Born again?

[JC_girl]

I have heard the term "Born again" quite a few times, but I've never
fully understood it. I have read about it, but I don't really understand the
full meaning of it.
Would someone please explain it to me? Thank you!

 

[SharonL]

In birth you are born into life and at salvation, you are born into Spirit. A new life and life everlasting.

 

[JasperJackson]

It means "Christian". Read John 3.

 

[Peripatetic]

Being born again means becoming a new person due to the presence of the Holy Spirit. We are born to a fallen world, and the Holy Spirit brings true life into a person.

That said, "born again" has been misunderstood, and changed in the past 200 years or so. In some circles, it is almost a requirement to have a dramatic born again moment, often including a physical rushing in of the Holy Spirit. For them, it's a tale of two distinct lives: pre-Spirit (where they lived "in the gutter" of the world as a wretched sinner) and Spirit (where God's fruit pours out from them and they are free from the chains of sin). For them, you are either obviously "saved" as a new creation or obviously "not saved" as worldly wretch.

First, let me say this: it does sometimes happen that way. Some people do have a dramatic conversion story, but that's not always how it goes. Some people may be born and Baptized into a Christian family and grow slowly in their faith over the course of many years. This person is represented in scripture by the brother of the prodigal son. He was always faithful. Still flawed of course, but loved by his father just the same. He may have been born again at Baptism as an infant.

The point is, we don't always need to know when and how it happened. There are a number of dangers associated with the rigid "born again moment" and "saved or not saved" way of thinking. Here are just a few:

1. Children in these homes are often pressured to become born again by their parents at a young age. Their parents are in a big hurry for the Spirit to rush into their Children because they believe they are not saved before that happens. Nobody wants their child to be in that state.

2. There is an preoccupation about whether another person is saved an not saved. This is unknowable. Saved people may be living in sin right now, and unsaved people may be preaching at your church. Only God knows.

3. It sets false expectations. If you believe that your worst days are behind you when you are born again, what happens when you go through a period of doubt or struggle in your faith? You may start to question whether you were born again to begin with.

4. It can lead to flame-out. Identifying a born again moment can lead to a rush of joy, a period of giddy happiness, and a feeling of being on fire for God (almost like a honeymoon of marriage). When this does not last, cynicism, depression, and falling away can result. Sadly, I know several people to whom this happened.

5. It can lead to complacency. For these people, the word "works" has become almost blasphemous. Paul uses words like strive, struggle, race, best effort, etc. to describe our life's journey (also called our Sanctification). Although salvation is guaranteed for those who accept God's grace, we shouldn't sit back and act like the race is already won. Yes, we will bear fruit when we are born again, but it is not a passive activity!

6. It can lead to self-righteousness. Some people take on an "I'm saved and you aren't so I need to convert you" sense of arrogance. It is important to spread the Gospel, but not that way.

There are more, but that's enough for now. Let me repeat: there is nothing wrong if God leads a person to have a dramatic conversion experience. Where it goes wrong is when people force it, expect it, or require it. It also goes wrong when people try to minimize the importance (not to mention the ups and downs) of sanctification. The Holy Spirit will guide you and give you the wisdom. Don't let it be twisted by false expectations.

 

[1watchman]

To expand on what is said, I will add that the new birth (John 3) is a new life imparted by God through the Holy Spirit into a soul. We are born once into this world (the natural man) and we "must be born again" into the Kingdom of God (the spiritual man).

There are many disciples (followers) of the teachings of Christ, but that is not salvation of the soul. We MUST be "born again" to enter into heaven --be sure of that. Trying to live the Christian life will never save the soul (though its a good way to live in the world and honorable). To tell the difference in professing Christians one must look to see the "fruit" as God says. One might be only a disciple (see John 6:66), but to receive the Lord Jesus into the heart will bring the indwelling Holy Spirit and eternal life. It will then be CONSISTENTLY manifest that one is devoted to Jesus Christ, God's Son, and desires to live for Him. That is the simple truth of the new birth ( see 1 John 5: 11-13).

- 1 Watchman

 

[Biff]

I have heard the term "Born again" quite a few times, but I've never
fully understood it. I have read about it, but I don't really understand the
full meaning of it.
Would someone please explain it to me? Thank you!

Here is WHY you MUST be born again....

Biff

 

[Hotpepper]

I would say we are born again because of the meritorious work of Christ through His death and resurrection for these reasons:

Hebrews 9:14-15

...Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, to cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance...

1 John 4:17-19

Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love Him, because He first loved us.

