YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN
John 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
You, no doubt, have heard the term “Born Again”. Whether you understand that term fully or only have a vague understanding of that term or have no understanding of that term, it is still true that Jesus said YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN.
WHY MUST ONE BE “BORN AGAIN”?
Before you can understand the process of being “Born Again” you must first understand WHY it is needed. This reality began at Creation. Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
This explains three parts of man. Humans ARE a “SOUL” living in a “BODY”. However, so are the animals. Everything that has mass … is a body, (the physical part of man) – every living creature also IS a Soul (the non-material part of man). Therefore, death is the separation of soul from that body. The soul will continue to exist but the body will soon return to the dust. But man has a THIRD part that distinguishes him from all other living creatures. He has received THE BREATH OF GOD. That “breath” gives us a “SPIRIT” as well as a body and soul. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God gave mankind a “spirit” because HE HIMSELF IS A SPIRIT. John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Therefore, keep in mind that God created man as three part being – BODY, SOUL AND SPIRIT. The body is the physical … we need the body to dwell in a physical world and to be able to do things physically. The “soul” gives us the ability to “live”. In short, the “soul” is the mind, will and emotions. We can think and reason and make choices and have all of our emotions BECAUSE of the soul that we are. In other words, the soul of man is what gives us the ability to have relationships down here on earth. But that is not the ONLY relationship God wanted us to have. He also wanted us to have a relationship with HIM. However, since HE is a “Spirit” we needed a “spirit” as well. Therefore, God created man as a three part being – BODY, SOUL AND SPIRIT.
Now we must return to the Garden of Eden. God WANTED to love man and BE loved by him. Therefore, God put Adam and Eve in the garden, and He came down in the cool of the evening to fellowship with them. Now, love can ONLY be “love” IF it is reciprocated BY CHOICE. Man HAD to have a choice. Therefore, God gave man that choice in the form of a “forbidden tree”. Now man could CHOOSE to love and obey God or CHOOSE to not do so.
Genesis 2:15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
You must take particular attention to verse 17 -- But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Knowing the story, you know that Eve took and ate and gave unto her husband Adam, and HE DID EAT. God had TOLD Adam what would happen IF he ate of that tree. First – “IN THE DAY” – death happened IMMEDIATELY … God did NOT say that Adam would BEGIN the process of dying, but that he would SURELY die. And therefore, second, Adam’s death was a SURE THING, not imaginary.
SO WHAT HAPPENED? Did Adam die or not? God said he would SURELY die. But it does not SEEM that he did die. IN FACT … Genesis 5:5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died. Obviously something happened when Adam disobeyed God and ate that fruit. Genesis 5:5 is talking about his physical death. – The time when his soul left his body. Therefore, the body and the soul did NOT die on the day that Adam ate of that fruit. But what about his “SPIRIT”?
Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
9 ¶ And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
Do you not think that God knew where Adam’s body and soul were? But God was looking for Adam’s SPIRIT? “Where is your SPIRIT, Adam”? Adam now has a body, a soul AND A SPIRIT THAT IS DEAD. Now Adam cannot fellowship with God. Though he is alive physically, he is dead spiritually.
Following that, the Bible tells us that Adam was created in the image of God … (God is a Trinity and MAN is a trinity – Body, Soul and Spirit) However, now God tells us that Adam’s son was born in the LIKENESS OF ADAM … NOT in the likeness of God. That means that men are NOW born with a body and a soul AND A SPIRIT THAT IS DEAD. How can a man who has a DEAD SPIRIT fellowship with God Who IS a SPIRIT? The only way is that that SPIRIT needs to BE BORN AGAIN!! It is born the first time dead and must now be BORN AGAIN!!!
WHAT PART OF MAN IS BORN AGAIN WHEN HE IS “BORN AGAIN”?
John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 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.
4 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?
5 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.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
This passage tells us of TWO births. When Jesus told Nicodemus that he could not SEE the kingdom of God UNLESS he was born again Nicodemus misunderstood Him because he could only think of the FIRST BIRTH. --- 4 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 corrected his thinking by telling Nicodemus of TWO births – the flesh AND the spirit. (“Except a man be born of WATER … That which is born of the FLESH … IS FLESH) ---- BUT … that which must be born of the Spirit (of God) IS the spirit. Your flesh is born of your mother’s flesh and water … BUT your “spirit” must be born of the “Spirit”.
When you are “Born Again” it is your SPIRIT that is born. NOW, with a living spirit you can not only fellowship with God, but you can also go to heaven, where God IS A SPIRIT. That is why YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN!!
HOW CAN A MAN BE BORN AGAIN? WHAT IS THE PROCESS?
That is the same question that Nicodemus asked Jesus. Joh 3:9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus told Nicodemus that there were TWO things necessary in order for man to be “Born Again” – First –
John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
First, Jesus, who is the Son who came DOWN from heaven would have to be LIFTED UP. He would first have to die on the cross. That event would make it POSSIBLE for man to BE born again. God would do His part.
Then, second, man must do HIS part.
John 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Second man must believe ON the Lord Jesus Christ … which means to put your faith and trust ON Him. That will be the process whereby a person is BORN AGAIN. At that moment of true faith and trust a person is “Born Again”, as his/her spirit comes alive, or is “born again”. At that point that person is also SAVED!
YOU MUST ALSO READ MY ARTICLE ABOUT BEING SAVED in order to understand the PROCESS of believing ON the Lord Jesus Christ to be “Born Again” or TO BE SAVED.
