Born Again
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Welcome! Here is basic information from The Bible on being BORN AGAIN!
We will continue updating this page as time allows, but we hope you will find this information helpful.
Is the term ‘born again’ in The Bible?
Yes. There are (3) places where the exact term ‘born again’ appears in Scripture [John 3:3, John 3:7 and 1 Peter 1:23]. The topic is discussed in many places throughout The Bible and has a number of other phrases related to it. (Click HERE for more verses on born again.)
What does ‘born again’ literally mean?
Because the New Testament was written in the Koine Greek language. We need to understand the meaning of that term in Greek.
The word translated as again is ἄνωθεν (ánōthen) [anothen], which means "again", or "from above". This means that being born again is to be born from above.
This means there are (2) kinds of births that The Bible teaches. Jesus Christ spoke about the difference between being born naturally versus being born spiritually:
“Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” [Jhn. 3:6]
Birth brings something into existence. The term "born from above" means that God brings into existence a different kind of life that is spiritual. It is not the same life which belongs to the body during natural / physical birth – called our soul.
Jesus Christ spoke of a time approaching where people could worship God the way God truly wanted. This kind of worship was NOT available prior to the time Jesus Christ said this.
“23 But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. 24 For God is spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” [Jhn. 4:23,24]
Jesus Christ said that God is spirit, and that for humans - who are physical beings, to truly worship God, they would need to receive spirit from God. God is The Giver, (The Holy Spirit) and the gift God offers to those who accept Christ is holy spirit. When people are born from above, they receive holy spirit. This spirit is a different form of life than what they were born with naturally.
Being born again is NOT a NEW Idea
Being born again is not a new idea nor is it a new denomination within Christianity. It is ancient.
God made its knowledge available since the beginning of His relationship with humanity. However, despite it being a repeated theme in The Bible, in human history the knowledge of it in Scripture was largely not passed down between generations. Today, people are re-discovering what this ancient powerful reality is and means – but being born again is not a new Christian fad.
Jesus Christ was surprised that a prominent religious leader didn’t understand what being born again meant – despite it being something former generations taught and deeply desired:
“1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him. 3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” 4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. 4 “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” [Jhn.3:1-4]
“Jesus replied, “You are a respected teacher of Israel, and yet you don’t understand these things?” [Jhn. 3:10]
There were also ancient prophecies about a future time when God would ‘pour out’ His spirit upon all people who believed:
“17 In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.18 In those days I will pour out my spirit even on my servants—men and women alike— and they shall prophesy.” [Acts 2:17, 18]
Jesus Christ expected believers during that time to know what being born again meant – and he still expects the same today.
Is there a Difference between being Born Again and being Christian?
Yes. Both terms share a connection with Christ… BUT, The Bible makes a distinction between them. Though both terms appear in Scripture, only one of them is a biblical term (born again) invented by God and the other was a cultural term (Christian), invented by people in society.
Acts chapter 11 talks about where the term ‘Christian’ comes from:
“24 Barnabas was a good man, full of the holy spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord. 25 Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul. 26 When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. (It was at Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.)[Acts 11:24-26]
Barnabas was “full of holy spirit” – this is a biblical term meaning to be born again. We also see mention of another biblical term ‘disciple’. But the people of Antioch called them ‘Christians’. This was not how God referred to them.
The translation of the word ‘Christian’ meant essentially ‘the little anointed ones’ and Bible scholars indicate this was a social term mocking anyone claiming to have ‘Christ-in them.’
When Scripture uses the term born again, it describes believers who received the gift of holy spirit (first poured out on the Day of Pentecost.)
When the term ‘Christian’ is used in Scripture, it usually references society’s treatment of those who were born again:
“Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” [1 Ptr. 4:16]
Here, believers are told not to be ashamed because of the way they are treated by their society. The same is still true today!
Today, the cultural term Christian is used to identify followers of Christ from other world religions.
How Does a Person get Born Again?
The simple answer of Scripture is found in Romans 10:9, 10:
“If you declare it with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe it in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. 10 For with the heart is belief made unto righteousness, and salvation is by the confession of their mouth.” [Rom. 10:9, 10]
Understanding what it means to be born again (spiritually from above) depends on our acceptance and confession of what the scriptures teach regarding Christ. It also involves an understanding that the terms ‘saved / salvation’ mean to be made whole or complete.
“10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. 12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man (Adam), and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned 13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But sin is not taken into account against someone when there is no law. 14 Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 15 But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ.” [Rom. 5:10-15]
Genesis chapter 2 notes that Adam and Eve were given very simple instructions to follow - which they disobeyed by performing a seemingly simple act - which God said would have deadly consequences – leading to the loss of the spirit nature which they conditionally had.
“16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for on the (same) day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” [Gen. 2:17]
Humans are mortals and can die –which means the soul (life) in their physical body terminates. Adam was warned that if he did what GOD said not to do, that he would die ‘on the same day’ or ‘before the day ended.’ However, we read about GOD confronting them after they disobeyed and both Adam and Eve continued to live for many years and had children.
Q: How could they remain ‘alive’ after doing what God said would cause immediate death?
The answer is in the meaning of ‘death.’ Death is the loss of life.
Throughout scripture God contrasts spiritual life from natural life.
The book of Genesis indicates that Adam and Eve had human souls and they also had a second life form upon them (spirit).
“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” [Gen.2:7]
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”[Gen 1:27]
Both Adam and Eve had a part of them which God created – the rest of them was formed and made from things which already existed. This created part was spirit – which is called the image of God.
For many years people have speculated what the image of God is…(if that meant God looked like humans) Scripture says Gods image is Spirit.
“24 For God is spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” [Jhn. 4:24]
Adam and Eve both had a body that was formed, a soul that was made and a spirit which was created:
“everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”[Isa. 43:7]
When God says they would die the same day, what they lost was spirit (the part of them that was the image of God – its creator). That spirit life was their connection to God and what made them immortal. Once that was lost all they had left was their soul and bodies – which eventually died also (many years later – not on the same day they disobeyed.)
In the Old Testament God placed spirit upon prophets, kings and other people to carry out what they were called to do. But everyone looked forward to The Messiah as the one God would send to restore what humanity lost from Adam and Eve.
God established that anyone who believed regarding the Messiah would receive the gift of spirit born within as seed – rather than conditionally placed upon them.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of (from) God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [Rom.6:23]
Just like the simple warning God gave Adam was to protect him from a great loss of life. The simple instructions God gives in Romans 10:9,10 is to give us access to an incredible gift of life.
“For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” [1 Ptr 1:23]
Unlike the spirit that was previously available, what we receive now is born as spiritual seed, it cannot be lost – it is permanent.
Just as Adam and Eve couldn’t do anything to regain the spiritual life they lost. Now, by Gods grace, anyone who is born again can’t do anything to lose the spiritual life they received.
This is why Romans 8:39 says:
“No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, no created thing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [Rom. 8:39]
And why Ephesians 2:9 says:
“8 For it is by (God’s) grace that you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” [Eph.2:9]
Our salvation / spiritual wholeness is a result of accepting Gods gracious offer in Christ’s accomplishments, not by our own human efforts (good works.)
It is by God’s grace that anyone who accepts Christ can be born again!
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