Born Again
..........................................................................................Born Again
What does Born Again mean?
In John 3, Jesus tells Nicodemus that unless one is Born Again, one can not see or enter the Kingdom of God. What does all of this mean? Let’s look at the scripture.
In John, chapter 3, verse 3, Jesus tells Nicodemus, â€Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.â€
The Greek word translated “again†in the phrase “born again†is ανωθεν, transliterated “Anothenâ€, and its definition is:
3. anew, over again[/list:u:8d8f18b081]This word, ανωθεν, is used five times in the book of John, and twice it is translated "again", and twice it is translated "from above". (The fifth time it is translated “topâ€). The proper translation should actually read, “Except a man be born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.†This is backed up by verse 6. After Nicodemus answers Jesus with a profound question, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?â€
Now pay attention to verse 6 as Jesus answers Nicodemus, “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. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.â€
Unless one is born of water and born of the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. Here is the key of being “born againâ€! That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Believers are "born from above", “born of Godâ€, “born of the Spiritâ€.
Did you catch that? That which is born of the Spirit is spirit; born from above, born of God, begotten of God.
Jesus teaches us that unless one is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of heaven. That which is born of the water is born of the flesh (Physical Birth), and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit (Spiritual Birth). Redeemed man must be born of the flesh, AND he must be born of the Spirit in order to see and enter the kingdom of God.
What significance is this to the modern day Christian?
It is necessary to understand salvation and what has occurred when a person believes in Jesus Christ as his savior. Jesus says that unless one is born "from above", one cannot see or enter the Kingdom of God.
Jesus goes on to explain that the Spirit blows like the wind here and there wherever it wills. Jesus says, “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.â€
Notice that Jesus explains that the wind blows and the sound can be heard, but it cannot be seen from where it comes, or where it will go, and he says that it is the same way for those that are born of the Spirit. It is not up to this person or that person as to whether they do all of the right things to get saved. It is up to the Spirit as to the direction that He will go, to quicken, to open the understanding of the lost, to give them faith, to answer the prayers of those praying for the lost, to save a wretch like me. Until the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to the truth of God, and gives us the Word of God to believe, we are spiritually dead in our natural physical existence. Our old nature is the fallen nature solely consisting of the physical birth. Until we are born "from above" we are condemned.
Nicodemus asks Jesus, “How can these things be?â€
Jesus replies,â€Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, we speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?†Jesus is strong in rebuking Nicodemus for his being a master of the children of Israel and not knowing the way to the kingdom of God. Jesus goes into detail as he describes that no man has ascended up to heaven, but he, himself, who came from heaven. He explains that the Son of man which is in heaven, has come down from heaven, and as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so that those who looked upon the lifted up serpent would live.
Jesus said, "And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.â€
So far, Jesus has taught Nicodemus the following:
Have you ever heard the word, “saved� It is the word used by Jesus to describe that he did not come into the world to condemn the world, but that he came into the world so that through him, the world might be saved. Saved from what? Those that believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God will be saved from the condemnation that already exists on those of the world.
Jesus said, "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.â€
Those in the world are condemned already, and they continue to be condemned if they do not come to the light which is come into the world. Jesus said that he was the light of the world, and those that follow him will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. The reason that unbelievers remain in the condemnation of sin of the world is because they prefer the darkness. Their deeds are evil and they prefer to live accordingly. To come to the light requires that their evil deeds would be manifested, and they would be reproved.
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 8:12
Jesus saith unto him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6
In conclusion, Jesus is teaching a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who Jesus calls a master of the children of Israel, what one must do to see and enter the kingdom of God. He teaches that one must be born from above of the Spirit of God so that a new creature is born of the spiritual; therefore, a believer becomes a physical and spiritual being, instead of just a physical being with the spirit of man. He now is a physical being with the inward man following the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is the one who does the work providing an individual the means by which to become saved. The Word of God is preached whereby the truth of Jesus’ death and resurrection can be believed, and repentance from the evil deeds of darkness bring one into the light of life, through Jesus Christ, the Lord of Lords, and King of Kings. Apart from this “born from above†experience, no one can see or enter the Kingdom of God.
Is the Holy Spirit speaking to you of this truth today? Have you been "born from above"? If not, take this time to ask God to forgive you of your sins, and confess to him that you need a savior, and that you believe that Jesus died on the cross in your stead, so that you will be resurrected from your mortal, corrupt body one day at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you and yours.
..........................................................................................Born Again
What does Born Again mean?
In John 3, Jesus tells Nicodemus that unless one is Born Again, one can not see or enter the Kingdom of God. What does all of this mean? Let’s look at the scripture.
