BORN AGAIN, WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

In John 3, a discourse between Jesus Christ and a Jewish teacher called Nicodemus, Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3. Whatever the phrase ‘born again’ means, it is unequivocally clear that being born again is an absolute necessity to seeing the kingdom of God. The exception term, “unless” is “if, and only if.” This exception thus precludes any other means of entrance into the kingdom of God. Jesus reiterated the necessity of being born again when He said, “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” John 3:7

The sad thing is that, to be born again has umpteen interpretations in the religious world. The sincere seeker of the truth in the religious world appears to be looking for a needle in a haystack when he seeks the meaning of being born again from religious literature authored by men. Most religious people, like Nicodemus are confused and helplessly ignorant on the subject. He asked Jesus, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” John 3:4 Nicodemus’s confusion stems from his understanding the discourse in a mere earthly sense as opposed to the spiritual. Different people that profess Christianity have different opinions on what being born again means. They agree to the essential of the new birth but are completely lost on what constitutes the new birth. Jesus replied, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” John 3:5. Jesus is not referring to two new births; one of water and one of Spirit, but one birth, that has its constituent: water and Spirit.

The process of birth involves begetting and bringing forth. Spiritual birth is no different. The new birth involves a spiritual conception and a bringing forth into the kingdom of Heaven. The new birth involves water and the Spirit. Being born of the Holy Spirit is the begetting part of the spiritual birth. The Holy Spirit begets an individual through the word of God. In 1 Peter 1:23,25 Peter said, ‘having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, … But the word of the LORD endures forever. Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.’ (emph. added) Peter informed his readers that the word of God is the seed for the conception. Jesus also informed earlier that – “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.” Luke 8:11. James 1:18 teaches, “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first-fruits of His creatures.” Cf. 1 Corinthians 4:15. The bringing forth, the delivery is seen in water baptism. Denominationalist view being born of water in John 3:5 as natural birth thereby denying water baptism its place in God’s scheme of redemption. Here are the words of one writer who holds that view, Carl Laney:

In Jesus’ analogy, then, the fleshly, or natural, birth corresponds to being “born of water”. During pregnancy the unborn child floats in the amniotic fluid within the mother’s womb. During delivery, this water is expelled. The child is literally born “out of water” (ek hudatos). The expression “of water” is used here as a figure for physical birth.¹

However, the Bible teaches that to be born of water is to be immersed into and brought out of water. In Romans 6:3-4, Paul said, “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (emph. added). Colossians 2:12 says, “buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.” Baptism is a burial in water and coming out of the water. Through that we have newness of life because we are born again. The closest parallel passage to John 3:5 is Titus 3:5. In that passage, Paul said, “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (NKJV, emph. added). Clearly, the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit is parallel to being born of water and of the Spirit in John 3:5. Hendriksen commenting on Titus 3:5 wrote:

It is clear from such passages as John 3:3,5 and especially Ephesians 5:26 (cf Hebrews 10:22) that this ‘washing of regeneration and renewing’ stands in some relation to the rite of baptism.²

In 2Corinthians 5:17, Paul said, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” New life is in Christ Jesus. And Galatians 3:26-27 teaches how one gets into Christ, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”(emph. added). The translators got it right when they indicated that a person has ‘faith in Christ’, however, a person is ‘baptized into Christ’.

Professors of Christianity who have embraced, ‘faith only’, ‘the sinner’s prayer’ and other false teachings do so at their own peril and to the sore damnation of the souls of ignorant men. For a person to read the Bible, failing to see the role of water baptism in the new birth is tantamount to reading the Bible with the denominational doctrine of the spec in the eye. 1 Peter 3:21 reads, “There is also an antitype which now saves us – baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Baptism is said to wash away sins, Acts 22:16, “Why are you tarrying, arise and be baptized, washing away your sins.”

The words of Jesus Christ in the great commission will always triumph over any intelligence penned down by men in their literature. Christ said, “Go and preach the word to all creatures, he who believes and is baptized will be saved. He who will not believe will be damned.” Mark 16:15-16

Lenski said:

God saved us by means of baptism. Baptism is a bath of regeneration and renewing, in both of which the Holy Spirit is the actor. That is why God could use baptism as such a mean; by baptism, is by no means a mere symbol or picture, but a true means of divine grace. It is not an opus operation as when a crowbar turns over a stone, but as when spiritual grace operates spiritually by the Holy Spirit’s entering the heart with his grace and kindling the new life.³

Visit the church of Christ for further studies on the word of God.

WORKS CITED

¹J. Carl Laney, 1992.  John. Chicago: Moody Press, p.78

²Hendriksen, W., 1979. Exposition of the pastoral epistles. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, p.392.