Born Again

"Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God." 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?" Jesus answered, "Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." John 3: 3-5

"Born again" has somehow become more than it is. It has in some regards become a branded noun of the fundamentalist used as a dividing rod in our culture. In fact, the title "born again christian" is about as redundant as you can get. I'm not sure Jesus ever intended it to be a noun. I see it is a verb - An action required of us and done by the Spirit through the work of Jesus.

The Kingdom of God is the place where God dwells and reigns with his beautiful love and justice. It is the place where salvation is found and lived out in community right now, and it is the place of eternal bliss yet to come. Jesus' simple gospel call from the beginning was "repent, for the Kingdom of God has come near." To be sure, the Kingdom of God is the place that God created and designed us to live and move and have our being - all in and under the Lordship of Jesus. Our functional purpose as created humans is to live in the Kingdom of God - to glorify and enjoy Him forever. We will never truly be joyful or at peace until we enter into this Kingdom.

Unfortunately, our sin has barred us from entering into this perfect delight that was prepared for us - for what can sin have to do with God's holiness. The Kingdom of God remains elusive to any still enslaved to their sins. In fact Jesus says not only can one not enter it, but one cannot even see it.

There is only one way to see and enter into our home with Christ...Jesus says we must be born again. Not a physical re-birth, as Nicodemus wrongly assumes, but a Spiritual re-birth -one in which the sinful nature that we were originally born with dies, only to be regenerated unto new life, righteous and perfect. This type of re-birth happens on the inside, and cannot be seen or detected by even the finest physicians, but does eventually manifest itself in holy actions. It is the Spiritual re-birth (or regeneration) that is necessary for any of us to enter into the Kingdom of God.

Thankfully, the very one who spoke these words, laid down His life on the cross, and in so doing crucified our sinful natures with Him. His resurrection three days later enables us through faith, to be similarly raised from spiritual death.

The work of Jesus allows us to rightly be born again. The work of Jesus allows us not only to see the Kingdom of God, but to enter into the rest of His presence as well.

Thanks be to God, that He did not leave us to die in our sins, but that, out of His great love for us, gave us the means to be born again!

Be God's, Scott