In John, chapter 3, verse 3, Jesus tells Nicodemus, â€Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.â€
The Greek word translated “again†in the phrase “born again†is ανωθεν, transliterated “Anothenâ€, and its definition is:
- 1. From above, from a higher place[list:8d8f18b081]a. of things which come from heaven or God
3. anew, over again[/list:u:8d8f18b081]This word, ανωθεν, is used five times in the book of John, and twice it is translated "again", and twice it is translated "from above". (The fifth time it is translated “topâ€). The proper translation should actually read, “Except a man be born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.†This is backed up by verse 6. After Nicodemus answers Jesus with a profound question, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?â€
Now pay attention to verse 6 as Jesus answers Nicodemus, “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. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.â€
Unless one is born of water and born of the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. Here is the key of being “born againâ€! That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Believers are "born from above", “born of Godâ€, “born of the Spiritâ€.
Did you catch that? That which is born of the Spirit is spirit; born from above, born of God, begotten of God.
Jesus teaches us that unless one is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of heaven. That which is born of the water is born of the flesh (Physical Birth), and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit (Spiritual Birth). Redeemed man must be born of the flesh, AND he must be born of the Spirit in order to see and enter the kingdom of God.
What significance is this to the modern day Christian?
It is necessary to understand salvation and what has occurred when a person believes in Jesus Christ as his savior. Jesus says that unless one is born "from above", one cannot see or enter the Kingdom of God.
Jesus goes on to explain that the Spirit blows like the wind here and there wherever it wills. Jesus says, “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.â€
Notice that Jesus explains that the wind blows and the sound can be heard, but it cannot be seen from where it comes, or where it will go, and he says that it is the same way for those that are born of the Spirit. It is not up to this person or that person as to whether they do all of the right things to get saved. It is up to the Spirit as to the direction that He will go, to quicken, to open the understanding of the lost, to give them faith, to answer the prayers of those praying for the lost, to save a wretch like me. Until the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to the truth of God, and gives us the Word of God to believe, we are spiritually dead in our natural physical existence. Our old nature is the fallen nature solely consisting of the physical birth. Until we are born "from above" we are condemned.
Nicodemus asks Jesus, “How can these things be?â€
Jesus replies,â€Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, we speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?†Jesus is strong in rebuking Nicodemus for his being a master of the children of Israel and not knowing the way to the kingdom of God. Jesus goes into detail as he describes that no man has ascended up to heaven, but he, himself, who came from heaven. He explains that the Son of man which is in heaven, has come down from heaven, and as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so that those who looked upon the lifted up serpent would live.
- Then the Lord said to Moses, "Make a snake [image] and mount
it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will recover. Numbers 21:8
Jesus said, "And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.â€
So far, Jesus has taught Nicodemus the following:
- In order to see and enter the Kingdom of God, one must be born from above.
- The human existence is one where man is born into the physical realm and is lacking until he is born of God.
- The Spirit goes where it determines to go in its endeavor to save mankind, as it is not within man’s ability to wake himself up from the dead.
- The manner that the Spirit uses to birth one into the Kingdom of God is through showing those dead in their sin, the Son of God, and the work that he did on the cross, dying for the sins of those bitten by sin.
- All those who believe in Jesus Christ will not perish, but will have eternal life.
- 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.
Have you ever heard the word, “saved� It is the word used by Jesus to describe that he did not come into the world to condemn the world, but that he came into the world so that through him, the world might be saved. Saved from what? Those that believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God will be saved from the condemnation that already exists on those of the world.
Jesus said, "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.â€
Those in the world are condemned already, and they continue to be condemned if they do not come to the light which is come into the world. Jesus said that he was the light of the world, and those that follow him will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. The reason that unbelievers remain in the condemnation of sin of the world is because they prefer the darkness. Their deeds are evil and they prefer to live accordingly. To come to the light requires that their evil deeds would be manifested, and they would be reproved.
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 8:12
Jesus saith unto him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6
In conclusion, Jesus is teaching a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who Jesus calls a master of the children of Israel, what one must do to see and enter the kingdom of God. He teaches that one must be born from above of the Spirit of God so that a new creature is born of the spiritual; therefore, a believer becomes a physical and spiritual being, instead of just a physical being with the spirit of man. He now is a physical being with the inward man following the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is the one who does the work providing an individual the means by which to become saved. The Word of God is preached whereby the truth of Jesus’ death and resurrection can be believed, and repentance from the evil deeds of darkness bring one into the light of life, through Jesus Christ, the Lord of Lords, and King of Kings. Apart from this “born from above†experience, no one can see or enter the Kingdom of God.
Is the Holy Spirit speaking to you of this truth today? Have you been "born from above"? If not, take this time to ask God to forgive you of your sins, and confess to him that you need a savior, and that you believe that Jesus died on the cross in your stead, so that you will be resurrected from your mortal, corrupt body one day at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you and yours.
