Becoming A Born Again Christian

This is definitely a matter that we must know and understand because in John 3:3 Jesus himself said “Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Many people hear Christians talking about being born again but do they really understand what we are talking about? Not only that but do we understand it well enough to know that if their eternal destination was left up to our sharing of the truth? Could we do it? Would they understand us?

In this third chapter of the gospel of John, Jesus is talking to a religious ruler named Nicodemus. Jesus is explaining to him how to be born again and he doesn’t get it. Imagine that, Jesus is face to face with this religious ruler, that’s right face to face, they didn’t have Nextel or Facebook, and the ruler still doesn’t understand. So in so many words Jesus tells the teacher of Israel that you must understand this first if you are going to understand anything else.

Then Jesus takes another attempt at it by sharing with him what is recorded in John 3:13-18. In these verses Jesus explains that a man came from heaven to undo what the serpent of old did by persuading man to sin. In verse 14 Jesus refers back to Moses and the sins of Gods people and how because of their sins there were fiery deadly snakes released to kill those sinning and then the people begged Moses to plead with God so that he would take away the snakes and forgive their sins. So God had him build a bronze snake that resembled the very thing that was taking their lives and told Moses to tell them that if they were bitten by the snakes, they were to look at the bronze snake on the pole and they would live. So Jesus is saying that man has been bitten by the snake that delivered sin to all mankind but if you believe and look to Him, who resembles us and who will also be put on a pole that you will live. Then Jesus goes on to explain that not only will those that believe in Him live, but that they will live forever. He says that God didn’t send Him to do away with the disease stricken people of sin, but that He was sent to be the antidote for their sin, so that through Him they would be saved.

Now that we have seen the easier explanation that Jesus gave Nicodemus, let’s take a look at the deeper explanation that He first shared in John 3:1- 6. In verse 2 Nicodemus says to Jesus “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with Him. Then Jesus answers him and says that what you said is right. I have come from God, and God is with Me, and I am returning to God, and so can you, if you are only with God by believing in Me and being reborn to God through Me. Through the water baptism which resembles my death and the giving of the spirit through the resurrection of my sinless life. See Jesus had no sin, but on the cross He bore our sins and took our punishment even to death and Hades, but neither could hold Him because the sin He bore was not His but ours. So God raised Him from the dead and through Him He has given us the opportunity to die to our sins and to be reborn into Jesus because if we were to die in our sins, we would have to receive the penalty for our sins which is eternally damnation in the lake of fire. But if we believe in Christ and die to our sins we will be reborn. Then when we die physically we will die in Christ and will be resurrected to walk streets of gold for all eternity where there are no tears.

Now lets look at verse 5 in Jesus’ words He says “most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. So how is one born of water? That’s answered as well in the 3rd chapter of john its water baptism. See water baptism is not only an ordinance that Jesus gave the church, but it’s a proclamation or confession before God and men upon a persons believing and confessing Jesus Christ to be both their Lord and their savior to be who they follow and through that following to be saved. Water baptism is not an addition to faith, it is an expression of faith. It is a faith response to the Gospel, not a work. Being born again is not a work on our part but is God’s work which is done in us through his Son and the Holy Spirit. People don’t get baptized to believe. Instead they get baptized because they believe. See it’s an act of faith not a work. Water baptism is an essential part of God’s saving grace through faith because it is an expression of that faith. This doesn’t contradict Ephesians 2:8,9 which says For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. See no where in the bible does it say that baptism is a work done by man. Even in the Old Testament where God credited Abrahams faith as righteousness, he then expressed his faith by following God.
He followed God because he believed, not because he was trying to earn his salvation. Water baptism is living out our faith by receiving and accepting what Jesus has done for us through his life, death, and resurrection.
We do it because we believe, not as an effort on our part to earn salvation.

In acts chapter 16:29-34 is the story of the Phillippian jailer who was about to take his own life because he awoke from asleep and realized that the prison doors were open and he thought that the prisoners had fled . Then upon Paul screaming for him not to harm himself, and that no one had left, the guard had realized that this was of God . So he pleaded with them and asked them what he must do to be saved. They responded and said believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household. Then Paul and Silas shared the word of the Lord with the whole family and they went that very night and were baptized. See they were living out their faith by being baptized that night into the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins.
In Romans 10: 9,10 it says that “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Even John the Baptist didn’t just baptize anyone that was wanting to go through a motion. NO! Water baptism is not just a motion it is a showing of one’s true repentance for refusing God and his ways, they do this by claiming their wrongs and reaccepting the one who created them, by believing in the gift of His Son Jesus and their willingness to follow Him. The apostle Paul puts it this way in Romans 6:4,5, he says “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. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection” Again in verse 8 Paul says now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him. Which takes us right into the spiritual birth of being born of the spirit. Jesus received the Holy Spirit upon His water baptism but didn’t give the Holy Spirit until after His resurrection. See Jesus had to pay the penalty for our sins through His death before he could give us the rebirth of the spirit through us honoring His death by dying to our sinful nature.

How many of you know you can’t give something away unless you have it to give? See Jesus couldn’t give us our spiritual birth until He had gained it for us on the cross by dying in our place. We accept and honor His life, death and resurrection through water baptism, but receive our physical resurrection upon His return for us. In John chapter 20:21, 22. After Jesus was resurrected, He gave the disciples the deposit of the Holy Spirit. The spiritual rebirth that was necessary for them to be born again. Jesus said “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them. “Receive the Holy Spirit.” At that point the disciples had been born again, both of water and spirit because they had believed in Jesus and followed him in baptism and had received the rebirthing of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Jesus had shed both water and blood on the cross. His blood resembles his life because his life is in his blood and the water resembles cleanliness and purity. His blood washed away our sins and His water cleanses and purifies us. Blood deals with sin and water deals with uncleanness.

Then in Titus 3:5 Paul says “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. So after accepting Christ and in doing so being born of the water and the Spirit you are a born again Christian. Jesus then goes on to say in Verse 6 that which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of spirit is spirit. So if you’ve died to the flesh you are no longer just of the flesh. Instead you are flesh that is full of the spirit of God. Paul puts it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:17 therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Have you received Jesus into your heart and life? Have you made Him both your BOSS and SAVIOR of your life? Do you know for sure that you are born again and living in the newness of life that Jesus Christ has purchased for you?