WHAT DOES IT REALLY MEAN TO BE "BORN AGAIN" By Brother Nhlakanipho Sithole

WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU MEAN BY "BORN-AGAIN?"  

1. What does it Really mean to be "Born Again"?

We believe from ‘John 3:1-21’ that being born again OR being Born of the Spirit (John 4:24). Is Supernatural Act of God whereby God Himself Imparts ‘Eternal Life’ to a Sinner who was Spiritually DEAD in His Trespasses and Sins, Gives Him the Ability to Repent and Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for Salvation.
*This Person who is now "Born again" or "Born from Above" can Now be called a Brand New Creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), Who has a Brand New Heart (Ezekiel 36:26), a Brand New and Transformed Mind (1 Corinthians 2:16, Ephesians 4:23, Romans 12:2) with Brand New Desires and Will.
So This implies that being Born Again means having a Band New Life, heading towards a Brand New Direction but above all this, it means that a Person is no longer an Enemy but a child of God by Grace

2. Why does a person even Need to be Born Again?

We believe from the Scriptures that we have all Willfully sinned against a Holy and Just God, that all of us fall short of the glory of God, because there is no man who does not sin (Romans 3:23, 1 Kings 8:46).
Therefore because of our Sin; the Bible teaches that we have become Unclean and all our Righteous Deeds are like Filthy Garments before Almighty God, no human effort can make us clean and good in the Sight of God (Isaiah 64:6), furthermore we are spiritually ‘dead in our sins and trespasses’ (Ephesians 2:1) and our Life in the flesh seeks to fulfill the desires of the Flesh.
For this reason, we are not only UNABLE but also UNWILLING to please God (Romans 8:8, John 3:19-20). This implies that we are also Slaves of Sin Who only deserve the wages of sin, which is Death (Romans 6:23).
The Bible also teaches that all Sinners, or those who live according to the flesh will be condemned to Hell forever (Romans 8:1, 2 Thessalonians 1:9, Matthew 13:42, 25:41). So a person needs to be born again because:

“Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” - Jesus (John 3:3,3:5:3:7).

3. How can a person be saved, as God is Holy & Just and we are sinful and deserving of condemnation?

Romans 10:9 says,, if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved  .
Even though God’s justice Demands Death for Sin, His love has provided a Savior who paid the penalty and died for sinners (1 Peter 3:18).
Christ’s death satisfied the demands of God’s Justice, and Christ’s Perfect Life Satisfied the Demands of God’s Holiness (2 Corinthians 5:21), thereby enabling God to Forgive and Save those who place their Faith in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:26).

So a person can be truly saved if they Repent from their sin (Mark 1:15, Matthew 3:2, 4:2) and Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for the Removal of their Sins (John 20:31, Acts 16:31, John 3:18) And Repentance is simply Agreeing with God's Declaration, that you are Sinful, confessing your sins to Him, and making a Conscious Decision to turn from your sins, beliefs and traditions (e.g Deuteronomy 18:10-12) that God says are unacceptable before Him and pursue Christ and obey Him (Matthew 11:28-30, John 17:3, 1 John 2:3).

4. What are the Characteristics of a "Born Again" Person?

a) They believe in Jesus Christ as He is revealed in Scripture (1 John 5:1) that Jesus Christ is the ONLY Way, Truth and the Life. They believe that Jesus Christ is God and not just some mere Prophet or Good teacher but that He is the only God-man and the ONLY Mediator between God and Men.

b) They are not trusting in their own Works to enter into the Presence of God; but they have Full Confidence in Christ and Christ Alone. These people believe that their sins are Fully forgiven and that they no longer stand as Enemies of God but as Dear children. For this Reason, Born Again people Do not Fear the Day of Death nor the Day of Judgement (Romans 4:20, 5:1, 8:1) 

b) They do not Wilfully, Enjoyably and Habitually Sin (1 John 3:9), the Desires of these people are no longer set on Sin even though they may stumble from time to time, However They are characterized by a Strong  Hatred for Sin. It is for this reason that they mourn, groan and repent from their sin desiring to be freed from the Presence of Remaining Sin (Romans 8:21-23)

c) They have a desire to be Holy, pure and righteous, as God is Holy, Pure & Righteous. (Matthew 5:6,8; 1 John 3:7)

d) They love, obey and abide in the Word of God ‘Bible’ and the Bible is their Sole Constitution. (1 John 2:3; John 8:31, 15:14)

e) They Love God and they love other people (Luke 10:27; 1 John 4:7-8; John 13:35)

f) They are bearing the good fruits of the Spirit (Matthew 3:8,10; 7:16-20, Galatians 5:22-23)

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OTHER FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