 

[razeontherock]

Adding my .02, it is newness of life, being risen with Christ. He was dead physically which didn't stop God, we are dead Spiritually but made alive in Him! A necessity even just to be able to "see the kingdom of God"

 

[heron]

There is also an interesting aspect to the new birth, if you look at the end before the beginning.

You hope that you will have eternal life, and cling to God's promise. You know that your body will die, but your spirit will live on with Him.

Go backwards in time from heaven-> death-> rebirth -> birth.
The new birth is a life with Him in the spirit -- a life that does not end. Before that, you were physically born into the temporary life in earth. (You had a spirit, but it didn't have an eternal life promise.)

A little weird, but it takes the mystique out of it.

 

[TheGuide]

Adam was created alive to God, but when he ate from the tree God told him not to he died. Spiritually. So all born after him are born spritually dead. Jesus said "that which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of spirit is spirit." We are flesh-born with spirits unattached to God. We get attached by confessing Jesus Christ as our lord.

Hopefully this helps. God bless you and have a super Thanksgiving day.

 

[insurchoftruth]

When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, the Holy Spirit, comes into your spirit, and becomes one with your spirit. The Holy Spirit, makes your dead spirit, alive, and so your spirit becomes a new creation. When you spirit is born again, it means that the Holy Spirit is permanently living in you, and is one with your spirit. Your born again spirit is 100 % perfect, as being a new creation, and therefore, can not sin anymore, and it does not want to sin anymore, because the Holy Spirit lives in your spirit. But, your soul - mind, intelect, is not born again, and is not perfect, like your born again spirit. So, your mind, has to be transformed and renewed, by the Word of God, in order, to align and agree, with your born again spirit, and to become more like your born again spirit. That is why, we need to read the Word of God.
Sin, and the sinful nature, live in your body. So now you have your perfect born again spirit, fighting and struggling against your mind, which needs transforming by the Word of God, and also, fighting against the sinful nature, which lives in your body.
That is why, the christian life, is a daily struggle.


Scripture reference;


John 3:6, 1 Corinthians 1:8, 6:17,19, Romans 8:10,11, 13, Psalm 36:1, 2 Peter 1:4, 2:22, Ephesians 1:19,20, Colossians 1:27,29, John 6:63, 14:6, John 1:4, 3:16, 4:10,14, 5:26, 15:1-6 6:27,33,39,47,48,51,53,54, 7:38, 10:10, Acts 17:25, Ecclesiastes 7:20, Hebrews 4:12, 2 Corinthians 3:6, 4:10-13, 5:4, Matthew 4:4, 7:15-23, 23:27,28, Revelation 21:6, 22:1,2,15,17,19, Galatians 6:8, Colossians 2:13, Ephesians 4:18,24, Acts 3:15, Romans 8:6, 1 Timothy 6:12, 1 John 1:1,2, 3:15, 4:7, 13, Proverbs 2:14, 3:18, 21:10, Psalm 16:11, John 15:1-8, Mark 4:6-16,17,18,19, Galatians 5:22, Philippians 4:7, John 15:10, Acts 5:38, 39, John 3:3, Romans 8:16, John 3:5, 6, Genesis 2:17, John 10:10, Proverbs 10:23, Acts 1:8, 1 Corinthians 12:3, 2 Thessalonians 2:12, Titus 1:16, James 1:18, 2:14, 1 Peter 1:23, 2 Peter 1:4, 1 John 2:19, 3 John 11, Hebrews 12:4, Proverbs 4:16,23, 12:10, 16:6, Hebrews 12:14, Psalm 22:26, Luke 10:25-28, 13:23,24 , Isaiah 26:10

 

[JC_girl]

Thank you all for your answers!

 

[razeontherock]

So now you have your perfect born again spirit, fighting and struggling against your mind

This is portrayed beautifully in Ephesians 6, as our "armor." when you understand it you realize the first thing Jesus does in our life is to "sanctify our imagination, and every other aspect of our thoughts." This does correspond perfectly to our very first piece of armor, if you can receive it.

"Having your loins girt about with Truth" certainly does have a more obvious meaning and I don't mean to diminish that, but we can create MUCH more quickly with our mind that we can procreate.

May we all learn to submit and embrace HIS girding us with Truth, according to what HE means by that!

