What does it mean to be "Born Again"?

Question

What is the actual meaning of the phrase? How does one become "born again"? Is there a ceremony, a specific prayer...

And once they are born again, what happens?

Answer 1

there are two types.. it would seem to me. Those who claim it as a religion( I'll allow those to spoke for themselves)
and the spiritual experience.
I am a devout catholic as a direct result of the latter.
to be born again was an actual experience where by Christ called me to redirect my life and the choices I make.
I remember the day the hour and the experience vividly. before the experience I was a catholic(by birth) but a lukewarm one at best Easter and Christmas wedding and baptisms or when tough times hit.
after the experience...everything changed and continues to change. Christ is given full rein over everyday as best I can give it and I am led by the Grace of our Blessed Virgin with my eyes fix on the goal of victory.

I have found that there are many born again who Christ has led to the catholic church.
Peace
.

Answer 2

To get a higher level of awareness beyond mental , physical & emotional level , and attaining a devine and spiritual state is called " Born Again " .

Such feats or powers cannot be obtained through any ceremony but a prayer with a strong desire from the core of the heart to the All Pervaiding Power is a must..

The person is filled with eternal bliss and joy when he's born again. Such a person usually can do many miraculous things which are beyond imagination for others. This is because the devine starts working for him.

Answer 3

Born Again? Very good question, and not surprised that you're confused. This term comes from John chapter 3, Jesus speaking to Nicodemus: "Do not marvel when I say to you, you must be born again..." (John 3:7). A more literal translation of the Greek would be: "you all must be born from above." It has come to characterize Christians who have undergone a personal conversion experience. The question remains whether or not this new birth is something that the believer must consciously feel. Traditional Christian Churches such as the Roman Catholics, Orthodox, later the Lutheran, and Anglican (and Methodist) believed that baptism of infants was sufficient to confer the grace of salvation upon the person. Anabaptists, for example, questioned this and said that only adult believers should be baptized as an act of their own free will. Most modern day Evangelical churches follow this practice. Pentecostalism is somewhat different from both traditional Protestantism and contemporary Evangelicalism. This is because of their belief in a second Baptism--that of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes they view speaking in tongues as the "evidence" of this Baptism. This doctrine has caused more division than it ought to, but the belief in the second indwelling of Christ is something that has been uncomfortable for a lot of Christians for some time. It's possible that this experience is what the Wesleys were after. Their revivalist movement was called "Methodism" because they seemed to have a method to getting people saved and then sanctified by the power of the Holy Spirit. They can be understood as precursors to the modern day Pentecostal revival that was sparked at Asuza Street in Los Angeles in the early 1900's. It was at an AME (African Methodist Episcopal) church that a preacher named William Seymour led the revivals that came to be called Pentecostalism. Your question underscores the unfortunate, but very real divide that exists in today's Evangelical Christians between the Charismatic (another term loosely meaning Pentecostal) and the Fundamental (those who are strongly Bible based but deny any miraculous powers are given to the believer). An example would be Oral Roberts (Charismatic healer) vs. Billy Graham (dynamic, but not "Charismatic," preacher). The emphasis on being born again would be more Fundamental, while the Pentecostals would urge the believer to be "filled with the Holy Spirit." An example of a strongly Fundamental but anti-Charismatic institution would be the Dallas Theological Seminary. Some people would disagree with this characterization of "Fundamental," by I think its accurate. I'd much rather preach to you the scriptures; but I remember my days of seeking answers, and I just wanted some basic information. Yours in Christ, Nick

Answer 4

You have good answers here. I would add only that we are all dead spiritually because of the fall in Eden. The re-birth, or being born again, is when the spirit is made alive by God.
This is not accomplished by any ceremony, or specific words said. There is no set formula.

Answer 5

What is "born again" and is the beast rising out of the sea the same thing?

First, let's find out all we can about just what the state of being born again entails.

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. ~KJV

I thought, "Well, first the beast then the kingdom." This stuff is easy. Back to the verses about being born again.

John 3:8 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. ~KJV

I'm thinking clean spirit or a "spirit of cleanness" the definition of the word "holy". I'll get back to that.

