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What Does "Born Again" Mean in the Bible?

iris89

Active Member
What Does "Born Again" Mean in the Bible?



INTRODUCTION:



Many use the term "born again" as found in John 3:3-7. Some give it almost mythical proportions, and even refer to Acts the Tenth Chapter and Acts the Second Chapter in a vain attempt to back-up their incorrect understanding. Now let's look at the facts.



UNDERSTANDING JOHN 3:3-7:



Many do not comprehend what 'born again' in the contest of John 3:3-7 really means, but first let's look at the scripture itself and then the explanation, "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, 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. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again, " (Authorized King James Bible; Av). First as Nicodemus mentioned it does NOT mean a rebirth from a women in a physical sense. It means to be reborn in a spiritual sense and/or new relation to God (YHWH), and a remaking of your mental set and/or manner of thinking, feeling, and acting with respect to spiritual things, i.e., an undergoing a fundamental and permanent change with regard to how you view the world around you and your Creator (YHWH) and his Son, Jesus (Yeshua) whom he has put in charge of judging all of us per John 5:22, "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son" (AV).: In other words, it is a necessary change to be considered worthy to enter the Kingdom of God (YHWH) that we pray for at Matthew 6:9-10, " After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." (AV). But remember, the Kingdom of God with respect to governing the earth as it is in heaven has not yet come as should be readily apparent to all thinking individuals as the fulfillment of the conditions mentioned at Revelation 21:1-4 has not yet taken place, "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (AV)



One well known scholar, John Darby had this to say on this scripture, John 3:3-7,



"John Darby's Synopsis of the New Testament



John Chapter 3



But there was a man (chap. 3)-and that a Pharisee-who was not satisfied with this inoperative conviction. His conscience was reached. Seeing Jesus, and hearing His testimony, had produced a sense of need in his heart. It is not the knowledge of grace, but it is with respect to man's condition a total change. He knows nothing of the truth, but he has seen that it is in Jesus, and he desires it. He has also at once an instinctive sense that the world will be against him; and he comes by night. The heart fears the world as soon as it has to do with God; for the world is opposed to Him. The friendship of the world is enmity against God. This sense of need made the difference in the case of Nicodemus. He had been convinced like the others. Accordingly he says, "We know that thou art a teacher come from God." And the source of this conviction was the miracles. But Jesus stops him short; and that on account of the true need felt in the heart of Nicodemus. The work of blessing was not to be wrought by teaching the old man. Man needed to be renewed in the source of his nature, without which he could not see the kingdom

The things of God are spiritually discerned; and man is carnal, he has not the Spirit. The Lord does not go beyond the kingdom-which, moreover, was not the law-for Nicodemus ought to have known something about the kingdom. But He does not begin to teach the Jews as a prophet under the law. He presents the kingdom itself; but to see it, according to His testimony, a man must be born again. But the kingdom as thus come in the carpenter's Son could not be seen without a wholly new nature, it struck no chord of man's comprehension or Jews' expectation, though testimony to it was amply given in word and work: as to entering and having a part in it there is more development as to the how. Nicodemus sees no farther than the flesh.



The Lord explains Himself. Two things were necessary-to be born of water, and of the Spirit. Water cleanses. And, spiritually, in his affections, heart, conscience, thoughts, actions, etc., man lives, and in practice is morally purified, through the application, by the power of the Spirit, of the word of God, which judges all things, and works in us livingly new thoughts and affections. This is the water; it is withal the death of the flesh. The true water which cleanses in a christian way came forth from the side of a dead Christ. He came by water and blood, in the power of cleansing and of expiation. He sanctifies the assembly by cleansing it through the washing of water by the word. "Ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." It is therefore the mighty word of God which, since man must be born again in the principle and source of his moral being, judges, as being death, all that is of the flesh.



But there is in fact the communication of a new life; that which is born of the Spirit is spirit, is not flesh, has its nature from the Spirit. It is not the Spirit-that would be an incarnation; but this new life is spirit. It partakes of the nature of its origin. Without this, man cannot enter into the kingdom. But this is not all. If it was a necessity for the Jew, who already was nominally a child of the kingdom, for here we deal with what is essential and true, it was also asovereign act of God, and consequently it is accomplished wherever the Spirit acts in this power. "So is every one that is born of the Spirit." This in principle opens the door to the Gentiles." [source - John Darby's Synopsis of the New Testament, originally written in French and completed in 1867].

