What did HE say? (continued)
BORN AGAIN ? (continued)
What does it mean?
We spent much time yesterday with the relationship between Jesus’ saying that we must be born again to see or enter into the Kingdom and all the other sayings of the Master regarding entry into the Kingdom of God. After reviewing the several that we listed, the conclusion was that none of the requirements set by the Lord for entry to the Kingdom is of any more or less importance than another. When the subject saying is viewed in the same light as all the Kingdom sayings of Jesus, there can be no other conclusion. Why then does so much of the Christian world see this particular saying, “except a man be born again“, as separate and as special? and what exactly does it really mean.
There are many different interpretations of this saying and it is probably good to look at some.
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It is said by some that one’s Spirit is reborn and that in this Jesus then comes to live inside him and he becomes a ‘new creature in Christ Jesus’.
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It is said by some that the Spirit is is ‘dead in sin’ when we are born physically; that we are born ‘void of God’ and being born again is a spiritual first birth.
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Some, the Catholic’s for example, say that there is no need for a ‘second conversion’ after baptism and that baptism causes that born again regeneration or transformation from death to life.
We could go on here but I think that the point is made that there is no one definition of what being born again means in the church today. One could argue that there is no real meaning to this phrase at all but, to those who do believe in it, this would not be fair. Millions of people claim to be born again and for these people this is a meaningful experience which brings them closer to the Lord. That their interpretation and the value that they put on it varies in different churches is of no matter because, for the most part, they are getting from it what they need at the time whether it be a first encounter with the Lord or part of an ongoing relationship.
What it means in scripture however is a different thing. This series of posts, of which this is number 53, is centered on the words of the Master Jesus and it is based on the assumption that all that we need to understand and to follow to be His Christians and to be in His Presence are the words of the one for whom this is all named … Christ. In His words there is only one reference to being born again and that is in our subject verse in the Gospel of John which, with the few verses that follow, are intended to say it all. Let us examine these now and try to gain a better understanding of what the intent of the Master is. As we do this we must keep our conclusion from yesterday’s post in mind and that is, in a sentence, that being born again is much the same as the other sayings of Jesus regarding the Kingdom of God and our way to enter into it.
“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. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? 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. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John 3:3-7).
Let us start here with the word again which is translated from the Greek word anothen. The literal meaning of this according to Young’s is from above and the lexicon defines it as from above, from a higher place; of things which come from heaven or God; from the first, from the beginning, from the very first; anew, over again** which is quite a range of meanings. Strong’s says that the word means from above; from the beginning; again, anew*** and shows that it is translated in the King James Version (KJV) in all these ways in different verses. So we see that from the start there is confusion in the way this should be presented. However ambiguous, we do need to use some words; the major translations use again (KJV) and anew (Revised Version (RV)). Vincent says that anew gives the proper force to the Greek word in English**** and we will use this for our purposes rendering the phrase except one be born anew.
What then is this being born anew? Jesus explains it in saying that “except a man be born of water and of the Spirit”. Now here too we have a statement for which there are varying ideas of its meaning within the church. What is the meaning of born of water? There are several ideas; one is that it is a reference to the water of baptism; this is the view of the Catholic Church and of many Protestant branches. Another is that this refers to one’s natural birth from which we come out of a watery existence in the womb and into this world, yet another is that the water refers to the word of God. The proponents of each of these ideas cite numerous bible references in support of their choice as the meaning. Since Christ eschewed ritual and taught none of it (save the cup and the bread which we will address in another series) it is rather unlikely that He meant baptism. Why would He not just call it baptism as this is the subject matter a bit further along in the chapter.
While it matters not to our dialogue, it is interesting to note that the source of much of our belief in baptism is from this particular saying of the Master plus the commands to His disciples as He departed to baptize. It is unclear that Jesus was proclaiming that a ritual be completed for any purpose of communion with God but this is how it has been interpreted through the years. A note in the Greek Lexicon** on the Greek word baptizo tells us: Not to be confused with 911, bapto. The clearest example that shows the meaning of baptizo is a text from the Greek poet and physician Nicander, who lived about 200 B.C. It is a recipe for making pickles and is helpful because it uses both words. Nicander says that in order to make a pickle, the vegetable should first be ‘dipped'(bapto) into boiling water and then ‘baptised’ (baptizo) in the vinegar solution. Both verbs concern the immersing of vegetables in a solution. But the first is temporary. The second, the act of baptising the vegetable, produces a permanent change. When used in the New Testament, this word more often refers to our union and identification with Christ than to our water baptism. e.g.Mark 16:16. ‘He that believes and is baptised shall be saved’. Christ is saying that mere intellectual assent is not enough. There must be a union with him, a real change, like the vegetable to the pickle! Bible Study Magazine, James Montgomery Boice, May 1989.
Since the word baptism is not at all referenced in our subject passage and understanding the points regarding baptism noted above, we will move on using our understanding of the water reference being that Jesus is telling us of the need to be born of water and this is accomplished by our natural birth. He is merely stating a matter of fact and then goes on to say and of the Spirit. So we have the natural birth that puts us here on earth and then the ‘new’ birth of the spirit which puts us into the Kingdom of God.
Born again, born from above or born anew; any of these translations will work equally well when we view the process as ‘changing’ our focus from the things of the world, and for Nicodemus from the letter of the law, to the things of the Spirit working through the heart. Now whether this is accomplished by baptism, or by the saying of the ‘sinners prayer’ or by acknowledging Christ through believing and confessing as written by the Apostle Paul in his epistle to the Romans (Romans 10:9-10), it matters not. What matters is that we seek the Kingdom earnestly and that the change in heart takes place. A change of heart that will only occur when we turn our attention from the worldly and carnal to the spiritual. In that change comes the righteousness and the ardent desire to doeth the will of my Father. We become free from the distractions of the world and become as little children, shaking off all of the worldly patterns and habits that have thus far overwhelmed us kept us out.
It matters not what method is used to consummate this change. We see the Light of the Soul, the Christ Within and this seeing causes us to act upon our new awareness and to change the focus of our lives. This is the reality of being born again. Seeing this Light is to see the Kingdom of God and, having already been born of water, we are now born of the Spirit as well. This is no easy task and the simple physical acts of baptism and saying some thing will not accomplish it in us. It will only happen when we are ready to change and to doeth the will of my Father which we can say simply as keeping His word. The saying of the Apostle James is pertinent here on this subject that creates much confusion in the Christian world: “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). When we are truly born again we will do His will and follow in His word and this is the only evidence of being born anew.
Note on the Quote of the Day
This daily blog also has a Quote of the Day which may not be in any way related to the essay. Many of these will be from the Bible and some just prayers or meditations that may have an influence on you and are in line with the subject matter of this blog. As the quote will change daily and will not store with the post, it is repeated in this section with the book reference and comment.
Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. (From the Gospels of Matthew and Luke; this version is from the Book of Common Prayer of 1662). For commentary and information on this Quote of the Day please see the Prayers and Meditations section of this site which can be found as a menu on the right side this post page.
- ** New Testament Greek Lexicon on BibleStudyTools.com
- *** Strongest Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible – 2001
- **** Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition, 1888
