What does "born again" mean?

by Country Girl 18 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

Country Girl

To most of the people on here, the term "born again" reminds them of fanatical Christians who try to impose their beliefs on all other people, have an agenda (which is sometimes co-mixed with politics), and want to CONVERT the rest of the world.
To me, BORN AGAIN is of a different nature. It's different from my understanding of it as a Jehovah's Witness, and it's different from my understanding of it as a Baptist. I've come to believe in it as a deeper connotation of very profound things and realizations in my life, and I wanted to share those with you.
The term "born again" is sometimes viewed quite suspiciously by many groups. Of course it is. With the JWs, it's viewed as another religion. Recently, when I told my JW mother that I was born again, she asked what it meant. I told her it simply meant that I had allowed Christ into my life, and accepted him as my savior. She asked further what it meant, and I told her that it meant that I accepted Chris as my only Savior and that I was saved from all my sins. She said "So you can keep on sinning and then ask Jesus the next day to save you and you will be automatically forgiven?"
I said it wasn't like that. Jesus knows all of our heart conditions. By virtue of us being imperfect humans, we will always be committing sins, and the hard part was to try NOT to commit sins, and the virtue was that we would try NOT to do that when we accepted Christ. Our goal was to try to be more Christ-like in our dealings with other human beings by virtue of Christs' two laws in the New Testament. The New Testament is what we live by. I said it wasn't works.. it was faith.
For me, being born again has been a real challenge. It all boils down to: love your neighbor as yourself, which seems really simple, but is not. In this case we are making someone that is not even related to us, or someone foreign to us, EQUAL to us in our wants, desires, etc. That's pretty hard.
For me, being born again only means agreeing to Christ's last two laws... and minus the Mosaic law, it's pretty hard. What does "born again" mean to YOU?
CG
JamesThomas

love your neighbor as yourself
If I refuse to accept Jesus as my saviour, in the end, is he going to love me as himself, or is there instead, going to be some form of discomfort administered?
j
oldiesman

To me, being born again is very simple. Born again simply means "born from above". You are a son of God.
Being a son of God is a spiritual birth. When you were first born, you were born of your natural parents. When you are born "again", you are born of God. You are a spiritual creation.
How does one become born again? Confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus Christ, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, and thou shalt be saved (Romans 10:9).
Then you are saved, born again, converted. You are a new creation in Christ, the new, spiritual man.
God also has promised eternal life.
Shazard

oldiesman, country girl... strange... never seen you and still you define and describe this "born again" exactly I understand it... I guess we have the same Spirit!
Country Girl

Shazard:
Being born again is a new life, as it sounds. You are born again in a new spirit, and a new life. When you accept Christ as your savior, as he asks of you, you are a baby, and yet you know somuch more. Nobody is perfect, and we are all caught in the spirit of the world... but we have to define what for us, is CHRISTIANITY, and stick to that.
CG
mdb

Country Girl,
but we have to define what for us, is CHRISTIANITY, and stick to that.
Jesus Christ has already defined that for us and as the example, walked in the way we should go. To state that being a Christian (or living the faith) is different for each by the way they define it for themselves somewhat parallels with saying, "what's good for you may not be good for me" or, "the truth is determined by what I feel it is" when in fact, no matter what a person believes the truth is or what we believe it means to be a Christian, the truth remains the same and has been determined by God.
Being "born again" (a Christian - a follower of Christ Jesus) is believing in Him, repenting of your sins (heart change, a complete turning), taking up your cross and following Him. Jesus promised to send His Spirit, the Helper; that God would dwell in us. That is a spiritual re-birth, being born again that we should live by the Spirit and be dead to our flesh. Put off the old and put on the new. The Scriptures say that a man's faith is proved what he does. Not that out faith is by works, but true faith will be evident by the life change brought by the Spirit who dwells in us and works in us to produce good fruit. If you love the Lord and are His child, your everyday living will reflect that and bring honor to Him as the love of Christ pours out of you like living water to those you have contact with each day.
Shazard

CG

Am I opposing you? I totally agree :)
acadian

Hello All,
A few scriptures to start with...
John 3:3-7 (The Message) 3 Jesus said, "You're absolutely right. Take it from me: Unless a person is born from above, it's not possible to see what I'm pointing to--to God's kingdom."
4 "How can anyone," said Nicodemus, "be born who has already been born and grown up? You can't re-enter your mother's womb and be born again. What are you saying with this "born-from-above' talk?"
5 Jesus said, "You're not listening. Let me say it again. Unless a person submits to this original creation--the "wind hovering over the water' creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life--it's not possible to enter God's kingdom. 6 When you look at a baby, it's just that: a body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can't see and touch--the Spirit--and becomes a living spirit.
7 "So don't be so surprised when I tell you that you have to be "born from above'--out of this world, so to speak.
John 3:3-7 (Amplified Bible) 3 Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother's womb again and be born?
5 Jesus answered, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, unless a man is born of water and [even] the Spirit, he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God.
6 What is born of [from] the flesh is flesh [of the physical is physical]; and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not [do not be surprised, astonished] at My telling you, You must all be born anew (from above).
John 3:3-7 (New Living Translation) 3 Jesus replied, "I assure you, unless you are born again, [ a ] you can never see the Kingdom of God."
4 "What do you mean?" exclaimed Nicodemus. "How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?"
5 Jesus replied, "The truth is, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. [ b ] 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven. 7 So don't be surprised at my statement that you [ c ] must be born again.
Jesus is saying before you can enter the Kingdom of Heaven you must be born of Holy Spirit, which ties in with the word repent, which means to "turn around your mind" (thinking) we have to first turn around our thinking, before being "Born Again".
Some assume that once they call on the Lord they are saved, is that true, what did Jesus say?
Matthew 10:38 (Amplified Bible) 38 And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me [ [a] cleave steadfastly to Me, conforming wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also] is not worthy of Me.
Matthew 10:38 (New Living Translation) 38 If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine.
Matthew 10:38 (New International Version) 38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
Matthew 16:24 (Amplified Bible) 24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also].
Matthew 19:21 (Amplified Bible) 21 Jesus answered him, If you would be perfect [that is, have that spiritual maturity which accompanies self-sacrificing character], go and sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; and come, be My disciple [side with My party and follow Me].
Matthew 7:13-14 (New International Version) 13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
To be "Born Again" dosen't happen because you believe in Jesus, being "Born Again" happens when you start living your life the way Jesus did.
It's only by following in his footsteps, walking in the "Way" and start living spiritually, then we are "Born Again"
Then again I could be wrong...
Acadian
acadian

Jesus would disagree with this statement...
How does one become born again? Confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus Christ, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, and thou shalt be saved (Romans 10:9).
Look at Jesus words in the scriptures I quoted above...
You gotta walk the walk
Matthew 7:21 (New International Version) 21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven,
but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
zen nudist

were I still a believer, the term born again would mean to me
that one had symbolically drowned [baptism] his old self, his old life and was
not raised from those waters a symbolic new person, who was now filled with the holy spirit [either literally or symbolically by being filled with the words of the bible] and no longer living for his own goals and purposes but now living as the spirit [word] dictates... and while still human, faltering in the path, but yet persisting.
this concept seems to be universal in all mystical practices in some manner, the initiate is transformed in someway and no longer lives his life as he once did....
in zen once one has been enlightened he sees everything through new eyes as it were.

What does "born again" mean?

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