This is ActiveChristianity’s “Living the Gospel” podcast.
Join us as we explore the different aspects of the gospel according to the Bible,
and how we can put it into practice in daily life.
Welcome back to “Living the Gospel.”
I’m Kathy … And I’m Milenko.
It’s been a while since we’ve done a podcast together Kathy.
It has been.
We actually work on different continents, so when we do end up at the same place, at the same time,
we usually take the opportunity to chat together.
So now you’re actually in our studio,
and we’re going to take the opportunity to talk together about a topic that may seem quite doctrinal,
and maybe hard to understand.
But it’s actually something that’s really important.
And we’re going to talk about what it means to be born again.
Yeah.
So, I know for myself,
it actually took me a long time to understand the concept of being born again, to be honest.
And I think that when we talk about being born again, we need to start, first of all,
by reading what Jesus says about it.
Yeah, that’s from John 3:3-6 where it says: “Jesus answered and said to him,
‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’
… ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit,
he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.’”
So, there’s a lot in those verses to understand.
And the first question I have is, what does it actually mean to be born of water and the Spirit?
Yes, it’s interesting that it talks about those two things.
The water, that’s the forgiveness of sins.
It’s the washing away of committed sins, it’s what makes us pure,
it gives us a new foundation to start building on.
But then it goes on to say, also being born of the Spirit.
So repentance comes first?
And then being born again comes after?
And can you have one without the other?
If you think about it, being born again is a completely new start.
It’s like you’re starting with a completely clean slate.
So repentance is an absolute requirement.
You can’t go into a new life dragging a lot of the old stuff with you.
Right.
But, can you repent without being born again?
Yes, it’s possible to repent without being born again.
As we say here, you have to be born of the water and the Spirit.
And you can get your sins forgiven.
God is generous.
Jesus died for our sins, so we can get the forgiveness,
but the next point is, a point of action, where we have to be born of the Spirit.
That means we receive the Holy Spirit, which is the Helper.
He is the Spirit that Jesus, God, has sent us, so that we can get help to overcome sin.
Help to live according to God’s will.
OK, so being born again and receiving the Holy Spirit, those go hand in hand?
They definitely do.
That’s the second part of being born again.
So, then, is being born again something that we should actually ourselves work for?
Like, how does it happen?
Is it something that God puts in our hearts,
or is there something we ourselves should do in order to be born again?
It’s written really clearly in Romans that no one seeks God of themselves.
It’s not something that I can do in my own strength.
God is the one who calls us; He works in us, He reaches out His hand.
And I think most of our listeners will have noticed that,
that God is speaking to them somehow. There’s this … a longing, or a niggling feeling, or a restlessness.
Maybe we don’t even really know what it is, but it’s something that we understand,
something needs to change, and that’s God working in us through His Spirit as well.
And it’s up to us to respond to that.
God wants this to be voluntary.
He wants us to respond and do it of our own free will, but it is He who makes this new creation.
He is the Creator.
I have to be obedient to His will, I have to deny myself,
give up all of that, hate my old life, and want to become new.
And then I’m ready to be washed by the water, and then a disciple wants to go on to more.
He wants to become like Jesus.
And that’s where we need to baptized in the Spirit.
We need that strength.
So that’s what God works in us.
OK
So it’s all by grace, but I need to be obedient.
OK, so on that note, let’s listen to the article now and see what it says about what it means to be born again.
What does it mean to be born again?
Written by ActiveChristianity
Jesus is pretty clear when He says that a Christian must be born again
if they want to see the kingdom of God.
“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly I say to you,
unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God … Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
John 3:3-6.
It is obvious that Jesus is not talking about being born a second time physically.
He is talking about a new desire – a spiritual transformation.
Before being born again I am led by my own human inclinations, namely the desires of the flesh.
Generally, this is what guides my thought processes and decisions.
But the desires of the flesh do not lead to the life of Christ, which is what I am called to.
To give in to desires such as pride, laziness, greed, envy, selfishness, and many other forms of evil, leads to sin.
Jesus describes the pre-born-again mind like this: “Because you say ‘I am rich, have become wealthy,
and have need of nothing’ – and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.”
