What does it mean to be a born again Christian?

Answer

The well-known passage from the Bible that addresses this question is John 3:1–21. Jesus Christ is conversing with Nicodemus, a respected Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin (the Jewish ruling council). Nicodemus approached Jesus under the cover of night with inquiries.

During their conversation, Jesus told Nicodemus, “‘I assure you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.’ ‘How can someone be born when they are old?’ Nicodemus inquired. ‘Surely they cannot enter their mother’s womb a second time to be born!’ Jesus replied, ‘I assure you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. Do not be astonished when I say, “You must be born again”’” (John 3:3-7).

The term “born again” can also be interpreted as “born from above.” Nicodemus had a genuine need. He required a transformation of his heart—a spiritual change that could only originate from above. The new birth, being born again, is a divine act through which eternal life is given to the believer (2 Corinthians 5:17;Titus 3:5;1 Peter 1:3;1 John 2:29;1 John 3:9;1 John 4:7;5:1-4, 18). John 1:12–13 explains that being “born again” also means becoming “children of God” by trusting in the name of Jesus Christ.

The logical question arises, “Why does a person need to be born again?” The apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:1 states, “And you He made alive, wh”were dead in trespasses and sins” (NKJV). To the Romans, he wrote, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” «for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; », (Romans 3:23). Sinners are spiritually “dead”; when they receive spiritual life through faith in Christ, the Bible likens it to a rebirth. Only those who are born again have their sins forgiven and have a relationship with God.

Twice in His conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus stressed the truth that one must be born again to enter the kingdom of God «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 3:3,5) «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. », (John 3:3,5). Being born once makes us children of Adam, and we share Adam’s corruption. We need a second birth—a spiritual birth—to make us children of God. We must be born again.

How does the new birth come to be? Ephesians 2:8–9 states, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” When one is saved, he has been born again, spiritually renewed, and is now a child of God by right of that new birth. Faith in Jesus Christ, the One who paid the penalty of sin when He died on the cross, is the means by which one is born again. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come!” «Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. », <a href="https://www.bibliatodo.com/en/bible/king-james-vers

If you have never trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, will you consider the prompting of the Holy Spirit as He speaks to your heart? You need to be born again. Will you pray a prayer of repentance and faith and become a new creation in Christ today? “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” (John 1:12-13).

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