You Are Not Born Again - Yet
"Jesus answered and said to him, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot SEE the kingdom of God…Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and 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 3:3-6)
In the zeal of Christian apologists to have people join their particular branch of Christianity, they have equated the term "born again" with being saved. It amazes me that almost all Christians buy into this teaching when the above passage says no such thing.
Jesus was simply stating that no one can SEE or ENTER the Kingdom of God until he is RESURRECTED to spirit from the death of the flesh. Just as we all were born when our mothers WATER broke, so shall we be born again of SPIRIT after we have died and are resurrected to new spiritual life. Nicodemus, like most Christian teachers today thought Jesus was talking about something that happens in this life. Jesus rebuked Nicodemus and told him he was talking about heavenly things...
"If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?" (John 3:12)
1 Peter 1:3 is the only other place in Scripture that uses the term “new birth” and Peter was clearly thinking about our "living hope" of resurrection from the dead so that we can claim our inheritance that is now kept in heaven …
“In his great mercy he has given us NEW BIRTH into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4)
And Jesus, after his resurrection, instructed Paul to teach both Jews and Gentiles about this new "spiritual" creation in great detail in his letter to the Corinthians...
"So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory...it is sown a natural body, it is raised a SPIRITUAL body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving SPIRIT. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual." (1 Corinthians 15:42-45)
No one, except Jesus, has yet been born again to become "a life-giving Spirit", but we all can die with that hope and expectation. For me it is clear that the term “born again” refers to our hope of being resurrected just as Jesus was resurrected, and at that time we will be saved from death to enter the "kingdom of God". Quoting Psalm 49:15 Luke speaks of Jesus in Acts 2:27...
"Thou will not leave my soul in hell (sheol - the grave)..." (Psalm 16:10)
My faith is that God will not leave anyone in the grave, but will changed from a former "living soul" into a "live-giving Spirit".
In the zeal of Christian apologists to have people join their particular branch of Christianity, they have equated the term "born again" with being saved. It amazes me that almost all Christians buy into this teaching when the above passage says no such thing.
Jesus was simply stating that no one can SEE or ENTER the Kingdom of God until he is RESURRECTED to spirit from the death of the flesh. Just as we all were born when our mothers WATER broke, so shall we be born again of SPIRIT after we have died and are resurrected to new spiritual life. Nicodemus, like most Christian teachers today thought Jesus was talking about something that happens in this life. Jesus rebuked Nicodemus and told him he was talking about heavenly things...
"If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?" (John 3:12)
1 Peter 1:3 is the only other place in Scripture that uses the term “new birth” and Peter was clearly thinking about our "living hope" of resurrection from the dead so that we can claim our inheritance that is now kept in heaven …
“In his great mercy he has given us NEW BIRTH into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4)
And Jesus, after his resurrection, instructed Paul to teach both Jews and Gentiles about this new "spiritual" creation in great detail in his letter to the Corinthians...
"So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory...it is sown a natural body, it is raised a SPIRITUAL body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving SPIRIT. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual." (1 Corinthians 15:42-45)
No one, except Jesus, has yet been born again to become "a life-giving Spirit", but we all can die with that hope and expectation. For me it is clear that the term “born again” refers to our hope of being resurrected just as Jesus was resurrected, and at that time we will be saved from death to enter the "kingdom of God". Quoting Psalm 49:15 Luke speaks of Jesus in Acts 2:27...
"Thou will not leave my soul in hell (sheol - the grave)..." (Psalm 16:10)
My faith is that God will not leave anyone in the grave, but will changed from a former "living soul" into a "live-giving Spirit".