Thsi also corresponds perfectly to the creative week in Genesis, where the first thing He did was to separate light from darkness! If He keeps saying the same thing over and over in enough different ways, sooner or later we might get it? Even me - eventually. :o

 

[k.miles]

JC girl,

We were all born from Adam (even Eve was born from Adam's body [his rib]). Adam was the "head" of the one body of mankind. Whatever he chose to do while in the garden would determine what the rest of the one body of mankind would do. This is why Eve's eyes were opened only when Adam ate the fruit because, again, even Eve was birthed from Adam's body.

Adam chose death over life while in the garden and thus he contaminated the one body of mankind. Since we are all born from Adam this means that we are automatically born with his same contamination.

Since Jesus is life, we must all be reborn from the body of Adam (death) into the body of Christ (life). Jesus dying was symbolic of the one body of mankind dying due to sin (because Jesus died for everyone's sins) and His body being resurrected was symbolic of the one body overcoming sin and death and having new life.

Jesus is the "head" of the new one body. We must all be reborn from the one body of death into the one body of life because no contamination can enter the Kingdom. There's a lot more to this than I can squeeze into this message.

I encourage you to read the book What You Don't Understand Can Hurt You in order to receive all the details of being reborn into Christ's body. Visit
whatyoudontunderstandcanhurtyou.com

May Christ bless you,

 

[ifightdwagons]

I have heard the term "Born again" quite a few times, but I've never
fully understood it. I have read about it, but I don't really understand the
full meaning of it.
Would someone please explain it to me? Thank you!

john 3:5 'you must be born of water and the spirit
john 3:16 'anyone who believes in the son will get eternal life'
1john 5:6 'Christ came by water and blood'
Acts 1:5 'John baptized with water, Christ baptizes with Spirit'
acts 10:43-47 'saved by believing, not water baptized'

etc...

my beliefs are to believe in the ministrys of john and christ to be born again. when i did this i got the waters flowing inside of me like the scripture states i would

 

[levap]

Man was created tripartite, including spirit, soul and body. Body was given to man to contact with physical world, soul, which consists of mind, emotion and will, for contacting with phychological world, spirit for contacting with God Himself. As a result of falling human spirit died and was dead, thus man couldn't contact God, so the new birth, that is regeneration, is when you accept the diving life coming into your spirit. Since you believed and called on the name of the Lord you can get the Holy Spirit into your own spirit and enjoy this divine life every day. After that God will spread from your spirit into your soul and even body. So new bitth is getting new uncreated eternal divine life inside your spirit.
God bless you.

 

[PHS]

Dear JC,

I understand your desire to know what it means to be born again. I hope this helps.

In the Bible, being born again is experiencing God's salvation. Jesus said in John 3:3, 6 that you must be born again.

He was referring to the spiritual new birth that believers experience when the they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Here are the easiest verses to understand regarding spiritual new birth:

John 1:12
John 3:3
John 3:6
Titus 3:5
I Peter 1:3
I John 5:1

The two blessings given to every new believer are: the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The gift of the indwelling presence is what is meant by the term born again. It means that because of sin, our spirit was dead. But because of Jesus resurrection from the dead and our faith in him, we can receive the presence of the Holy Spirit into our hearts.

His Holy Spirit inhabits our human spirit and we are once again spiritually alive, when because of sin, we were spiritually dead.

Thus, born again.

God bless you in your spiritual growth in the coming year.

Sincerely,

Paul Schlieker

 

[mark46]

BORN AGAIN

There is much emphasis in many churches on a mistranslation of John 3:3
John 3:3 (New King James Version)

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

The verse is more clear when it is translated
John 3:3 (Contemporary English Version)

3Jesus replied, "I tell you for certain that you must be born from above before you can see God's kingdom!"
=======

We are born as physical women and men. In order to see the kingdom of God, we must cast of our old dead bodies (as Paul says) and be born in the Spirit, born again, born from above.

 

[Crosssword]

Born again level is where you choose Christ for real:

1 Jn 3:5-6 (NIV) ...In him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

Look. Christ has made clear Gods condemnation of the carnal man.
Listen. Any act that produces results may be called a natural science. Naturalism, however, is the pure opposite of God and he will not utter stand for it. Science cannot find God, because science itself is a naturalist art that's opposed to God.

 

[waves16]

"In the Bible, being born again is experiencing God's salvation."

I'm still a little confused. Is being born again or saved the act of accepting the Lord as your savior and experiencing God's salvation, or is more of a formal event or statement kind of like a baptism or confirmation? The way I've heard people talk about it, it seemed like they were referring to a sort of formal evet or something that happened at a church or with a group of people around. Can a person be saved on their own, by accepting the Lord as their savior, or does a church or another kind of process need to be involved?