Matthew Tauscher
What does this mean?
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. (John 3:3)
I ask this question because of its broad usage. For
too many people the phrase "born again" is nothing
more than mantra (a mystical formula of invocation or
incantation), as if the repetition of the words will somehow
bring about the desired end.
Words mean things, and the same is true for the words,
"born again". The Greek word that is translated as
born is: 1080. gennao, ghen-nah’-o;
from a var. of G1085; to procreate (prop. of the father, but
by extens. of the mother); fig. to regenerate:--bear, begat,
be born, bring forth, conceive, be delivered of, gender,
make, spring. The definition of the word is made quite
clear in the usage of the word. Consider the following:
Mat 1:2-20 (2) Abraham begat Isaac;
and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his
brethren; twenty verses of "begat" that
clearly illustrate what the word "born" means.
But, what about the word "again", what does it
mean in Greek language? 509. anothen,
an’-o-then; from G507; from above; by anal. from the
first; by imp. anew:--from above, again, from the beginning
(very first), the top. Before we comment on this,
consider how the word is used in the New Testament. Four
examples of how this word is translated, each one giving us
an insight into the meaning of this word.
Mark 15:38 "And the veil of the temple was rent
in twain from the top to the bottom."
Luke 1:3 "It seemed good to me also, having had
perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to
write unto thee in order, most excellent
Theophilus,"
John 3:31 "He that cometh from above is above
all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the
earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all."
Acts 26:5 "Which knew me from the beginning, if
they would testify, that after the most straightest sect of
our religion I lived a Pharisee."
The translation "again" does not do the word
justice in this case and in a way really illustrates how this
idea is misunderstood. Many people that consider themselves
to be born again might have new purposes for their lives, or
new goals, maybe even a new outlook, but being "born
again" is not about these things. Being "born
again" is about a relationship with God the Father and
inheriting the Kingdom of God. Because of a simple change in
one’s behavior, this does not indicate a relationship
with God.
Being "born again" is a birth that comes
from above, as we saw how the word "again" is used
elsewhere in the New Testament. As we have characteristics of
our earthly parents from our birth in the flesh, after birth
from above we should have the characteristics of our heavenly
Father. As John 3:6 states "... that which is born
of the Spirit is Spirit." Jesus Himself is one that
has told us that the Father is a Spirit (John 4:24) It was
Jesus who showed us the new man after the resurrection (Acts
1:9-10; John 20:26-29), a new man that was made alive by the
spirit and not by the flesh. This simple truth applies in our
lives today; if we have received that birth that comes from
our heavenly Father we will walk after the Spirit and not
after the flesh.
Remember that just saying that one is "born
again" will not put any truth in the statement. What
does the word of God say of a person that is "born
again"? "Whosoever believeth that
Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth
him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By
this we know that we love the children of God, when we love
god, and keep his commandments." (1 John
5:1-2)Two things in this passage deserve careful
thought. First, the word translated as believeth. Believeth
is a word that shows action, the type of action is linear, a
continuous action. This is important to note, too many
"born again" people are not walking in the Spirit
but after the flesh (Rom 8:1-4). Yet this verse very
specifically points out that one must be exercising faith in
order to lay claim on the birth that comes from above.
Secondly, the second verse of this passage mentions two
things, "... when we love God, and keep His
commandments." It could easily be argued that the
majority of "born again" believers are leading
adulterous lives. Sound ridiculous? Consider the warnings of
Paul. "For I am jealous over you with
godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that
I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear,
lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his
subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the
simplicity that is in Christ." (2 Cor 11:2-3)
How can we know if we are being a faithful bride; one quick
test, who do you love more, god or.... and with whom (or
what) do you spend your time. The truth is that if a person
goes to every service, that is only a few hours of one
hundred sixty eight hours of each week. Going to church in
and of itself does not mean that a person loves God (1 John
4:8). We should love God every hour of the day. god should be
our waking thought, and fill each hour till the day is
finished.
1 John 5:2 also says "...and keep His
commandments." Is this some vague scripture that is
hard to understand? Hardly. It does seem to be a strange
concept to "born again" Christians. You know the
ones, these "born again" Christians can be found
anywhere except God’s house. These same have time to
pursue endless personal endeavors, but never seem to have
time for God and Christ. What do these people love, or whom
do these people love? Consider what King David had to say
about this very subject:
"And I will delight myself in
thy commandments, which I have loved. 48 My hands also will I
lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will
mediate in they statutes." Psa 119:47-48
"O how love I thy law! it is my
meditation all the day."Psa 119:97
"Therefore I love thy
commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold."
Psa 119:127
When considering the relationship between a father and
a son, this passage comes to mind. "Be ye therefore
followers of god, as dear children; And walk in love, as
Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for an
offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling
savour." Eph 5:1-2 Followers of God as dear
children, reminds me of my boy that wants to do what his
Daddy is doing, be where his Daddy is, and have the things
that his Daddy has. This is how we should be about God our
Father, and our Savior Jesus Christ. Paul had a desire to be
with Christ Phi 1:23, what about you.
This little paper is written by:
Matthew Tauscher
775 Richo Ln.
Yulee Fl. 32097
February 19944
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