In his conversation with the very religious Pharisee, Nicodemus, Jesus stated quite clearly that Nicodemus needed to be "born again." What does this term mean? It is often used of people who are given a "new lease" ... and so a thriving company that was once on the verge of bankruptcy is said to have been "born again." A once-washed-up athlete who happens to land on the right team, surrounded by the right teammates and therefore experiences a rejuvenation of his career is said to have been "born again." A city, once mired in decay and crime but now seeing a resurgence of neighborhoods and business is referenced as being "born again." So when Jesus uses the term in John 3 -- is he using the term in the same way? Not quite. The term as Jesus used it refers to the act of regeneration. This occurs when the Living God reaches into the deadness of a person's soul and creates new spiritual life. And so at that point ... that individual experiences the new birth (or is "born again!"). One of the best books I ever read on this topic is the book Finally Alive: What Happens When We Are Born Again, written by John Piper and published in 2009.Why did Piper write on this topic? Because from his vantage point (and I have to agree with him on this) far too many professing Christians don't really understand what being born again is all about. And so Piper wrote the book to help believers like you and me understand what happens to us when we experience the new birth. Here are three reasons he gives for his desire to help Christians understand the doctrine of regeneration:
1. When you are truly born again and grow in the grace and knowledge of what the Lord has done for you, your fellowship with God will be sweet, and your assurance that he is your Father will be deep. I want that for you.
2. If you know what really happened to you in your new birth, you will treasure God and his Spirit and his Son and his word more highly than you ever have. In this, Christ will be glorified.
3. In the process of believers discovering what really happened to them, the seriousness and the supernatural nature of conversion will rise and that, I pray, will serve a more general awakening of authenticity in the Christian church so that religious hypocrisy will diminish and the world will see real love and sacrifice and courage in the service of Christ. (Finally Alive, Desiring God Foundation, 2009, p. 18).
If you are looking for a good read that will stretch your faith, warm your heart, and ignite your passion - this is it!
Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj
1 comment:
“Have you been born again?” the Fundamentalist at the door asks the unsuspecting Catholic.
Yes, they believe in Jesus. And yes, they try to live Christian lives. They probably have some vague awareness that Fundamentalists think being “born again” involves a religious experience or “accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savoir.”
The Catholic Church has always held, being “born of water and the Spirit” refers to baptism, and then it follows that being “born again” or “born from above” means being baptized.
Clearly, the context implies that born of “water and the Spirit” refers to baptism. The Evangelist tells us that immediately after talking with Nicodemus, Jesus took his disciples into the wilderness where they baptized people (John 3:22).
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