Born Again? Once is Not Enough

When I say the words "Born Again Christian", what comes to mind? There was a time I would have pictured a long haired dude with a couple of long haired girls in bell bottom jeans, tie-dyed t-shirts, wearing big wooden crosses on braided hemp necklaces. Am I dating myself? Those were the radical, Jesus freak Christians. I was one of the "normal" Christians. I went to church on Sunday and had enough "normal" in me to keep me from talking about Jesus in public. The "Born Again" crowd was on the edge. They were one step from flying over the cuckoo's nest.

So what in the world was Jesus talking about when he told Nicodemus, "You must be born again"? Let's listen in on the conversation:

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."

In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"

Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' (John 3:1-7)

Maybe you've had a baby before or have experienced the birth of a baby. You know it starts with the contractions. They start kind of mild and far apart and then become more intense and closer together. Sometime in there the "water breaks". It's that amniotic sac that surrounds the baby and contains the amniotic fluid (the water). Then, walla! The baby pops out. Maybe not quite that easily but eventually this little human being is born of water. It is a living, breathing, creature. It is a creation of God. A child of God? Well, most would say so but not the Bible. OK, that sounds horrible! Let me explain. The Bible says this about the little bambino. God knit him (or her) together in his mother's womb. It tells us that he loves him and that the kingdom of God for such as these. But it also says that our first birth brings us into creation but not into the family.

John 1:11-13

He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

Can you see what John is saying? Can you see what Jesus was saying? Our first birth is the product of the physical union of man and woman. It is flesh bringing birth to flesh. We become part of creation, certainly loved by God and desired by him but still separated spiritually from Him. Really? Well........ yes.

I asked a group of teens last week this question, Why did Jesus have to die?" I got some blank stares and eventually someone mentioned dying for our sins. "Cool", I said. "What in the world does that mean?" Someone said, "He was showing us how much he loved us." "Yes, indeed he did, but people die for each other all the time. We have young men dying in the Middle East every day proving their love for us and our country." "What was so special about Jesus?" More blank stares. So we turned back the clocks to ancient Israel and the practice of animal sacrifice for sin. That little, unblemished lamb sacrificed for the sins of the people really made the term "Lamb of God" mean a little more to them. The little lamb wasn't a fluffy little pet but a substitute that paid the penalty for the sins of the people. Little lamb, innocent and pure, dying for the people sinful and lost.

Long story short: Jesus died to make right that which was SO wrong. The righteous (holy and good) dying for the unrighteous (sinful and broken). After Jesus explained to Nicodemus the need to be born again he said these well known words, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Key word: Believes. Faith or a heart's belief (not just a head knowledge) in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection allows us to grab hold of the promise and brings us through the birth process the second time. This birth is one of your spirit by the Spirit of God. We then become children of God. We may be ten or we may be eighty three but either way we become children and the Bible says we are now "heirs to the promise" (Galatians 3:29). The word "heirs" is a legal term. It means that those who are in the family are entitled to the privileges of sons and daughters.

I know this was a bit deep but take heart!! Nicodemus was a very highly educated Jewish leader who said to Jesus in a way, "Uh.... I don't get it. How do I get back into my mamma's uterus?" But I think he got it when he laid Jesus in the tomb and then saw him rise to life on the third day. I think he got it when he trusted Christ. I know he got it when he opened his eyes after his own death and looked into the eyes of his Saviour sitting at the right hand of the Father and heard, "Welcome home my son!" Born again Christians are the only kind of Christians. If you aren't born again you might just be religious or churched. The invitation is open to all who would call on His name to be Born Again.

Peace friends!