. Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins & no redeption. (See Hebrews 9:22) He shed His blood so that He might thereafter cleanse & sanctify with the washing of water by the Word. He came by the water & by the blood..
To be sanctified you must wash in the water of the Word. Amen. GBU *
ray777 29.10.10 - 02:36am
AMEN Steward n Levi.... What about the Man in the 'FoxHole' Who accepts Christ as his Savior then is killed by a bomb shortly after??? Was He Saved??? Yes!!!! But Everyone who has a chance to get water Baptized should certainly do it though... GBU ALL 
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ray777 29.10.10 - 02:39am
As with any single verse or passage, we discern what it teaches by first filtering it through what we know the Bible teaches on the subject at hand. In the case of baptism and salvation, the Bible is clear that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by works of any kind, including baptism (Ephesians 2:8-9). So, any interpretation which comes to the conclusion that baptism, or any other act, is necessary for salvation, is a faulty interpretation. For more information, please visit our webpage on Is salvation by faith alone, or by faith plus works?
John 3:3-7, 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 marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'
When first considering this passage, it is important to note that nowhere in the context of the passage is baptism even mentioned. While baptism is mentioned later in this chapter (John 3:22-30), that is in a totally different setting (Judea instead of Jerusalem) and at a different time from the discussion with Nicodemus. This is not to say Nicodemus was unfamiliar with baptism, either from the Jewish practice of baptizing Gentile converts to Judaism, or from John the Baptists ministry. However, simply reading these verses in context would give one no reason to assume Jesus was speaking of baptism, unless one was looking to read into the passage a preconceived idea or theology. To automatically read baptism into this verse simply because it mentions water is unwarranted.
Those who hold baptism to be required for salvation point to born of water as evidence. As one person has put it, Jesus describes it and tells him plainly howby being born of water and the Spirit. This is a perfect description of baptism! Jesus could not have given a more detailed and accurate explanation of baptism. However, had Jesus actually wanted to say that one must be baptized to be saved, He clearly could have simply stated, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is baptized and born of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Further, if Jesus had made such a statement, He would have contradicted numerous other Bible passages that make it clear that salvation is by faith (John 3:16; John 3:36; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5).
We should also not lose sight of the fact that when Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus, the ordinance of Christian baptism was not yet in effect. This important inconsistency in interpreting Scripture is seen when one asks those who believe baptism is required for salvation why the thief on the cross did not need to be baptized to be saved. A common reply to that question is: The thief on the cross was still under the Old Covenant and therefore not subject to this baptism. He was saved just like anyone else under the Old Covenant. So, in essence, the same people who say the thief did not need to be baptized because he was under the Old Covenant will use John 3:5 as proof that baptism is necessary for salvation. They insist that Jesus is telling Nicodemus that he must be baptized to be saved, even though he too was under the Old Covenant. If the thief on the cross was saved without being baptized (because he was under the Old Covenant), why would Jesus tell Nicodemus (who was also under the Old Covenant) that he needed to be baptized?
If being born of water and the Spirit is not referring to baptism, then what does it mean? Traditionally, there have been two interpretations of this phrase. The first is that being born of water is being used by Jesus to refer to natural birth (with water referring to the amniotic fluid that surrounds the baby in the womb) and that being born of the Spirit indicates spiritual birth. While that is certainly a possible interpretation of the term born of water and would seem to fit the context of Nicodemus question about how a man could be born when he is old, it is not the best interpretation given the context of this passage. After all, Jesus was not talking about the difference between natural birth and spiritual birth. What He was doing was explaining to Nicodemus his need to be born from above or born again.
The second common interpretation of this passage and the one that best fits the overall context, not only of this passage but of the Bible as a whole, is the one that sees the phrase born of water and the Spirit as both describing different aspects of the same spiritual birth, or of what it means to be born again or born from above. So, when Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born of water and the Spirit, He was not referring to literal water (i.e. baptism or the amniotic fluid in the womb), but was referring to the need for spiritual cleansing or renewal. Throughout the Old Testament (Psalm 51:2,7; Ezekiel 36:25) and the New Testament (John 13:10; 15:3; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Hebrews 10:22), water is often used figuratively of spiritual cleansing or regeneration that is brought forth by the Holy Spirit, through the Word of God, at the moment of salvation (Ephesians 5:26; Titus 3:5).
The Barclay Daily Study Bible describes this concept in this way: There are two thoughts here. Water is the symbol of cleansing. When Jesus takes possession of our lives, when we love Him with all our heart, the sins of the past are forgiven and forgotten. The Spirit is the symbol of power. When Jesus takes possession of our lives it is not only that the past is forgotten and forgiven; if that were all, we might well proceed to make the same mess of life all over again; but into life there enters a new power which enables us to be what by ourselves we could never be and to do what by ourselves we could never do. Water and the Spirit stand for the cleansing and the strengthening power of Christ, which wipes out the past and gives victory in the future.