I was "born again" in the Baptist church so I could find a Christian woman to "bear my children." So there is a sexual connotation to birth. Whoa! I was going to say, "Except for Jesus who actually was born of the Spirit", but then I remembered what Mary said when she was told she would bear a child. "I've never been with a man!" God, don't you ever think of anything else, Woman?

Later we see the beast with a woman, (as opposed to a monkey) on its back. That has to be Adam's wife and the church. It has to symbolize the addictive nature of sex. To me the cat heads on the beast clinch it.

Answer 6

It is the result of repentance. But first you must be presented with the Gospel so you can understand repentance. The if you do repent you will be born again! As a result you will love serving God, reading the Bible, fellowshipping, and witnessing.

And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment. Heb. 9:27

We are judged by the Ten Commandments.

Ever told a lie?
Ever hated anyone? See 1 John 3:15
Ever lusted after someone? See. Matt. 5:27-28
Ever blasphemed?

For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. James 2:10

Lawbreakers go to hell.

But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Rev. 21:8

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Cor. 6:9-10

This is clear and humbling. However God made a way so we wouldn't have to go to hell. Jesus (God in flesh) came to earth, lived a sinless life, and was crucified on our behalf. He rose three days later defeating death and in turn giving us an escape route from hell. But Jesus did command us to repent. That means to turn from sin to God. The perfect example of repentance is found in Psalm 51.

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:15

I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Luke 13:3

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3

You see when you repent God gives you a new heart and new desires and they are desires to serve Him. As a result you are biblically born again! That my friend is good news!

Answer 7

Reincarnation, http://www.docpop.org/2007/04/jim-stensland-gods-prophet/.

Answer 8

We are born to this earthly life. Born again in my opnion is to be born for the next life, where we will be saved from death. Born for eternal life! To ask Jesus to be accepted and live with the belief that he died for our sins and that he will one day come for us. It seems to be alot to believe but no one man could have given more than he for us. He gave us all he could. Realize that he was beaten for days until his body was so broken he could not stand to carry his cross. Every bone in his body must have been broken. I realize how extreme this was when the scriptures said that his own Mother did not recognize him. How terrible he must have looked. How many of us would not recognize our own child? He must have been in terrible shape. He could not have given more than that to redeem our sins. He could have called ten thousand Angels to rescue him but he allowed this to happen out of love for us.
He suffered so that he ask God Almighty why have you forsaken me? He did this for us. God allowed this for our sins. Blessed is he who believes and has not seen!

Answer 9

No ceremony. It is a work of the Holy Spirit evidenced by a person's life radically changing by repenting and turning from their worldly practice of sin.

Answer 10

This term was given to a JEW under the KINGDOM program of the law of Moses. HE knew what it meant as God had already called the Nation Israel His first born.

Well meaning , but unstudied christians, have taken this and applied it to the church of this present economy, where it doesnt belong.

We today , arent "born again", but made a NEW CREATION. God places us INTO the living entity called the Body of Christ when we "believe the gospel of OUR salvation (not the gospel of salvation given to the nation of Israel )

So, you see, even modern day christians dont understand because they dont STUDY their Bibles the way God told them to, making distinctions between Gods program with Israel and His program with we who are His BODY.

When you believe the simple gospel in 1 Cor. 15:1-4, God the Holy Spirit places you INTO the Body of Christ. You become a member of this NEW CREATION and begin your journey as such.

2 Tim 2:15 tells us that HOW we are to be able to understand the Bible correctly. Rightly dividing means to make those distinctions that God makes.

Judaism is NOT the same as Christianity. They are DIFFERENT. Different apostles, different instructions (One under law, one under GRACE), different destinations (one an earthly inheritance, one a heavenly one), and different audiences (Nation of Israel ALONE, vs Jew and gentile alike)

Peter is NOT our apostle. He was a minister to the circumcision.

Paul is our apostle, He alone was given the "preaching of Jesus Christ ACCORDiNG to the REVELATION OF THE MYSTERY".

Both groups followed Christ, but One followed Him in His earthly ministry (which He said was to the lost sheep of the House of Israel), and One follows Christ RISEN from the dead.

Most christians are trying to follow Christs earthly ministry and it wasnt TO them.