You, no doubt, have heard the term “Born Again”. Whether you understand that term fully or only have a vague understanding of that term or have no understanding of that term, it is still true that Jesus said YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN.
WHY MUST ONE BE “BORN AGAIN”?
Before you can understand the process of being “Born Again” you must first understand WHY it is needed. This reality began at Creation. Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
This explains three parts of man. Humans ARE a “SOUL” living in a “BODY”. However, so are the animals. Everything that has mass … is a body, (the physical part of man) – every living creature also IS a Soul (the non-material part of man). Therefore, death is the separation of soul from that body. The soul will continue to exist but the body will soon return to the dust. But man has a THIRD part that distinguishes him from all other living creatures. He has received THE BREATH OF GOD. That “breath” gives us a “SPIRIT” as well as a body and soul. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God gave mankind a “spirit” because HE HIMSELF IS A SPIRIT. John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Therefore, keep in mind that God created man as three part being – BODY, SOUL AND SPIRIT. The body is the physical … we need the body to dwell in a physical world and to be able to do things physically. The “soul” gives us the ability to “live”. In short, the “soul” is the mind, will and emotions. We can think and reason and make choices and have all of our emotions BECAUSE of the soul that we are. In other words, the soul of man is what gives us the ability to have relationships down here on earth. But that is not the ONLY relationship God wanted us to have. He also wanted us to have a relationship with HIM. However, since HE is a “Spirit” we needed a “spirit” as well. Therefore, God created man as a three part being – BODY, SOUL AND SPIRIT.
Now we must return to the Garden of Eden. God WANTED to love man and BE loved by him. Therefore, God put Adam and Eve in the garden, and He came down in the cool of the evening to fellowship with them. Now, love can ONLY be “love” IF it is reciprocated BY CHOICE. Man HAD to have a choice. Therefore, God gave man that choice in the form of a “forbidden tree”. Now man could CHOOSE to love and obey God or CHOOSE to not do so.
Genesis 2:15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
You must take particular attention to verse 17 -- But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Knowing the story, you know that Eve took and ate and gave unto her husband Adam, and HE DID EAT. God had TOLD Adam what would happen IF he ate of that tree. First – “IN THE DAY” – death happened IMMEDIATELY … God did NOT say that Adam would BEGIN the process of dying, but that he would SURELY die. And therefore, second, Adam’s death was a SURE THING, not imaginary.
SO WHAT HAPPENED? Did Adam die or not? God said he would SURELY die. But it does not SEEM that he did die. IN FACT … Genesis 5:5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died. Obviously something happened when Adam disobeyed God and ate that fruit. Genesis 5:5 is talking about his physical death. – The time when his soul left his body. Therefore, the body and the soul did NOT die on the day that Adam ate of that fruit. But what about his “SPIRIT”?
Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
9 ¶ And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
Do you not think that God knew where Adam’s body and soul were? But God was looking for Adam’s SPIRIT? “Where is your SPIRIT, Adam”? Adam now has a body, a soul AND A SPIRIT THAT IS DEAD. Now Adam cannot fellowship with God. Though he is alive physically, he is dead spiritually.
Following that, the Bible tells us that Adam was created in the image of God … (God is a Trinity and MAN is a trinity – Body, Soul and Spirit) However, now God tells us that Adam’s son was born in the LIKENESS OF ADAM … NOT in the likeness of God. That means that men are NOW born with a body and a soul AND A SPIRIT THAT IS DEAD. How can a man who has a DEAD SPIRIT fellowship with God Who IS a SPIRIT? The only way is that that SPIRIT needs to BE BORN AGAIN!! It is born the first time dead and must now be BORN AGAIN!!!
WHAT PART OF MAN IS BORN AGAIN WHEN HE IS “BORN AGAIN”?
John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 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.
4 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?
5 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.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
This passage tells us of TWO births. When Jesus told Nicodemus that he could not SEE the kingdom of God UNLESS he was born again Nicodemus misunderstood Him because he could only think of the FIRST BIRTH. --- 4 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 corrected his thinking by telling Nicodemus of TWO births – the flesh AND the spirit. (“Except a man be born of WATER … That which is born of the FLESH … IS FLESH) ---- BUT … that which must be born of the Spirit (of God) IS the spirit. Your flesh is born of your mother’s flesh and water … BUT your “spirit” must be born of the “Spirit”.
When you are “Born Again” it is your SPIRIT that is born. NOW, with a living spirit you can not only fellowship with God, but you can also go to heaven, where God IS A SPIRIT. That is why YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN!!
HOW CAN A MAN BE BORN AGAIN? WHAT IS THE PROCESS?
That is the same question that Nicodemus asked Jesus. Joh 3:9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus told Nicodemus that there were TWO things necessary in order for man to be “Born Again” – First –
John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
First, Jesus, who is the Son who came DOWN from heaven would have to be LIFTED UP. He would first have to die on the cross. That event would make it POSSIBLE for man to BE born again. God would do His part.
Then, second, man must do HIS part.
John 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Second man must believe ON the Lord Jesus Christ … which means to put your faith and trust ON Him. That will be the process whereby a person is BORN AGAIN. At that moment of true faith and trust a person is “Born Again”, as his/her spirit comes alive, or is “born again”. At that point that person is also SAVED!
YOU MUST ALSO READ MY ARTICLE ABOUT BEING SAVED in order to understand the PROCESS of believing ON the Lord Jesus Christ to be “Born Again” or TO BE SAVED.