“Many Christians have the mistaken notion that eternal life begins when they die. But that is not biblically accurate. Eternal life begins when we are born again into the Kingdom of God.” ~ David Jeremiah
What if someone asks you “what does it mean to be born again,” how would you respond? There are many terminologies out there to describe this experience, born again, born of the Spirit, born anew, born from above, reborn, etc. The original Greek refers to born from above. Jesus made it clear to enter the kingdom of God, the kingdom of Heaven, one must be born from above. Rabbi Nicodemus asked Rabbi Jesus what it meant to be reborn, let’s pick up the story in the Gospel of John 3:1-21 (CEB).
John 3:1-21 – (CEB)
Jesus and Nicodemus
3 There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a Jewish leader. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could do these miraculous signs that you do unless God is with him.”
3 Jesus answered, “I assure you, unless someone is born anew,[a] it’s not possible to see God’s kingdom.”
4 Nicodemus asked, “How is it possible for an adult to be born? It’s impossible to enter the mother’s womb for a second time and be born, isn’t it?”
5 Jesus answered, “I assure you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, it’s not possible to enter God’s kingdom. 6 Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Don’t be surprised that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’ 8 God’s Spirit[b] blows wherever it wishes. You hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. It’s the same with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus said, “How are these things possible?”
10 “Jesus answered, “You are a teacher of Israel and you don’t know these things? 11 I assure you that we speak about what we know and testify about what we have seen, but you don’t receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Human One.[c] 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so must the Human One[d] be lifted up 15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. 16 God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life. 17 God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him isn’t judged; whoever doesn’t believe in him is already judged, because they don’t believe in the name of God’s only Son.
19 “This is the basis for judgment: The light came into the world, and people loved darkness more than the light, for their actions are evil. 20 All who do wicked things hate the light and don’t come to the light for fear that their actions will be exposed to the light. 21 Whoever does the truth comes to the light so that it can be seen that their actions were done in God.”
Footnotes
Jesus did not come from this world; He came from above. Jesus was fully human and fully divine. He was born of a virgin, made possible only by the Holy Spirit. Being reborn is not something that happens to us. It’s God living inside us. We were once dead to our flawed character (sin), but now we have victory over the power of darkness and death. Thank You, Jesus! We will all die a physical death but no longer a spiritual one. Jesus paid it all on the cross at Calvary for every person to have the privilege to reborn of water and Spirit. God invites every human being to be born from above, but it takes two to say “yes” to this invitation. The best news ever is that God already said “yes,” now the million-dollar question is, will you?
Scripture Readings
Reflection Questions
- What did you take away from today’s reflection and scripture readings?
- What does it mean to be reborn?
- How do you know if you have been born from above?
- Why do some desire to be baptized by water and Spirit multiple times?
- How is it possible to lose your salvation?
- Once baptized and reborn, does this mean you will no longer sin?
Prayer
Lord, I desire nothing more than to be born from above. Thank You for making this possible through Your death and resurrection. I pray for all those who are not reborn, including those in my family, my dearest friends, and neighbors. Whatever role I can play in helping others have the experience of being born from above, please help me get out of the way of myself to live into that role. In Your Spirit and Name, I pray these things. May Your will not mine always materialize, now and forever, Amen.
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