Revelation 3:17.
It is when I acknowledge that I am as described in that verse
that I am at the point where I am ready to be born again “of water and the Spirit.”
Nothing that I have as a result of being born of the flesh, as a natural person, is capable of serving God.
When I acknowledge that I am not able to do the good, then God can take over.
I need to surrender absolutely everything to be born of the Spirit – it is a rebirth of the mind and heart.
I become dead to the desires of the flesh and alive to the promptings of the Spirit.
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;
and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20.
Of course I still have a flesh which craves fulfilment of its desires,
but now these desires are overcome and no longer influence me.
Instead, I am alive to what the Spirit is guiding me to, which is the truth.
My “old man,” as Paul calls my pre-born-again mindset,
must remain crucified with Christ and the new life I have been born to is the life of Christ.
The life of Jesus is to be manifested in my mortal flesh.
It is precisely because I have been born of the Spirit,
and the Spirit lives in me, that I have the power to resist temptation,
to remain crucified to the desires of the flesh, and to live for Christ.
All of Colossians 3 is a very good description of a born-again Christian, starting with:
“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”
Colossians 3:1-4.
I know that I am born again if I know in my heart that my desire is not for anything of this earth,
but rather a desire to serve God alone and let Him have control in my life.
A desire to live for eternity rather than for anything in this world.
A desire like Jesus that “Not my will but Yours be done.”
Luke 22:42.
It is when I am willing to let go of my own strength,
pride, stubbornness, and human ability and follow the Spirit’s leading so that God’s will can be done.
Then I find that by the power of the Spirit, everything is possible.
I can move mountains in my life.
That which I thought was impossible, victory over sin, is accomplished.
I am becoming a transformed person; a new creation.
I let God bend and mold me into the person that He wants me to be.
Then I can see the kingdom of God.
My eyes are opened to see beyond the things of this earth; to see what has true value.
With God’s kingdom comes everything that is truly good, both in this world and in eternity.
Seeking God’s kingdom is therefore the most rewarding thing a person can do.
“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,
the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling,
what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe,
according to the working of His mighty power.”
Ephesians 1:17-19.
I like that description from Colossians of a born-again Christian.
Someone whose mind isn’t set on earthly things, but we have our vision lifted to the eternal.
So, it actually reminds me of one of your favorite quotes, Milenko.
Can you guess what that is?
Yes, it’s actually a quote from a very God-fearing woman that I knew, whose name was Esther Smith.
And she said, “We’re living here to be formed for eternity.”
Such a good quote.
It’s really a good quote.
When I first heard it, it really struck me.
That’s the purpose of my life here; it’s eternity!
My life here is short, it’s limited, but what I do here forms my eternity.
So that’s where I really have to have my mind set on the things above.
What would you say is actually the difference between someone who lives for
the earthly, the temporary things, and someone who lives for the eternal. Like,
how does it actually … how does our vision affect our everyday life?
So, a born-again Christian is one who’s got their mind set on the eternal.
It’s a new life; it’s a completely new way of thinking.
And what I’d say then, Christianity isn’t just a Sunday
church service or something like that, or praying once in a while.
Christianity is our life.
We are living here to be formed for eternity.
So, it’s to have our mind on the heavenly things.
That means that everything I do, I’m thinking, how does this serve that I will one day live in eternity,
in heaven with Jesus?
And that’s where I need the Holy Spirit.
I really need to … my whole old life needs to be gone.
I’ve got one purpose.
That’s living for my Master, the One I love, who died for me.
So that’s a born-again Christian.
It’s a heavenly life. That changes everything, doesn’t it?
It changes everything!
Actually, if you have that vision, it changes the way you do everything in your life.
So, that’s what we had for today.
I hope everyone has been able to get a
bit of a better understanding of what it actually means to be born again.
Right, and to be inspired to seek the things above and live for Jesus, to share eternity with Him.
Because that’s the point.
That is the point.
That’s why we are born again.
Exactly.
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Or you can check out our website, ActiveChristianity, for regular encouragement.
So thanks again for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time!