5. Is it necessary to be "Prayed For" to be Born Again?

Even thoughThe Bible does not Specifically command us to "Lay Hands on People For New Birth" ,  BUT As a general Principle, it commands us to Pray for All People Everywhere to “Repent (from their sins) and believe in the Lord Jesus and Him Alone for Salvation. (1Timothy 2:1-6) However this in no way, warrants the Man-Made Tradition called "Altar Call"

NB: We are convinced by Scripture that it is not a wrong thing if you feel burdened by something to ask a Pastor, Elder or Fellow Christian(s) to help you in Prayer, in fact it is actually commended (James 5:16)

6. Can A Born-Again Christian Lose Salvation?

It is most certainly taught in the Scriptures that None who God truly saves will ever totally nor finally fall away from the state of Grace but shall certainly persevere to the end. The Lord makes certain that none shall ever depart from Him by putting a Fear of Himself in the hearts of His people (Jeremiah 32:38-40). So All who have come to faith in Jesus Christ, being justified by that faith, shall certainly arrive at a Glorified State (Romans 8:30).

NB: The power of God keeps the saint in a Believing State (1 Peter 1:5). God’s greatness keeps Christians from perishing (John 6:38-40). They have Eternal Life and it is the Will of God that this life does indeed prove to be Eternal.
*Jesus in John 10:28-29 “I give them Eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.”

*The Scriptures teach us that God will finish every work that He starts (1Corinthians 1:4-8; 1Thessalonians 5:23-24). “And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). And each child of God is sealed by the Holy Spirit of God as a guarantee that his salvation is secure (2Corinthians 1:21-22; 2Corinthians 5:5).

‘’In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory’’ (Ephesians 1:13-14)

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? …No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord’’ (Rom 8:35, 37-39)

‘’Salvation is a work of God to show His glory. That’s why He’s not going to Let it Fail.’’

Caution:

1.       1. This in no way rules out that Christians must strive and fight and willingly persevere in order to be saved (1Corinthians 9:26-27; Matthew 10:22; Galatians 6:9; James 1:12)

‘’Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.’’ (Philippians 2:12-13) 

2.Nor does this rule out that Christians may fall into temptation and into sin. They may grieve the Holy Spirit and bring upon themselves the discipline of the Lord, but in all these things, God shall definitely preserve them in the faith if they are truly His Children. (1 John 2:1; James 3:2; Proverbs 24:16)

‘’…do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.’’ Ephesians 4:30

‘’For the Lord disciplines the one He loves and chastises every son whom He receives.’’ Hebrews 12:6

‘’For the LORD…will not forsake His saints. They are preserved forever.’’ Psalm 37:28

3. Though all of God’s saints will certainly persevere to the end, many professing ‘Christians’ do, however, fall away from the faith, which only serves to prove that such individuals were never truly saved by God and that something was defective with their faith.

‘’As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.’’ Matthew 13:20-21

‘’Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons….’’ 1 Timothy 4:1

‘’For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they then fall away, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.’’ Hebrews 6:4-6

It would be an error for us to believe that the individuals who fell away lost their salvation since the Scriptures explicitly teach that they were never saved to begin with, they were plants which the heavenly Father had not planted and they were eventually uprooted (Matthew 15:13).

‘’They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.’’ 1 John 2:19 

“If a person professes faith in Christ and makes no progress in godliness and falls away, it does not mean that he has lost his salvation. It only reveals he was never truly converted.”

Role of Baptism in the Christian’s Life:

Baptism is one of the two ordinances  established by the Lord Jesus Christ to be correctly administered and observed, The other being The Lord's Table.

*Christian Baptism is the one-time Immersion into water (not sprinkling) of a believing disciple of Jesus Christ (Acts 8:12; 8:36-37; 18:8)
*Baptism should be done in the Name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).

*The term Baptism means “Immersion” symbolically representing our Spiritual death, Our Burial and Resurrection together with Christ (Romans 6:3-4; Colossians 2:12).

#The same way the rings of a married couple are a public profession; that the two are one and symbolical representation of the commitment one has made to another, Baptism is a public profession that you are now one with Christ and a symbolical representation of the commitment you've made to follow Christ.

#Baptism is clearly not a Suggestion, an Advice but a COMMAND by the Lord to His followers as an important Act of Obedience that flows from Repentance toward God and Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19).

#Christian Baptism does not of itself have any Saving effect to the sinner. It is merely a public Profession of faith and identity. 

#We are cleansed from our sins by the washing of Christ’s blood (1John 1:7; Revelation 1:5), not by the washing of water in baptism. And we are made alive in Christ, not by the washing of water in baptism, but by the washing of regeneration (Titus 3:5).

Prepared by 

Nhlakanipho Sithole

Soli Deo Gloria