What does it mean to be "Born again"?
John 3:1-7
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. 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? 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. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
Some people use this verse to say that if you are not baptized that you can not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. That is not what Jesus is saying here. When Jesus explains what he means when he uses the term “born again” he says, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”, Then explains that phrase by saying, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Jesus is connecting being born of water with being born of the flesh. When we physically born (born of flesh) we are born of water through the birth canal. So what does being born of Spirit mean? That will be explained later in this article.
There is only one other place in the bible that uses the term “born again”. That other place is found in 1 Peter 1:23. So let us let the bible define the words for us instead of trying to give a word a “private interpretation”.
1 Peter 1:23
Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
Peter is giving us another clue of what born again means. One can easily misinterpret this verse if they do not let the Bible interpret itself. When Peter is talking about being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, he is talking about the resurrection from the dead as we see in 1 Corinthians 15:39, 42-56.
1 Corinthians 15:39, 42-56
All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
In the above verses Paul connects putting on “incorruption” with being raised from the dead. Notice Paul also states, "So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body." That is being born again!
Being “saved” is the same thing as being “born again”.
Titus 3:5-7
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
I have heard preachers say that “regeneration” means repenting of your sins. Well, they do not get that definition from the bible. They give that word a “private interpretation”. Let us use the bible to define the words and look at the only other place in the bible that the word “regeneration” is used:
Matthew 19:28
And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
So the "regeneration" is "when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory" (Matthew 19) and we are saved "by the washing of regeneration"...So we are saved "when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory".
“To sum it up...you are "saved" when you are "born again"...you are "born again" when you are "raised in incorruption" (raised from the dead). Jesus compares being born again to being born of the Spirit...and when Peter mentions "being born again" he mentions it in context with "incorruptible" seed. We then see that being "born of the Spirit" is connected with "incorruptible seed". Then 1 Corinthians 15:39, 42-56 connects "born of the Spirit" and “raised in incorruption" to the resurrection of the dead.
I think that the reason why Christians are so confused about "Once saved always saved" is because they don't understand the true definition of "saved". I do believe in "Once saved always saved". I believe that when you are resurrected from the dead and enter into God's Kingdom, you are "always saved"...but until then, we should "work out our salvation with fear and trembling" and "endure to the end".
I am not saying that people can't be filled with the Holy Spirit. I know many that have been and have had a drastic change in their life. Many call this "being born again"...If they want to call it "born again", fine...but that is not the scriptural definition of being "born again".
For more information about the Resurrection, see The Gospel of the Resurrection of the Dead
