Born-again Christians. What are they? Is it a denomination, a cult, a movement? Is it behavior that defines a Christian or something more? These and more questions are answered in this podcast.
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What is a born-again Christian?
As I have said there are many throughout the world that wear the “label” Christian without really understanding what a Christian is. If asked they would say that they are Christian.
Jesus said the following in Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness or [disregarding My commands]!’
So, you see, as I pointed out in my last episode, it isn’t the fact that you belong to a church, read the Bible or wear a Cross around your neck that makes you a Christian. The real issue is, and always has been, “do you believe in the person and the teachings of Jesus Christ”.
Let’s take a closer look at the word “believe” in the previous quote.
- On the one hand, you can believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ to mean, “I believe the teachings to be true”. The belief is an intellectual agreement. For example, I know that it is wrong to lie, but I do it anyway.
- On the other hand, you can believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ to mean, “I trust the teachings to be true and am morally compelled to apply them to my life.” For example, I know that it is wrong to lie, and I choose to be honest.
Do you see the difference? In the biblical sense believing in the teachings of Jesus Christ means that because I trust Jesus I am trusting in His teaching and applying that teaching to my life. When you do that you are applying faith to the truth. The evidence of your faith is that you are doing what you believe.
We are now ready to look the central fundamental teaching of Jesus Christ, to be a true Christian you must be “Born-again” or [born from above]!
In chapter 3 of John’s Gospel, we see an account of Jesus meeting with a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a Pharisee was one who strictly observed the Law of Moses. Nicodemus had a genuine desire to understand Jesus’ teachings and he came secretly at night to meet with Him.
In verse 3 Jesus said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” This means seeing the spiritual kingdom in action in the present life.
4 Nicodemus then says, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” You see Nicodemus was thinking in natural/biological terms, missing the spiritual point Jesus was making.
5 Jesus answers, “Most assuredly, I say to you unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” To be born of water refers to natural birth, to be born of the spirit is obviously spiritual.
6 Jesus restates this idea when He says, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.”
8 Jesus then reaffirms the spiritual nature of the new birth with an analogy, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
As you can see from the words of Jesus Christ, in order to see and enter the Kingdom of God, you must be born-again. It is a spiritual experience, not merely a physical or emotional decision. There is something that takes place inside the individual. Theologians call this Regeneration and Sanctification. The Holy Spirit released in the believer to help, comfort, guide and teach the individual to become more like Jesus Christ.
Are you Born-again? If not, there is no time like the present to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior!
Say a prayer something like this from your heart, “Jesus I need help in this life and the assurance of Heaven in the next. I’ve made many mistakes and have regrets over the decisions I have made. Forgive me now and remove all my sins, wash me clean. Come into my life, let me sense your Holy Spirit in me giving me the assurance that I belong to you and you belong to me. I believe you died for me on the Cross of Calvary and this was an expression of your love for me. I believe you rose again and that I can be confident you will raise me up on that last day. I believe in you and put my trust in you. Amen.
How does one become Born-again?
To repeat the essential question, what is a Born-again Christian? We saw that Jesus said, you must be born-again to see and enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:1-8). Two important words, see and enter the kingdom.
Seeing the kingdom means to see the power and authority of the kingdom being released or manifested by those who are born-again or Believers. Romans 8:37 “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” And Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” In other words, seeing the kingdom is the present reality of a supernatural life.
Entering the kingdom means obtaining eternal life with God in heaven. John 11:25 “Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die (physically), he shall live (forever).”
Here we see the twin benefit of believing in Jesus or having salvation,
1) an “overcoming” present life, overcoming the trials and difficulties of life
2) and the future reward of heaven.
An important truth or doctrine about God is that He always makes the first move; He initiates. A person may think that they have “found God”, but the truth is that person was the one that was lost. In fact, God has been drawing that person to Himself. Jesus says in John 6:44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day”. So, as you can see when a person is drawn to, or curious, or intrigued about the teachings of Jesus it is because God the Father is “drawing” that person to the Truth, found in Jesus Christ.
Let’s be clear, to be “saved” or have salvation is a transaction, that is Jesus makes the invitation (remember God always moves first), but an individual must then accept the invitation. In Matthew 22:1-14 there is an illustration or Parable of Jesus called the Wedding Feast. A king sends his servants out to invite people to attend the wedding feast of his son. Some of those who were invited made excuses as to why they would not attend. They were too busy, too tired, or had more important business to attend to.
They didn’t take the invitation seriously and did not realize the importance of the invitation. The king finds out about those who rejected the invitation and it is their rejection that condemns them. On the other hand, those who accepted the invitation are called the chosen. Chosen to reap the benefits of salvation.
We use the phrase, “to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, to mean that you have accepted God’s invitation and are Born-again or a Believer.
To accept Jesus as Lord or King means that you will follow his teachings which are found in His Word, the Bible.
To accept Jesus as Savior or deliverer means that you believe that He died for your sins at the Cross of Calvary and that one day you will go to Heaven to be with Him. You are no longer hoping to go to heaven, but you are absolutely sure that you will go to heaven after you die. The fear of death is gone!
You are believing or trusting that as a result of Jesus’ death on the cross you are forgiven and now part of God’s family, and you believe in the resurrection of Jesus and therefore, have assurance you will also be resurrected and spend eternity in Heaven with Him. You see, you are loved, forgiven and accepted!
So how does one actually become Born-again or a Believer? The Apostle Paul says it best in Romans 10:9-13, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness (right living), and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. …13 For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
These are the promises of God; To confess with your mouth means that you are not ashamed to declare Jesus as your Savior. Tell someone of your decision to follow Jesus.
Believing in your heart means just that, you are not just reciting words or a formula. You are accepting by faith that Jesus died for you, that your sins have been washed away and your destination is Heaven.
If you are not a Born-again Believer I encourage you to make that decision today. You can do that with a simple prayer. Simply personalize Romans 10 in the following way,
I am confessing with my mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in my heart that God has raised Him from the dead, I am saved. For with my heart, I believe unto right living, and with my mouth, I am confessing unto salvation. I am calling on the name of the Lord Jesus, therefore I am saved!
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