Understanding The New Birth

Being born again is not that hard to understand.

One term that gets thrown around a lot in all the major protestant religions is the new birth or as it is often called, being born again. And though it is used a lot, it is very seldom taught about what that exactly means and why it is even relevant. So, let’s unveil the mystery behind this doctrine.

What Does It Mean To Be Born Again?

How Do I Get Born Again?

Why Do I Need To Be Born Again?

Let’s start with why do we even need to be born again.

Sin came into the world by one man, Adam; we were put back in right standing with God through one man, Jesus. By one man sin entered the world; by one man we are redeemed. How is this possible? Adam was the first man. In his loins were all mankind; therefore, sin was passed down to every child of Adam, and that includes you, me, and all humankind. When Jesus came on the scene, sinless, born of a virgin, not of sinful flesh, though he was born of a woman, he was born without the curse of sin upon Him. Our sins and the judgment we deserved were placed upon Jesus on the cross. He was the only one who could do this. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Sin had to be judged. When Jesus died on the cross, He paid it all in full. Every sin of every man, woman and child, paid in full! He was more than a man. He was the Son of God. None of us deserved mercy or love, but God is love (1 John 4:8) and He could not help but love the most wicked among us. The entire weight of all the sins that ever were committed and ever would be committed was laid upon His shoulders. His blood was sufficient to take care of all the sins of the world. There was no need to sacrifice animals anymore. Even the law was fulfilled. No need to crucify Jesus afresh. Once was enough. And it didn’t end there. They crucified Him and put Him in a tomb and He even conquered death! He rose on the third day. It is not just a story! He did it for you! He did it for me! So, what should our response be to that? If you live a sinful life all the way up to the day you die and do not repent (turn from) your wicked ways, you have made a choice without saying a word. You have rejected the salvation offered to you. 1 John 5:17 says, “All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.” Also read James 4:17, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” There is a difference between stumbling in sin and feeling convicted of it and asking forgiveness vs. knowing you are committing a sin and doing it willfully. A person who is living a sinful lifestyle more than likely has not been born again at all. They may have prayed a so-called ‘sinner’s prayer’ or cried off a little guilt at the altar, but if they truly did not repent of their sins and commit their life to Christ, they will be lost just as sure as if they had never gone to the altar. There has to be a deep-seated regret for the sin a person has lived. 2 Corinthians 7:9-11 explains: “Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. 10. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. 11. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.” This is what is often called ‘conviction’. It is a realization that a person is a sinner and in need of a savior and is followed by God drawing that person to Himself. “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:44). People love to classify sin and say ‘Oh, I’m not as bad as so and so’ but Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” All people are born into sin and need to be saved. It isn’t about how good or bad we are. And it is not about making yourself live up to a set of rules. That is legalism. That is religion. The truth is, we are supposed to live in a relationship with God and if we truly live in a relationship with God, we will just naturally want to live for Him, not because He commands it, but because we want to. Romans 5 ends with these 2 verses: “20. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 21. That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.“

I have honestly and open-mindedly looked into and studied many religions and philosophies and one thing that stands out to me in Christianity is it is the only belief system that admits we cannot do it on our own, that we need a Savior. It could not and cannot be lived apart from God in our life guiding us and empowering us by His Spirit. The truth has not changed. The truth is still alive and well. His name is Jesus. Call upon His name and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free (John 8:32).

What is the basis for being born again?

Let’s read John 3:1-21 together:

“There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

²The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

³Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

⁴Nicodemus 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?

⁵Jesus 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.

⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

⁷Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

⁸The 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.

⁹Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

¹⁰Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

¹¹Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

¹²If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

¹³And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

¹⁴And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

¹⁵That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

¹⁶For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

¹⁷For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

¹⁸He 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.

¹⁹And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

²⁰For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

²¹But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

Jesus told Nicodemus (and all of us) he must be ‘born again’. What was he talking about? As explained previously, when Adam and Eve sinned, there was something that took place, a fall. We are composed of body, soul and spirit as explained in a previous lesson. Our spirit is the part of us that connects us to God and on that day of Adam’s fall, a disconnect happened, a death of sorts of our spirit. This is what is meant by being ‘born again’, our spirit is the part of us that needs to be brought back to life and reconnected to God. Just as Jesus explained to Nicodemus in verses 5-6, “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.” Just like we were born a natural birth, our spirit also needs to go through a birth (or perhaps better put: a rebirth). And how is this done? Jesus goes on to explain in verses 16-17: “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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” To be born again, we must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that he can save us from our sins. Only he can be the bridge to connect us back to God and give us eternal life that goes beyond when we physically die.

In the Book of Romans the steps to salvation are very well explained:

Admit That You Are A Sinner.

Romans 3:10: As it is written, “There is none righteous, no, not one:”

Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God;”

Romans 5:12: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”

Understand, Sin Has An Ending And A Price To Pay … It Results In Death.

Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death;” and we all owe this wage of spiritual death.

But The Good News Is That God Loves You!

Romans 5:8: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” When Jesus died on the cross, He paid sin’s penalty.

Salvation Is A Free Gift From God To You!

Romans 6:23: “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” You can’t earn this gift. You must ask and receive it.

You Must Ask God To Forgive You And Save You.

Romans 10:9-10: “That is thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness;

and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Like Any Gift It Must Be Received!

Romans 10:13: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

The ABC’s Of Salvation.

ADMIT to God that you are a sinner.

BELIEVE in Jesus Christ as God’s Son.

CONFESS your faith in Jesus Christ as Savior & Lord.

What To Pray To Receive Christ!

Are you ready? It’s time to pray. Pray a sincere prayer in your own words and let it go something like this:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and need your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus died for my sins. I want to turn from my sins and ask Jesus Christ to come into my heart and life as my personal Savior. I want to trust and follow You as Lord and Savior. Amen.

Now What?

Well, hopefully, if you have prayed, you feel a whole lot better, but sometimes it takes a while for that feeling of freedom to come. Apply yourself to further study and understanding as you commit to this First Steps course. Pray daily and talk to God just like he was your best friend, because he is. Fellowship with other Christians by finding a good Bible-believing church that will help you along the way. Read the Bible daily. Understand that the Bible is 66 books in one and at first, especially, it is a good idea to start in the Book of John, then read more about Jesus in Matthew, Mark and Luke. Then read the Book of Romans. God loves you and he wants you to succeed and I am confident if you follow these steps and apply what you learn to your daily living you will be glad you did. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us or a local church you trust.