BORN AGAIN
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. John 3
What Is A Born-Again Christian?

When a national survey was taken, it showed that about fifty percent of the American population claimed to be "born-again Christians." What is meant by the term "born-again Christian," and what is the understanding of those people who call themselves "born-again Christians?"

What Is a Christian?

The term "Christian" comes from the Greek word "christianos," which means Christ-man, or an adherent of Jesus Christ. In the Bible, this word was first used as a nickname, a term of reproach, because the believers must have given others a feeling that they were absolute for Christ. The apostle Peter used it later to remind the believers to stand firm for Christ and not be ashamed. Thus, a Christian is a person who is totally full of Christ, occupied by Christ, living for Christ, living out Christ to express Christ, and even living Christ. By this definition, most people who call themselves Christians actually are not. They might have believed and received Christ, yet they are not living as adherents of Christ.

Who Is Christ?

The name "Christ" (translated from the Hebrew word for Messiah) means the anointed One. Christ was anointed with a special commission. In Genesis, God had created man to contain Him as life and to be one with Him. However, instead of taking God as life, man took in Satan and was defiled, corrupted, and condemned to die eternally. The Old Testament progressively reveals that, because He loved the man whom He created, God wanted to redeem man from the righteous judgment due to sin, save man from the corruption of Satan in his nature, be man's life, and build man up as His living house, His dwelling place in spirit, so that God and man could be one forever. Christ was anointed to accomplish this commission. A Christian is part of Christ, His continuation and increase. A Christian is someone who has been anointed together with Him to fulfill His commission in union with Him. Together, all Christians corporately are the enlarged Christ.

Who Is Jesus?

The Bible tells us that, in fulfilling this commission, Christ became a man named Jesus approximately two thousand years ago. "Jesus" means Jehovah our Savior, our salvation. "Jehovah" is the ever-existing God. Jehovah is the name God used before He became a man. After He became a man, He used the name Jesus. To us, Jehovah is the God of heaven sitting on the throne, whereas Jesus is Jehovah becoming a man to be our Savior, not only to die for us on the cross, to save us from our sins and from eternal perdition, but also to save us as our life inside from the corruption of Satan, saving us into Himself as our salvation and our dwelling place. The Christ into whom Christians believe and to whom they are joined as one is this crucified, resurrected, and exalted God-man, Jesus.

What Did Jesus Do for Us?

Christ Jesus lived a genuine and perfect human life to express God. He went to the cross to die for man because He was the only man throughout history qualified to be a substitute. The righteous One died for the unrighteous ones. He also crushed Satan to free man from his power of darkness. He resurrected on the third day to become a life-giving Spirit. He prepared Himself and made Himself available to man as life. He removed the sin that man should not have had. He redeemed man and prepared him as a cleansed vessel. Now He wants to give man the life he needs. All man has to do is to receive His salvation and take Him as life.

First Birth versus Second Birth

From our physical birth by our human parents, we have a dying physical body; a corrupted psychological organ (the soul), consisting of the mind, emotion, and will; and a spirit that is dead and incapable of contacting God. By receiving Christ as our Savior, we are born of God. The Spirit of God comes into our human spirit to regenerate it, enliven it, with the life of God. This is to be born again. First we are born of our parents, then we are born of God. The first birth gives us the opportunity to have the second birth. The first birth produces us as a dirty vessel; the second birth cleanses us and fills us with the divine and eternal life of God. The first birth destines us to die; the second birth results in life eternal. In the first birth we are cursed, but in the second we are blessed, not with material riches but with God.

A born-again Christian, therefore, is a person who has made his beginning, receiving Christ as his new life in his spirit. Every genuine Christian is a born-again Christian, and once a person has been born again he can never lose this divine life within him. As he continues by living as a Christ-man, his thoughts, his speech, and his deeds become those which are out from Christ, in Christ, for Christ, and expressing Christ.

How to be Born Again

If you sense the oldness and deadness, the emptiness and vanity, the confusion and frustration, and the tragic destiny of the first life, you need Jesus. Only He can enliven you by bringing the life of God into you to give you a new birth, a new life. Only thus can you be born again to be a Christian, a Christ-man, an adherent of Jesus Christ, full of life, joy, peace, rest, purpose, and fulfillment in God.

Say to Him boldly, "Lord Jesus, I need You as my Savior. Save me from eternal death. Give me God's life. I want to be born again of God. Make me a Christian." Then you will receive the life of God to make you a born-again Christian.


BIBLE VERSES FOR YOUR READING:

The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

"And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." Acts 11:26 KJV

"Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf." 1 Peter 4:16 KJV

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised," Luke 4:18 KJV

"How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him." Acts 10:38 KJV

"Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." Hebrews 1:9 KJV

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." Genesis 1:26 KJV

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:10 KJV

"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:" Romans 5:12 KJV

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:9 KJV

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23 KJV

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 KJV

"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. John 3:16 KJV

"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. Hebrews 2:14-15 KJV

"When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." Colossians 3:4 KJV

"In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." Ephesians 2:22 KJV

"Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;" 2 Corinthians 1:21 KJV

"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:21 KJV

"And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." Exodus 3:14 KJV

"And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them." Exodus 6:3 KJV

"And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land." Jonah 1:9 I KJV

" For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." Romans 5:10 KJV

"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:2 KJV

"But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit." 1 Corinthians 6:17 KJV

"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 4:15 KJV

"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:" 1 Peter 3:18 KJV

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;" 1 Peter 2:9 KJV

And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 1 Corinthians 15:4 KJV

"And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit." 1 Corinthians 15:45 KJV

"And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:" John 20:22 KJV

"(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)" John 7:39 KJV

"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;" Ephesians 2:1 KJV

"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. 6: That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." John 3:5-6 KJV

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." John 1:12-13 KJV

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God, to those who believe into His name, Who were begotten... of God.

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)" Romans 5:17 KJV

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:" Ephesians 1:3 KJV

"That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;" Ephesians 3:16 KJV

"Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." Romans 6:4 KJV

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV

"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." John 10:28

"This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind," Ephesians 4:17 KJV

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23: Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 KJV

May God Bless Your Study Of His Word.

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