born again - from above
"born again" is a phrase often heard in Christendom. many claim that one is only "saved" if they have been through the process of being "born again". with such a claim it seems paramount that every Christian look to the Word of God in order to discover what this phrase really means.
this phrase is only mentioned in the Bible in 2 places. the first, and notably most popularly referenced, is when Christ speaks about this:
John 3:
1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter 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 “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
8 “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”
10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?
11 “Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.
12 “If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
13 “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.
14 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15 “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
the original word here translated to "born" is "gennao" [Greek], which one concordance defines as:
1) of men who fathered children
1a) to be born
1b) to be begotten
1b1) of women giving birth to children
2) metaph.
2a) to engender, cause to arise, excite
2b) in a Jewish sense, of one who brings others over to his way of life, to convert someone
2c) of God making Christ his son
2d) of God making men his sons through faith in Christ's work
the original word for "again" is "anothen" [Greek], defined:
1) from above, from a higher place
1a) of things which come from heaven or God
2) from the first, from the beginning, from the very first
3) anew, over again
when Nicodemus questions Christ in verse 4 about this strange concept of being born a second time - apparently thinking Christ was using definition #1 of "gennao" and #3 of "anothen" - Christ then helps to shed a little more light on the context of the subject matter in which He is speaking in verses 5 & 6.
notice, He likens being born again to being born of the Spirit. this shows that Christ was speaking about more than just the physical, but the spiritual. it also strongly suggests that He was speaking of "anothen" as definition #1/1a - from above, from a higher place, of things which come from heaven or God. so really, a better translation for "born again" might be, "born from above".
most of Christendom seems to adopt definition #2 for "gennao" and #3 for "anothen" when they refer to the phrase "born again". perhaps most assume that the phrase is merely symbolic and that it refers entirely to the process of "conversion" to the Christian faith through repentance, baptism, and the receiving of God's Holy Spirit.
as part of this conversion, it is often commonly accepted that in a sense we do die in Christ and become a new creature in Christ allowing the "old man of sin" to die. of course, we know that the "old man" is not really fully dead for we still continue to slip up and sin even though we know we should not. so in this sense, we are in a way "born from above" when the Father & Christ make Their abode with us through Their Holy Spirit.
however, let's take a closer look at this section where Christ answers Nicodemus:
John 3:
5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter 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 “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
8 “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
in verse 5, Christ says that one must be born of water and the Spirit in order to enter the kingdom of God. one might assume He is speaking of baptism because of the mention of being "born of water and Spirit", but baptism is never spoken of anywhere else in the Bible in conjunction with being born. also notice that in verse 6 Christ continues to refine His description of this unfamiliar term, delineating a definite difference between being born in the flesh verses being born in the spirit.
Christ then goes on to say in verse 7 not to marvel in this phrase. however, "born again", has in fact been marveled over immensely in Christendom and has often even been the doctrinal center of entire faiths. but verse 8 reveals that He is speaking of more than just the process of conversion in this life and physical being, but that He is speaking of the future promise of the resurrection into spirit! for what Christian having been "born again" is like the wind?
we are told we will eventually be fully born into spirit upon the return of Christ, thus completely "born from above". if Christ wanted to make being "born again" some kind of serious Christian doctrine, would He not have taught it as such? but He never mentions it again in His ministry.
this entire passage begins with Nicodemus stating that he, and apparently some other Pharisees, know that Christ is a teacher come from God. upon cursory reading, it seems as if Christ ignores his statement and changes the conversation, for Nicodemus never asked about "seeing the kingdom of God", and surely nothing about being "born again".
but in verses 13-15, He addresses Nicodemus' original statement, proclaiming to have come from heaven, while also prophesying that He will be ascending back to heaven. this entire passage of scripture is not addressing some new Christian doctrine, but that Christ is testifying to this man of faith among the Pharisees of His being the prophesied Messiah!
the only other time "born again" is mentioned in the Bible is in 1Peter:
1Peter 1:
20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you
21 who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,
23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,
24 because “All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away,
25 But the word of the LORD endures forever.” Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.
here, "born again" was not translated from two words, but one: "anagennao" [Greek], defined as:
1) to produce again, be born again, born anew
2) metaph. to have one's mind changed so that he lives a new life and one conformed to the will of God
anagennao is derived from the word "gennao" that Christ used for "born", and also "ana" which means: into the midst, in the midst, amidst, among, between.
not being an expert in Greek, i cannot digress further into the reasons for Peter's usage of this word, but based upon the context in which Peter speaks, it is apparent that this reference also points to the future resurrection to Spirit, or the time when we will be completely "born from above".
so when we speak of being "born again", it would be wise for us to remember the Biblical precepts behind this very popular phrase. being human and therefore prone to err, it is very easy to take a Biblical phrase out of context and "run with it", and it seems to me that all too often Christendom has done that with regards to various topics.
8-)
bernard baruch carman
www.SeedsOfTruth.org
11/05
•••