Q: I just had a brief look at your internet page on 'BORN AGAIN'. I dont wanna get into a massive discussion about what it means but i thought i would just send an email stating what i thought about it. I believe you are way off when it comes to what you wrote about being born again. So far off that when people read it & accept it as 'truth' they will perish because they never truly met Jesus. I would like to commend this to you (a link to another site) & if you have the time to read it then it would be a great study. Let me know what you think if you ever read it.
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A: I provide evidence in my article, "Born Again--What Did Jesus Mean?" that the terms "born again" (John 3:3, 7) and "new birth" (1 Peter 1:3) are not synonymous. Seeing that you only had a "brief" look at the article explains why you probably missed the main points.

There are many articles on the internet that explain "born again" the way the article does that you provided a link to. But there are also a few other conflicting views posted. A couple of days ago I received a link to another interpretation, which explained that a person is "born again" upon his resurrection in heaven; relying heavily on the argument that Jesus is the "first born" in this regard.

Now, what do you think? When Jesus told Nicodemus that he and the nation must be "born again," could he have referred to "a new birth to a living hope. . .reserved in the heavens for you?" Would Jesus have criticized Nicodemus, with the words: "Are you a teacher of Israel and yet do not know these things?" when Nicodemus could not possibly have known anything about the new birth, it being God's "sacred secret" and not revealed until after the outpouring of the holy spirit at Pentecost? (John 3:7,10; 1 Peter 1:3,4; Eph. 1:8-14)

Also to consider, when Nicodemus applied a fleshly interpretation to the term "born again," such as entering the womb of his mother a second time, Jesus made it clear that "what has been born from the flesh is flesh, and what has been born from the spirit is spirit." The flesh and the spirit have nothing in common. In fact, Paul wrote that the flesh is against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh, "for these are opposed to each other." (Gal. 5:16,17) In other words, one is not first born from the flesh, and then born again from the spirit. Being born again, "from water and the spirit," means that this same must have happened at least once before. Did it? Paul writes: "Now I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea and all got baptized into Moses by means of the cloud and of the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they used to drink from the spiritual rock-mass that followed them, and that rock-mass meant the Christ." (1 Cor. 10:1,2) Instead of being baptized into Moses, as was the case with the first covenant, the Jews needed to be baptized again into the one pictured by Moses, Jesus Christ, the mediator of the new covenant. Thus they would be born again, once more, a second time.

God had made the covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai where they were born as his nation. At that time he also foretold his intention of raising up a future prophet from their midst who would be like Moses. (Deut. 18:18,19) The Jews understood this prophet to be the Messiah. Nicodemus would have known this along with the promise of the new covenant, foretold by Jeremiah. (Jer. 31:31-33; Heb. 8:7-13; 9:11-22) Acknowledging that Jesus must be from God, it should have been natural for Nicodemus to come to the conclusion that this prophet like Moses was indeed Jesus. Logically, he would be the mediator of the foretold new covenant as Moses had been of the old covenant. Since the new covenant was to replace the old one, it would also have been possible for Nicodemus to understand that God's people needed to be born again, for a second time, by being brought into this new covenant. Reasonably, only those who had been born into the old covenant could be "born again" into the new covenant. Keep in mind, also, that Jesus was not referring to the Gentiles when he told Nicodemus that "you people must be born again." Jesus told a Phoenician woman on one occasion, "I was not sent forth to any but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matt. 15:24; 10:5,6)

The new covenant would include also people of the nations, for Christ died for all mankind. But Gentiles could not be born "again" since they were not party to the first covenant. (Eph. 2:12) Non-Jews would be born from God, from above, for their first time (as were the Jews at Mt. Sinai) by accepting Christ, getting baptized in water and receiving the holy spirit, thus being brought into the new covenant also. There would no longer be any distinction between a Jew and a Gentile, people of the nations. (Matt. 28:19,20; Rom. 10:12,13)

