Ray Stone
“Born-again Christian”—what a great ring that has. For some it evokes an image of a dedicated, avid follower of Christ, almost a super-Christian, as opposed to an ordinary, run-of-the-mill Christian who may or may not be living by Christian ethics. Conversely, some see in the term a blind follower without thought or logic, first cousin to the derisive “True Believer” label. So some embrace the term proudly, while others avoid it like the plague. Nonetheless, the most interesting thing about the phrase “born-again Christian” is that it’s almost a Biblical term—but not quite: “Born-again Christian” is a modern construct not found in the Scriptures.
The Bible certainly speaks of “Christian” (Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1 Pet. 4:16). It also discusses in detail being “born again” (John 3:3ff; 1 Peter 1:23). But you may search the Bible through and never find the two terms used together, “born-again Christian”, for a very good reason: They mean the same thing! It would be a redundancy of the most extreme sort, kind of like calling someone a “homo-sapiens human” or “an Okie from Oklahoma” or some such. God’s word equates these two terms; uses them interchangeably. To be born again is to be a Christian; the only way to become a Christian is to be born again. There is no other kind of Christian, per the Bible, than the “born-again” kind.
So what exactly does it mean to be born again? Nicodemus was stumped: At the proposition set forth by Jesus (John 3:3 “Ye must be born again”) he was amazed! and responded “How can a man be born again?” But Jesus was amazed at his amazement; He said, John 3:7 “Don’t marvel at this”; v. 10 “You call yourself a teacher of Israel, you ought to be able to understand!” Nicodemus’ final judgment was “How can these things be?” and went away in confusion.
But it’s not that hard. This whole conversation can be boiled down to, “You must be born again.” “Physically? Impossible!” “No—spiritually; and necessary.” Christ explained, (v. 5), “Except a man be born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of Heaven.” There’s only one preposition there, the word of. One birth with two elements. Birth of, water and the spirit. The change that the Gospel is able to make in the one who accepts it is so basic that it’s described as starting your life all over again, being “born again” spiritually speaking.
Paul said, 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are past away; behold, all things are become new.” Peter used exactly the same illustration in 1 Peter 2:2, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.”
Being “born again” is really the Bible’s way of describing our entrance into God’s family—becoming a child of God. Romans 8:16-17 says to Christians “We are children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.” Galatians 3:26 again states “Ye all are the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” The apostle John exclaimed, 1 John 3:1 “Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God…”
So how does one go about being “born again”? The question really is “How does one become a Christian?” One hint, staying with our same figure, is 1 Corinthians 4:15 “In Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel.” Another, 1 Peter 1:23 “…being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God…” Lay those alongside Romans 1:16 that assures us “the gospel is the power of God unto salvation,” and 1 Peter 1:22 “Ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth,” and you have your answer. Romans 6:17 “Ye obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you…” In the same context, v. 3-4 he reminds them they had been “baptized into Jesus Christ…into His death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” There’s that “form of doctrine”—the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. There’s that new birth; and there’s the water connected to it that Jesus mentioned to Nicodemus: “born of water and the spirit.” A spiritual rebirth in the water of baptism. A man is born again spiritually, becomes a Christian, a child of God, as he is baptized in water in obedience to Christ’s command. A “born-again Christian.” For there is no other kind!
