WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE BORN AGAIN?

The phrase born again is a common term in Christendom. More often than not, it has been wrongly explained. Many believers in Christ would not even want to associate with anything to do with this term because of the way the meaning has been thwarted and the word misused. Unfortunately, Jesus demands that for a man to enter the kingdom of heaven, he must be born again. This is the standard for everybody.

To be born again simply means what it says, "a person must be reborn". Any living thing coming into existence receives birth from another organism. A goat is born with the nature of a goat, while a bird receives the DNA of a bird right from it's conception. Man is born with all the attributes of a man. However, there was a defect in man right from conception. A man is made up of a spirit, a soul and a body. in other words man is a tripartite being. He Is a spirit, he lives in a body and he has a soul. Genesis 1:26-30,  Genesis 2:7. When God created man out of sand, he breathed life into the structured sand, when the spirit met the body a brand new entity was formed called soul.  So, man became a living soul, housed inside a body having received life from God who is spirit.  Man was perfect in the right in which God created him. For everything God made was good Genesis 1:31

In Genesis 3 however, something happened which changed the nature and story of man (See also Romans 5:12-21) The original creations of God Adam and his wife fell into the error of disobedience. This error was a major determinant of their continued perfect estate, hence their perfection got corrupted and they fell short. 

It was in this state of imperfection that man began to carry out the mandate to reproduce. Hence, every soul that came through them by default was imperfect. God did not like this. He therefore set a plan B in  motion. He intended to make everything fine again by giving man a chance to be restored to his hitherto perfect estate. This time around, he made it a matter of choice for man to choose whether to be made perfect or not.

How did God do this? He created another son of God, called the last Adam in 1Corinthians 15: 45-47 .To avoid the imperfection in the already existing man, God avoided the natural means of reproduction and gave his nature to a mass of flesh in a woman's body. See Luke 1:30-36. Jesus was born without any blemish or natural impediments of sin, so that he could be worthy to pay the price of sin for man. If he were to be a sinner like us, he also would have been damned just like us and so could not step in, on our behalf.

God had already promised in Genesis 3:15 about this coming of the second Adam. He would be an offspring or offshoot of the woman (the mother of all living) but would be a son of God. It is in him and through him that man's fallen nature would be repealed. This issue became the center piece of the whole bible narrative.  From the call of Abraham, down to the formation of  national Israel, to the Babylonian exile, through the  rebuilding of the temple, God was preparing for this  great event of manifesting the second Adam. He had  already regretted making man in Genesis 6:5, yet in  his wisdom he sought ways to deliver man instead of  allowing him to remain damned forever. 

At the fullness of time, Jesus appeared on the scene of human history. He was born in an obscure place, without any fanfare to announce him, yet he is the king of glory. The appearance of Jesus set forth the propitiation for sin. His death on the cross offset the death judgement upon mankind.

In John's gospel chapter 3:1-10, we discover a crucial revelation by Jesus in his conversation with Nicodemus. Verses 3-6  is noteworthy. It says (v3) Jesus answered, I am telling you the truth,  no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. (5) I am telling you the truth replied Jesus, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the spirit. (6) A person is born physically of human parents, but he is born spiritually of the spirit.

This simply means that the original nature we received from God, his spirit, died immediately sin was committed, God is of purer eyes than to behold iniquityHabakkuk 1:13. God's nature does not permit sinfulness.  Sin corrupted the pure, righteous spirit of God and it became a hybrid of Satanic and godly nature. This is an abomination to God for he cannot associate himself with anything impure. Hence he sought a way to redeem man and make him fit for his kingdom the way he originally intended it. So Jesus made it clear that man does not need improvement through Discipline or learning but a complete overhaul of his nature. He must put off that corrupt nature which is weak, wicked and deadly and willingly accept a new spirit from the last Adam and  life giver Jesus. Therefore, being born again is the only condition set forth by God for man's redemption and his reinstatement to his original estate. 

Some teachings have erroneously reduced this condition to mean accepting a certain dressing pattern  praying in a particular manner or joining a particular church. These assumptions are wrong. When you become born again, you become a new person. It would not be hidden or vague. It will be a very clear experience that is so tangible but yet invisible that anyone associated with your old personality will know for a certainty that you are a brand new man. Have you received this new life yet? It is the only condition for attaining life. Decide today. Tomorrow may be late. In subsequent articles we shall explore further on how to become born again; the rights and privileges of becoming one.  Remain blessed.