Simply put: When the first covenant became "obsolete" and vanished away, the basis for a relationship with God for the Jews as his people disappeared with it. To continue to be his people they now needed to be brought into the new covenant, that is, they needed to be "born again," or once more. Isaiah refers to a future time when "Zion has come into labor pains as well as giving birth to her sons," and God's new nation would be "born at one time," in "one day." This took place at Pentecost with the birth of the new nation under the new covenant, with Jesus as the mediator. (Isaiah 66:7,8) Any Jew who refused to be thus born a second time, by accepting Jesus and the blood of the covenant, would be dismissed from God's household. (see Paul's explanation at Galatians 4:17-31)

The need for the Jews to be born again, as Jesus said, was in order for them to "see" or "enter into the kingdom of God." This kingdom is the same that he was preaching to them. (Matt. 4:17; 10:5-7) It figured prominently in God's purpose for, as Jesus said, it was "prepared for you from the founding of the world." "Founding of the world" refers to the time God first made the promise of raising a seed who would undo the works of the Devil, and when sinful Adam started to have offspring. (Gen. 3:15; John 3:5; Matt. 25:34; Luke 11:50; Rev. 13:8) Jesus himself is king of that kingdom, as the prophet Daniel foretold. As the "Son of man" he receives from God "rulership and dignity and kingdom, that the peoples, national groups and languages should all serve even him. His rulership is an indefinitely lasting rulership that will not pass away, and his kingdom one that will not be brought to ruin." This kingdom will replace all worldly governments. (Dan. 2:44; 7:13,14; Matt. 16:27,28) Jesus promised that the "meek," or "mild tempered ones" will "inherit the earth." Similarly, he also said, "Come, you who have been blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom," for it is by means of this kingdom that all the damage that Adam's rebellion brought upon mankind will be undone, totally erased. They will be joyful subjects of God's kingdom with the hope of "everlasting life"; the prospect that Adam threw away. (Matt. 5:5; 25:34, 46; Psalms 37:11, 29)

But Daniel speaks also of "the holy ones of the Supreme One" who would share rulership with Christ in that kingdom. It is in reference to this that Peter speaks of a "new birth." (Dan. 7:18, 22, 27; Luke 22:28-30; Rev. 20:6) This "new birth" is not the same as being "born again." The new birth is about the selection by God of a few, including Peter, who have been given the hope of ruling with Christ in the heavens. They are the "holy ones" the prophet Daniel refers to. Theirs is "a new birth to a living hope. . .to an incorruptible and undefiled and unfading inheritance. It is reserved in the heavens for you." These ones are seen standing with the Lamb upon "the Mount Zion," who "have been bought from the earth. . .from among mankind as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb." (1 Peter 1:3; Rev. 14:1-5) This, of course, is made possible through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus. Their hope is something brand new. It did not exist prior to Jesus' resurrection. Not even John the Baptist shared in the hope of this new birth. (Matt. 11:11; Rev. 20:6)

Whether a person inherits the earth, as God had in mind when he created man, or is chosen by God to rule in his kingdom with Christ, all are born from God who becomes their Father and makes them alive "by virtue of [Christ's] blood." (1 Cor. 15:22; Luke 22:20; Rev. 7:14) This takes place when they get baptized in water and receive God's spirit. They are brought into the new covenant, for it is only by means of this covenant that one can enjoy a relationship with God as one of his people, just as Jehovah foretold regarding the new covenant: "'I will become their God, and they themselves will become my people. And they will no more teach each one his companion and each one his brother, saying, "know Jehovah!" for they will all of them know me, from the least one of them even to the greatest one of them,' is the utterance of Jehovah. 'For I shall forgive their error, and their sin I shall remember no more.'” (Jer. 31:33,34; Deut. 7:6,7; Amos 3:2; Mal. 3:16-18)

The terms "born again" and "new birth" are not interchangeable, as most authors on this subject seem to miss. Often we believe what we feel most comfortable with. Most people's interpretation of being "born again" is influenced by their belief that all good people go to heaven. It is their catch phrase. They are not familiar with God's promise of the "meek" inheriting the earth. The Scriptures are clear that God created this earth for man to inhabit, and that is the hope set before the vast majority of redeemed mankind. (Isaiah 45:18) I hope you take the time to examine the entire article and consider all the evidence. The truth is really very simple, and it agrees with all the Scriptures. (Rom. 10:2,3)

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