Therefore, the water mentioned in this verse is not literal physical water but rather the living water Jesus promised the woman at the well in John 4:10 and the people in Jerusalem in John 7:37-39. It is the inward purification and renewal produced by the Holy Spirit that brings forth spiritual life to a dead sinner (Ezekiel 36:25-27; Titus 3:5). Jesus reinforces this truth in John 3:7 when He restates that one must be born again and that this newness of life can only be produced by the Holy Spirit (John 3:8).
There are several reasons why this is the correct interpretation of the phrase born of water and the Spirit. First of all, we should note that the Greek word translated again has two possible meanings. The first one is again, and the second one is from above. Nicodemus apparently assumed the first meaning again and found that idea incomprehensible. That is why he could not understand how as a grown man he could re-enter his mothers womb and be born again physically. Therefore, Jesus restates what He had just told Nicodemus in a different way so that it would be clear He was referring to being born from above. In other words, both born from above and born of water and Spirit are two ways of saying the same thing.
Second, it is important to note the Greek grammar in this verse would seem to indicate being born of water and being born of the Spirit are thought of as one item, not two. Therefore, it is not speaking of two separate births, as Nicodemus incorrectly thought, but of one birth, that of being born from above or the spiritual birth that is necessary for anyone to see the kingdom of God. This need for one to be born again, or to experience spiritual birth, is so important that Jesus tells Nicodemus of its necessity three different times in this passage of Scripture (John 3:3, 3:5, 3:7).
Third, water is often used symbolically in the Bible to refer to the work of the Holy Spirit in sanctifying a believer, whereby God cleanses and purifies the believers heart or soul. In many places in both the Old and New Testaments, the work of the Holy Spirit is compared to water (Isaiah 44:3; John 7:38-39).
Jesus rebukes Nicodemus in John 3:10 by asking him: Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not understand these things? This implies that what Jesus had just told him was something Nicodemus should have known and understood from the Old Testament. What is it that Nicodemus, as a teacher of the Old Testament, should have known and understood? It is that God had promised in the Old Testament a time was coming in which He would: sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. (Ezekiel 36:25-27). Jesus rebuked Nicodemus because he failed to recall and understand one of the key Old Testament passages pertaining to the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:33). Nicodemus should have been expecting this. Why would Jesus have rebuked Nicodemus for not understanding baptism considering the fact that baptism is nowhere mentioned in the Old Testament?
While this verse does not teach baptism is required for salvation, we should be careful not to neglect baptisms importance. Baptism is the sign or the symbol for what takes place when one is born again. Baptisms importance should not be downplayed or minimized. However, baptism does not save us. What saves us is the cleansing work of the Holy Spirit, when we are born again and regenerated by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5).AMEN *
mimi1961 24.08.11 - 08:34am
I believe that baptism IS essential for salvation. Baptism in and of itself does not save you but when combined with hearing the word, believing the word, repenting of your sins and confessing Jesus Christ, baptism is an integral part of salvation. Jesus Himself set an example for us by being baptized.
It is commonly believed that a person is baptized to wash away your sins...how can you be saved if your sins still cover you?
Another interpretation of baptism is the watery grave of baptism, meaning immersion in water is symbolic of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. The death of our old sinful self, the burial in the watery grave, and the resurrection of our new self in Christ (also known as the re-birth). The act of baptism includes allowing oneself to be immersed by another into the watery grave of immersion, and rising to walk in newness of life. It is an act of obedience, following Christ's example; it is an act of remission of sin, following God's command; and it is an act imitating life, which is where the born again phrase comes from, meaning it imitates being born of water (as we were from our mother's wombs) and starting a new life - this time a spiritual/physical life, rather than just a physical one.
Acts 2:41: Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Galatians 3:26-28: For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Mark 16:15-16: And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be d*mned.
John 3:5: Jesus answered, 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. *
ray777 26.08.11 - 10:41pm
Amen Mimi....There are exceptions however...Such as the man in the Foxhole Who accepts Christ as his Savior and is then blown up n killed.... (just an example) .... Ty for Your Post Mimi ... God Bless You!! *
mimi1961 27.08.11 - 10:00pm
Oh I totally agree to the exceptions part. I believe we serve a loving God and it is ultimately up to Him to make that decision...I don't believe for a moment that He would not see the exceptions when it is impossible to follow His example under certain cir tances...such as the soldier in a foxhole, or the person on their deathbed, or even the person on their way to be baptized and they are killed in an accident...the list could be endless. *
ray777 28.08.11 - 09:20am
Amen *
