What is Born-Again?

Unless you're born-again, most people don't understand what that means. This writing is meant to help non-believers understand why we use the term and hopefully will help you begin your journey of trusting in Christ.  I’ll try to explain in a very basic format what I believe “Born Again” means by using the words of Jesus referencing a lot of scripture from John 3 (NIV).  

Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a leader and a teacher in the Jewish council. He had heard of this Jesus who was healing people, but being a person of authority over Jewish law, he could not risk being seen with Jesus, so he went to see him at night. Nicodemus knew God’s law intimately and yet he recognized that Jesus was much more than just a teacher as he questioned him. (John 3:2-6) “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

“In reply Jesus declared, ‘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 mother’s 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 the spirit.’”

What did Jesus mean when He said born of water and the Spirit? Here is where we learn our first lesson.

During pregnancy, the baby develops inside a sac called the amnion or amniotic sac. This sac contains a clear liquid called amniotic fluid. The baby floats in it while resting in the womb. Amniotic fluid protects and nourishes the baby as it develops. The amniotic sac starts forming 12 days after conception and as the baby grows, the sac fills with amniotic fluid which is mainly made of water from the mother’s body. When a woman goes into labor, her water breaks, releasing the baby from the sac in the first stage of birth.

When we are born from the womb, we are born of water. That fact is medically proven so now let’s look at the second part of Jesus’s statement, we must also be born of the Spirit. John 3:6 in the NLT reads: “Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.”

As humans we don’t understand how being born of the Spirit happens exactly, so Jesus went further and gave us this illustration (John 3:8). “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

When we are physically born, our spirits are asleep and dormant until they are also born. Just as we are physically born, we also need to be spiritually born (awakened). This sounds repetitive, but it is extremely important! Jesus said we must be born of water and the Spirit. He also said, “flesh gives birth to flesh but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” John 3:6 (NIV)

If we search Genesis 3, we read how God created man. God had placed Adam in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.  He commanded Adam “From any tree of the garden you may freely eat; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” Then God created Eve to be Adam’s mate. We were created innocent and sinless, but Adam and Eve chose to go against God’s instructions.

This is where the fall of man happened and why our spirits need to be born (awakened).

God had been very specific in His instructions. The serpent told Eve, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Eve listened to the serpent and ate the forbidden fruit and she also gave to Adam, and he ate. The act did not cause them to die physically yet, but that act of eating the fruit, did indeed cause immediate spiritual death!

That moment they chose to listen to the serpent instead of God, they took sin on themselves, and they became aware that there is good and evil in this world. It was also when God’s statement “you will surely die” was set in motion.

As Jesus was explaining to Nicodemus how we have trouble understanding heavenly things, He went on to say “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven – the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” Notice He says ‘believes’.

In the book of Numbers 21:4-8, we read about the people traveling the wilderness and how tired and hungry they were. They started grumbling and complaining about the food (manna) and lack of fresh water. The manna had been a gift from God, but their response was “we detest this miserable food!” God had heard their cries and helped them escape from their captors, yet they continually complained. He never promised that it would be easy. Think about it! He was helping between two and three million people move from one location to another. That would be a huge undertaking in today’s world, but these people were on foot with no transportation, communication or groceries.

So yes, the Lord was angry at their insolence, and He allowed venomous snakes into their camps. Many people died causing the Israelites to realize that they had again sinned against God, and they asked Moses to pray for them.

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” It doesn’t say that God took the snakes away, what it says is that God gave them a way to live. When they were bitten, they looked upon the bronze snake and because they believed God, they lived.

Why is this story in Numbers important? It was about their ACT OF FAITH that healed them and allowed them to live!

So, getting back to the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus: (John 3:14) Jesus said “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” He used that example to explain how to have eternal life. Later in John 6:58 Jesus also says, “This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.”  (FAITH)

When we say we are born again, we are saying that our spirits have been awakened, and we now have spiritual life in us. But how does one awaken their spirit? This is the hardest part to understand. Remember, Jesus told us, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” Notice that here, Spirit is capitalized meaning the Holy Spirit. Our spirits need to be awakened by the Holy Spirit!

So how does that happen? It starts with faith! Taking that first step is a choice you make to trust God. It is an act of faith. God gave us free will to make that choice. Those who are born-again believe that Jesus is God’s son. He willingly gave his life for us and physically died but He rose to live again! He ascended into heaven. And now He sits at God’s right hand.

When you act in faith, the Holy Spirit awakens your spirit, your faith begins to grow stronger, and your spirit becomes more alive! You become thankful and spiritual. As your faith grows, you see the truth in all of it, and you feel different deep inside spiritually.

As born-again believers, our eyes and hearts have been opened to the truth!

Some will ask, What about repentance? Repentance comes naturally when you invite Christ into your heart. You experience true repentance once your spirit is alive, but God's word tells us that we are forgiven when we know Him; He will remember our sins no more. Hebrews 8:12 (NIV). Jesus also said in Matthew 6:14, "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. So, there is a caveat. You must be forgiving in order to receive forgiveness.

You’ll find a lot of teachings from Jesus throughout the gospels but below are a few regarding spiritual life, all from the book of John.

John 5:24 “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.”

John 6:40 “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 6:46 “I tell you the truth, he who believes, has everlasting life.”

John 8:12 “I am the light of the world, if you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

John 8:51 “I tell you the truth, anyone who obeys my teaching will never die.”

John 10: 9-10 “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

John 10: 27-30 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

As your faith grows, you see the truth in all of it but don't stop there. It's very easy to fall back if you don't have the support of other believers. It's also important to read the bible as there is so much direction in there. I promise you that if you read God's word, especially the gospels, you'll learn so much about yourself and your faith will grow! You'll begin to feel a hunger for more and especially will feel the peace that Jesus promised in John 14:27 (NIV). “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

-DellaJoy Stevens