To read remainder, go to:

http://www.network54.com/Forum/thread?forumid=392643&messageid=1125359196&lp=1125359196

Your Friend in Christ Iris89
 

chariot of fire

New Member
very simple. being born again mentioned in the bible means to become born again in the "spirit". everything that the bible speaks is spiritual. not all professing christians baptized in the water are called born again in the spirit. once a person is spiritually born again, he walks not according to the works of the flesh but according to the will of the father in heaven. being born again in the spirit is a key that one could be recognized by the Lord Jesus Christ since he sees a person not in physicality but in the "spirit" if that person bears the same image as his.

christendom has a wrongful notion about being "born again"... true born again children of God are gathered in God's kingdom here on earth that bears the name of Jesus Christ. their lives are subjected to follow no other will but the will of God. this is the essence of being "born again"
 

iris89

Active Member
hi Chariot of Fire

Here is a commentary you should consider,

Luke 22:29 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; (Authorized King James Bible; AV).



Let's examine the scripture preceding this and the one after it. FIRST, the preceding, Luke 22:28, "Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptation." (AV); clearly showing that we must stick with Jesus (Yeshua) and not deny him, and this is testified to at 2 Timothy 2:12, "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:" (AV). Clearly showing some of Jesus' (Yeshua's) faithful followers will reign with him. The ones chosen by God (YHWH) his father as testified to at Romans 8:16-17, "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." (AV); And this fact of being chosen is emphasized at 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14, " But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." (AV). In fact unless we are born by the Spirit we can not enter into God's (YHWH's) Kingdom as testified to at John 3:5-6 by none other than Jesus (Yeshua) himself, "Jesus answered, 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. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (AV). Herewith has been shown that God (YHWH) will choose those who will reign with Jesus (Yeshua) in heaven when his has been given power and sits at the right hand of God (YHWH) as shown at Romans 20:4, "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years; And revelation 1:6 says of these ones, "And he made us to be a kingdom, priests to his God and Father-yes, to him be the glory and the might forever. Amen." (New World Translation, NWT).



SECOND, the following Luke 22:30, "That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." (AV). Here showing that these chosen ones would assist Jesus (Yeshua) in the judging work. But whom would they be judging and what would be the fate of those ones judged righteous? This is revealed to us at Revelation 7:9-10, "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." (AV). Therefore, the subjects, the ruled will be members of this great multitude. Now let's consider a prophecy in the book of Daniel showing the set-up of this kingdom, Daniel 2:44, "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." (AV), in the end times. And another showing Jesus (Yeshua) coming to his Father (YHWH) and being given by his Father (YHWH) dominion over all the kingdoms of the earth at the end times, Daniel 7:13-14, "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." (AV).



This kingdom of God (YHWH) will be ruled over for a thousand years by God's son, Jesus (Yeshua), and then turned over to his Father (YHWH) after he, Jesus (Yeshua) has set everything in order as foretold at 1 Corinthians 15:23-28, "But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." (AV). In order to carry out this assignment, his Father (YHWH) had to resurrect him to heaven per 2 Corinthians 4:13-14, "We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe and therefore speak; 14 Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you." (AV); herewith, showing that his Father (YHWH) was the superior one and they were not coequal. This kingdom shall endure for ever as testified to at 1 Chronicles 17:14, "But I will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom for ever: and his throne shall be established for evermore." (AV); And reaffirmed at 2 Samuel 7:16, "And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever." (AV).



Therefore, we must be very careful not to contaminate ourselves with false doctrine of men no matter how many believe it or how popular it is, keeping ever in mind the admonishment of Titus 2:1, ""But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:" (AV).



Your Friend in Christ Iris89
 

michel

Administrator Emeritus
Staff member
chariot of fire said:
very simple. being born again mentioned in the bible means to become born again in the "spirit". everything that the bible speaks is spiritual. not all professing christians baptized in the water are called born again in the spirit. once a person is spiritually born again, he walks not according to the works of the flesh but according to the will of the father in heaven. being born again in the spirit is a key that one could be recognized by the Lord Jesus Christ since he sees a person not in physicality but in the "spirit" if that person bears the same image as his.

christendom has a wrongful notion about being "born again"... true born again children of God are gathered in God's kingdom here on earth that bears the name of Jesus Christ. their lives are subjected to follow no other will but the will of God. this is the essence of being "born again"
I agree; Iris, I am afraid that you loose me in your long-winded scripts; I think the meaning is obvious, as pointed out by chariot of fire.

John 3:1-7 deals with the 'born again' subject, and leaves the reader in no doubt that the rebirth is one into the spiritual world.:)
 

iris89

Active Member
Hi Michael

I strive for complete Biblical accuracy and never give my opinion, only Biblical facts so of course my articles/answers may appear a little 'long winded', but are really only very accurate backed up items, sorry if I lose you.

