When you become a Christian you are baptized into a new family. If you are born again when you become a Christian, how can you be born again? I don't remember Jesus telling us to do this. It's like saying I'm born-again, born-again. So if Jesus saved you the first time who did it the second time?
It seems most people that use the title are trying to one-up their brothers and sisters in Christ. I think we need to stop resorting to shiny titles and let our word stand for our word.
2006-08-17 08:10:37 · 17 answers · asked by Beam 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I just wanted to point out that some of you seem to understand what I am saying. Others have missed it.
Dave C- What I am not saying is that we should not be born again. My point is that we should not try to come up with special phrases to try to make it look like we are more "real" Christian than someone else. It seems to me that this is related to what Jesus says when he tells us to let our yes be our yes and our no be our no. It really stems from pride doesn't it?
Mathew 5:33-37
33"Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' 34But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
2006-08-20 06:39:28 · update #1
I would say...
It's simply a redundancy. They aren't stating they've been "born again" twice, but they are being redundant with their words. It's like someone using two slightly different ways of wording something to get across the same concept.
But perhaps... it is used because so many people can easily claim to be Christians with their words without really having God's Spirit, so "born again Christians" are trying to emphasize that they really HAVE been born of the Spirit... that they aren't just throwing out titles and empty words.
2006-08-17 08:25:14 · answer #1 · answered by thought_provoking 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The saying comes from John 3 when Nicodemus came to Jesus by night 3:3 Jesus said except a man be born again, he can not see the Kingdom of God. Then he goes on to say if you are not born of the Spirit you can not enter into the Kingdom of God.
The Spiritual birth is the re-birth. The spirit of man being reconciled back to God. Christ has reconciled what was lost in the Garden of Eden. The relationship as well as fellowship has been restored.
2006-08-17 08:23:40 · answer #2 · answered by syairasmom 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
How do people become born again Christians....well I'll tell ya! First of all when you are a child and baptized this does not mean that you are born again. It means that you are washing you sins away. And not all Christians are baptized. I don't believe that children should be "baptized" they are pure and Innocent and don't need to be. Now dedicated their life is OK. So when you are a born again christian...that means that you are a christian, but that you have started to get away from your faith (meaning committing sins, whatever they may be). When you are a born again christian that means that you ask for forgiveness and start from scratch changing things in your life that were sin full. It has nothing to do with a title. It has to do with making yourself pure again. Being "born" again unto the name of christ.
2006-08-17 08:26:21 · answer #3 · answered by blueyegurl0283 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually Jesus did say it in John 3:3 when he was talking to Nicodemus. It's not a physical birth obviously but a spiritual birth. Once you are "saved" you are always saved. So really it's not so much a one up thing. The first birth is the physical birth and the second birth is through Christ.
2006-08-17 08:24:53 · answer #4 · answered by Seeking answers in Him 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
John 3
1 There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus. He was one of the Jewish rulers. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. We know that God is with you. If he weren't, you couldn't do the miraculous signs you are doing."
3 Jesus replied, "What I'm about to tell you is true. No one can see God's kingdom without being born again."
4 "How can I be born when I am old?" Nicodemus asked. "I can't go back inside my mother! I can't be born a second time!"
5 Jesus answered, "What I'm about to tell you is true. No one can enter God's kingdom without being born through water and the Holy Spirit. 6 People give birth to people. But the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised when I say, 'You must all be born again.'
8 "The wind blows where it wants to. You hear the sound it makes. But you can't tell where it comes from or where it is going. It is the same with everyone who is born through the Spirit."
9 "How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.
10 "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus. "Don't you understand these things?
11 "What I'm about to tell you is true. We speak about what we know. We give witness to what we have seen. But still you people do not accept our witness. 12 I have spoken to you about earthly things, and you do not believe. So how will you believe if I speak about heavenly things?
13 "No one has ever gone into heaven except the One who came from heaven. He is the Son of Man. 14 Moses lifted up the snake in the desert. The Son of Man must be lifted up also. 15 Then everyone who believes in him can live with God forever.
16 "God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life.
17 "God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world. He sent his Son to save the world through him. 18 Anyone who believes in him is not judged. But anyone who does not believe is judged already. He has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
19 "Here is the judgment. Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light. They loved darkness because what they did was evil.
20 "Everyone who does evil things hates the light. They will not come into the light. They are afraid that what they do will be seen. 21 But anyone who lives by the truth comes into the light. He does this so that it will be easy to see that what he has done is with God's help."
2006-08-17 08:19:42 · answer #5 · answered by Ariell 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well, take Dog the Bounty Hunter as an example.
Assume he was never baptized. If he found Christ and was baptized by water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, it is OK for him to say that he is born again.
Assume he was baptized and his faith lapsed, then it is not OK for him to say that he is born again.
In the Orthodox faith, there is no such thing as being born again regardless if your faith lapsed or not. The Orthodox faith prevents those from abusing the "born again" doctrine.
Look to the parable of the Prodigal Son as an excellent example of how can repent without being "born again"
2006-08-17 08:17:17 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Jesus never said it? Hmmmm.....
John 3:3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again"
John 3:5-7 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[b] gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You[c] must be born again.'
The apostle Paul made a very similar statement In Titus 3:5-6
He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior"
2006-08-17 08:21:06 · answer #7 · answered by The Dave 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I take it you do no longer recognize merely what a *Christian* is , alongside with lots of the earth's inhabitants .. when you're literally not *born back* or *born from above* because the Bible says, you won't be able to and are not what one might want to call a Christian or more effective properly a *newborn of God* ... Born from above skill to be position by technique of the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ it really is THE CHURCH, or to placed yet in a special way , to be Baptized by technique of the Spirit into the body of Christ it really is THE CHURCH... So no, they do no longer annoy me, nor do I annoy myself .. newborn of God - X atheist
2016-11-25 22:46:54 · answer #8 · answered by hatti 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
when people refer to that they referring to John 3:3-8 when Jesus tells NIcodemus that he cannot enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit that passage tells us all we need to be immersed in water for the cleansing of our sins that is the only way you come into contact with the blood of Christ
2006-08-17 08:24:39 · answer #9 · answered by John 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Jesus said to nicodemus
We were all born by the fleash, But are spiritually dead, untill we ask Jesus to forgive us and save us from hell.
2006-08-17 08:23:52 · answer #10 · answered by james c 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