BORN AGAIN—A CHANGE FROM MORTAL BODY TO SPIRITUAL BEING

REPENTANCE AND CHANGE OF MIND—PART OF THE PROCESS BUT NOT SYNONYMOUS

I am sure you have heard about this phrase times without number. You must be born again: the phrase you hear from pastors and Christians. Most Christians and pastors claim that they have been born again and believe they have to make others born again. This belief is primarily drawn from JOHN 3:3 where Jesus says:

“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.”

What did Jesus mean when He says you must be born again? Is a change of mind the same as being born again? Is repentance synonymous with being born again? Can one be born again now?  Is born again a feeling in the heart? Many people think that Nicodemus’ question was an off point, but that’s not true. His question was in the right direction—contrary to what many have concluded.

So many Christians would agree that taking a single verse and creating a doctrine out of it is improper; it is not the best way to study the Bible. However, this has been done to John 3:3—the entire chapter has not been fully considered. How should the Bible be studied? Let us see:

ISAIAH 28:10

“For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:”

The entire chapter of John 3 has not been studied line upon line and precept upon precept—and that is why many Christians think they can be born again in this life.

The Israelites were greatly anticipating the coming of the Messiah to liberate them from their oppressors. They were greatly anticipating the kingdom to be restored back to Israel. How do we know this? Let us see:

ACTS 1:6-8

“6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.”

The disciples of Jesus knew that he was the Messiah and were curious about knowing when the kingdom would be given to Israel.

Nicodemus was no different from the disciples of Jesus—greatly anticipating the coming of the Kingdom of God through the Messiah. And that’s why Jesus started addressing Nicodemus by outlining the requirements for entering the Kingdom of God, knowing the anticipation in their hearts.

YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN: Let us explore John 3 to understand what Jesus meant.

JOHN 3:3

“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.”

From the above passage, Jesus left no room for doubt or approximation: Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. ‘Except’left no room for doubt. The word see is the Greekword eido, and it means to perceive with the eyes physically. The word ‘see’ in the passage is not about feelings in the heart—it is about physical seeing or entering. The kingdom of God will fully commence when Jesus has taken complete rulership of all kingdoms under heaven—this is yet to happen.

Nicodemus understood the concept of being born again but was not sure how one can be born again the second time: “How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?”

Further, Jesus answers Nicodemus:

JOHN 3:5-6

“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.”

From the above passage, there are two types of birth:

1. Fleshly birth: born of the flesh.
2. Spiritual birth: born of the Spirit.

From Jesus’ explanation, there is a boundary between what is born of the flesh and what is born of the spirit. A change must happen before one can cross from being flesh to a spirit being.

Furthermore, two things must happen before one can enter into the kingdom of heaven:

1. Born of water
2. Born of the Spirit

The above two conditions must be satisfied before one can enter the kingdom of heaven.  The Bible interprets itself; what does it mean to be born of water and the spirit?

Let us see what born of water means:

EPHESIANS 5:26

“25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

The word of God serves as water, and it sanctifies and cleanses us (the church). Born of water means: one has repented, been baptised, and is living a sanctified and holy life. The word of God serves as water that does all these—it presents us blameless before God. So, being born of water means one’s life has been changed, sanctified and made holy by the word of God.

Furthermore, what does it mean to be born of the spirit? The answer is in:

JOHN 3:7-8

“7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”

According to the answer of Jesus in the above passage, spiritual birth means having qualities or characteristics like angels: The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. When one is born of the spirit, one will have qualities like wind—like angels! Having a characteristic of wind means one can behave like angels—and that is what Jesus meant exactly in verse 8—we will be like angels—we will move like wind when we are born of the spirit.

Let us pause and ask a question again: Who is born again?  Who has the characteristics Jesus described in John 3:8? The answer is obvious; no one! Not yet! No one is born again now; only Jesus is born again. How do we know this? Let us see:

COLOSSIANS 1:18

“18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” 

When Jesus was born, he was born as a mortal man like you and me, but when He died, He resurrected with a spiritual body—glorified body—and that’s why Apostle Paul referred to Him as Firstborn from dead. He is the first to have a mortal body of flesh and blood translated to a spiritual body.

So, being born again means to have a mortal body of flesh and blood fully translated to a spiritual body like that of angels. NO ONE IS BORN AGAIN NOW.

How do we know? Let us see:

1 Corinthians 15:50 “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.”

A mortal body composed only of flesh and blood cannot enter (inherit) the Kingdom of God. It means before we can enter the Kingdom of God, one must have second birth (be born again) from a mortal body of flesh and blood to a spiritual body like that of angels.

Apostle Paul is saying the same thing that Jesus stated in John 3:3—they are all on the same page; one must be born of the spirit—and Jesus explains the characteristics of spiritual birth. So, no one is born of the spirit at the moment.

When will believers experience spiritual birth—born again? Let’s find out:

1 CORINTHIANS 15:51-54

“51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”

Apostle Paul clearly explains that our corruptible mortal bodies will put on immortality at Christ’s second coming. In other words, we will be born again—be changed from mortal to immortal—from bodies composed of flesh and blood to the spirit body. Apostle Paul’s mystery is the direct change from bodies consisting of flesh and blood to the spirit body.

At the second coming of Christ, the righteous dead will rise with incorruptible or spirit bodies. Believers who are still alive will have their bodies changed to incorruptible bodies or spirit bodies like angels—that is the mystery!

Let us pause again and ask a question: Have you seen any of the disciples telling people that they can experience the “born again” described in JOHN 3:3 in this life? No! Why? Because they understood what born again (spiritual birth) means and when it will happen—it will happen at the second coming of Christ. They understood that the term born again (spiritual birth) is not synonymous with repentance or change of mind. Repentance and change of mind are part of the processes that will eventually lead to spiritual birth. However, after repentance, one is not yet born of the spirit. Although repentance and change of mind are integral parts of the process that will ultimately lead to spiritual birth (born again), it will be wrong of anyone to claim to be born again now.

You and I still battle sicknesses, ageing, death, and all sorts of limitations that flesh and blood present. When you and I are born again (changed from mortal to immortal or corruptible to incorruptible), we will no longer experience these—sickness, death, ageing etc.

In summary, currently, apart from Jesus, no one is born again. BORN AGAIN is a change of body and not a change of mind or repentance. Born again will take place when Jesus comes the second time: the dead will be raised with glorified bodies, and believers who are still alive will have their bodies changed to glorified bodies as well. At the moment, we have been born of water, i.e., we have repented, been baptised, sanctified and living a holy life, and waiting for the second coming of Christ; the time at which we will be born again—be changed from mortal to immortal. So, telling people to be born again now shows an improper understanding of the Scriptures. For now, the message should be: you must repent, be baptised, be sanctified (set apart) and live a holy life; not you must be born again.