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There are many people in the world today who claim that they
have been “born again.” Some might, upon going through
traumatic events in their lives, claim that they were
changed and “born again;” others might, after an intense
bout of thinking and reading, feel enlightened and “born
again.” Is this really what “born again” means? What does
the Bible say about it?
1. What does born again mean?
In our passage, a ruler of the Jews, Nicodemus, came to
Jesus to speak to Him. He came at night because Jesus was
not very popular with the other rulers in Israel then, for
He had contradicted their teachings and diminished their
influence. Yet Nicodemus addressed Jesus as Rabbi, or
teacher, for he knew Jesus was a far superior teacher, and
that He was sent by God, for no one could do all those
miracles that Jesus had done, without being from God.
He came to ask Jesus what His main teaching was, and Jesus
responded by saying, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God” (v. 3). Christ’s main message was this: in order to
be saved and see God’s kingdom, one must be born again.
This puzzled Nicodemus, and he asked, “How can a man be
born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his
mother’s womb, and be born?” (v. 4) Nicodemus thought
Jesus was referring to a physical birth. But Jesus
corrected him, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh;
and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (v. 6).
In other words, to be born again is to be born of the
Spirit.
In order for a person to go to Heaven, he must be born twice
(v. 5): physically (of water) and spiritually (of the
Spirit). There are similarities between physical and
spiritual birth. Physical birth brings about physical life.
In like manner, to have spiritual life, one must have
spiritual birth. In addition, a person is only born once. It
is also the same spiritually. There are those who think we
can lose our salvation, and have to be saved all over again.
But this is not so.
Furthermore, when a person is born physically, it is through
someone. We come from our mothers who have suffered to bring
us into the world. Spiritually, man is born again through
someone else, and it is only through Jesus that we can have
this brand new spiritual life (John 10:10; 1 John 4:9; 1
John 5:12), a life of victory (1 John 5:4).
2. Why must a person be born again?
J I Packer says, “The new birth is an inner recreating of
fallen human nature by the Holy Spirit. It changes the
disposition from a lawless, godless self-seeking into one of
trust and love, of repentance for past rebelliousness and
unbelief, and loving compliance with God’s law henceforth.
It enlightens the blinded mind to discern spiritual
realities and liberates and energizes the enslaved will for
free obedience to God.”
We are told about the sinfulness of men in Romans 3:23:
“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”
and Romans 3:10 also reminds us that “there is none
righteous, no, not one.” However, when we are born
again, we are changed and cease to be like our old sinful
selves. A person needs to be born again because he is sinful
and nothing sinful can enter Heaven.
But we must also know that a just God cannot allow sin to go
unpunished. That is why the consequence of sin is death
(Romans 6:23). We will be judged, once we die (Hebrews
9:27), for our every deed, action, and word, and those who
are not born again will be condemned. We must see sin the
way God sees it. We must hate it. We must have it removed
from us, lest it destroys us. And it will.
3. Who must be born again?
Since all men have sinned, all men wanting to see Heaven
must be born again. Perhaps there are some who are not
convinced that being born again is the only way to get to
Heaven. Some might think that all one has to do is to be
good. But the truth is works do not get us into heaven. New
birth does. Man needs a new start and a new life. He needs
to be saved from himself.
There was once a missionary who visited a primitive hut and
became nauseated by the filthy floor on which he had to sit.
He suggested to his host that they scrub the dirty surface
with soap and water, but the man replied, ‘the floor is just
clay, packed down and dry. Add water and it turns to mud.
The more you try to wash it, the worse the mess becomes!’
Yes, the hut needed something besides an earthen floor. So
it is with the human heart: it is hard and dirty, and
nothing will help it. Man needs a new heart. He must be born
again from above!
Even the best of men needs to be regenerated. We have in
John 3 one of the best men that has ever lived. Nicodemus
was a ruler of Israel and he appeared, by all accounts, a
moral and upright man. If anyone were to be saved from his
sins and be regenerated, no one would have thought of
Nicodemus. But yet, despite his riches, religiosity, and
rank, Jesus said that he needed to be born again. Salvation
is not based on our own merit (Eph 2:8-9).
4. How can a man be born again?
Since it is sin that prevents man from entering Heaven, the
process of being born again includes a provision to remove
sin. Jesus told Nicodemus that he left Heaven above to come
into the world to die for our sins. Being just, God cannot
let sins go unpunished. But He is also a merciful God. How
can He spare man and yet fulfil His justice? Someone must
take man’s place and be punished for sin.
Spiritual birth occurs through Christ. Christ, being God
Himself, totally without sin, came down to die for sinners
(1 Peter 3:18). And because of this work, anyone who
believes in Him will not face eternal punishment, but will
enter into Heaven. John 3:16 is the climax of Christ’s
message: “For God so loved the world that He gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should
not perish, but have everlasting life.”
How can man be born again? By acknowledging that we deserve
damnation and that there is nothing we can do to save
ourselves; by repenting and seeking forgiveness from God for
our sins; and by believing in Christ as God’s provision to
remove sin and asking Him to take our sins away from us.
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