Your Friend in Christ Iris89
 
Whoever,

Being born again, or, born from Above (the Greek can be translated either way) is comprised---by implication of the Word---of receiving from Heaven/Above/God a "new (S)spirit and a new heart" (Ezek.), the former instantaneously, the latter in degrees.

Part of that new heart begun when born again (or perhaps even before, if you are a Calvinist) is God writing some of His Laws upon its fig. tablets/pages, so that when the person then hears or reads something from God's eternally profitable Truths, they recognize it as such---the Fruit of the Spirit of Faith also bearing witness.

So, yes, the New Birth enables the person to, for the first time, both spiritually enter the Heavenly Father's family, and "see" (Jn. 3:3) God's Kingdom, i.e., spiritually discern it.

Then, as the Holy Ghost carries along the person in His process of further regeneration/sanctification ("your" choice), as Jesus' Word continues to be unfolded to them and continues to be pure water that washes away their remaining sins/evils/idols/impurities---

Sadly, however, practically all harden their heart to the process, soon after the New Birth refusing to unconditionally Love some seemingly unlovable person---

Truly sorrowed to say.

brother jim
[email protected]


(Btw, the Greek behind the translation of "born again" in John 3, is different from the Greek also translated "born again" in 1 Peter---ref. KJV.)
 

Fascist Christ

Active Member
brotherjim said:
Being born again, or, born from Above (the Greek can be translated either way) is comprised---by implication of the Word---of receiving from Heaven/Above/God a "new (S)spirit and a new heart" (Ezek.), the former instantaneously, the latter in degrees.
Where does the old spirit go? Is this "spirit" different from the "soul?" Will I miss my old sprirt? What is wrong with the spirit I have now? Is their a factory defect? Seriously, did the Creator mess up when making my "spirit?" If not, then what did I do wrong?

My heart seems to be working fine. So, I don't need that transplant just yet.
 

iris89

Active Member
Hi brotherjim

You are correct when you say,
Sadly, however, practically all harden their heart to the process, soon after the New Birth refusing to unconditionally Love some seemingly unlovable person---
Love is essential as brought out by Jesus (Yeshua) at Matthew 22:37-40, "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Authorized King James Bible; AV).
Your Friend in Christ Iris89
 
Fascist Christ said:
Where does the old spirit go? Is this "spirit" different from the "soul?" Will I miss my old sprirt? What is wrong with the spirit I have now? Is their a factory defect? Seriously, did the Creator mess up when making my "spirit?" If not, then what did I do wrong?

My heart seems to be working fine. So, I don't need that transplant just yet.
Whoever,

Well, the above is actually a Catch 22 of sorts. Without being born-again, someone cannot correctly understand spiritual things, for such eternally profitable Truths "are only spiritually discerned," and until someone is born again they do not have that (S)spirit from God needed to spiritually "see" (Jn. 3:3).

All who have been born since Adam have a spirit which is in union with the god of this world---the devil (that is, this is the Evangelical/charismatic theology that is most likely only believable and acceptable by these born again Christians).

Lastly, yes, unless God intervenes and specifically, miraculously reveals a person's sinfulness and defective heart, they will most likely believe that their heart is just fine, their spirit the intended-by-God one---

In Jeremiah 17:3, God attempts, however enigmatically (again, only He can reveal it: "for so it seemed correct in [His] Sight . . . so that no person can [ever rightfully] boast . . . no flesh glory in His Presence"), to show us that our heart, whether pre-Christian or post-, is our greatest foe, which I will take the liberty to para. and ampl.:

"The spiritual heart of a human is desperately wicked, and more than any other facet of it, it is deceitful to our own understanding of what evils/idols remain hidden in it unknown to us, self-justifying us, assisting us to remain in a state of denial, working as an independant entity to self-preserve its sinful secrets and unholy loves and well-shrouded chambers of darkness---

The Good News: God attempts to intervene in our path of self-destruction, to momentarily overcome for us that Catch22, to "grant us repentance to the acknowledging of the Truth" regarding the utter sinfulness of our sin, to open our eyes/understanding to our need for a new inner person, not to mention the need for a Savior beyond our own selves---

Just ask the Heavenly Father, in Jesus' Name, for the New Birth, believing by Faith that He will give it to you, not doubting, by faith reminding and thanking Him for it every time your prayer comes to mind; and when He does reveal your sin, give you godly sorrow and remorse and repentance for it, then deliverance from it and a new (S)spirit and new heart in its sted, then confess that miracle to others as He leads you so to do. All only possible by the priceless, shed Blood of Jesus, symbolized (but hopefully not idolized) by the Christian Cross.

brother jim
[email protected]


But "the Cross is foolishness to them who are perishing," truly sad to say.
 
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