What does it mean to be “born again” and why does it matter? (Part 3)

In Parts 1 and 2, we reviewed the Biblical basis for the phrase “born again” and very briefly examined what it means to be born again. In this post we will examine how a person can be “born again.”

The Gospel of John Chapter 3, verse 16 provides a good starting point: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The Apostle Paul elaborates in Romans Chapter 10, verse 9: “If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” There are two vital elements in these verses on which I will elaborate: The born again person (i) believes that (ii) Jesus is Lord.

I will begin with Jesus' title as “Lord.” “Lord” is not a commonly used term today, but it was commonly understood by the peoples living during the era of the New Testament writers. As applied to Jesus, the term “Lord” was used variously to signify Jesus as “Master” (in the sense of a supreme authority), “Savior” (as from God's judgement), and even “God.” Thus, when the believer declares that Jesus is Lord, he or she submits to the lordship of Jesus over that person's entire life. Put another way, the believer willingly agrees to becomes a disciple of Jesus through a personal relationship with the risen Lord.         

The second vital element to being born again is to “believe” (or when used as a noun, to have “faith”) in Jesus that by his death and resurrection the believer receives forgiveness for sins and eternal life. This entails the realization that God loves us very much and wants us to live in relationship with Him; but without God's initiative, we are hopelessly captive to sin and are spiritually disconnected from God. When I confess Jesus as my Lord and believe in my heart that He died on the cross for my sins and was raised from the dead, my sins are forgiven and I enter into a loving relationship with Him. Actually, it is so much more than that, but we will have to wait until the next post to elaberate on the gift of salvation. For remainder of this post we will look closer at what it means to have faith in Jesus.

Paul wrote that you must “believe in your heart.” (Rom 10:9)  This is more than an emotional feeling or response.  The word “heart” is used in the New Testament to refer to the center of a person's inward life: his or her moral nature, spiritual life, desires, affections, perceptions, etc. Therefore, to believe in one's heart is to hold that belief in the entire sphere of a person's mental and moral activity.  That “belief” or “faith” that the believer holds in his or her heart is trust and confidence in the mercy of God through our Lord Jesus. This trust and confidence opens up the believer's heart to God's grace, which frees the person from the bondage of sin and spiritual darkness and works a new creation in that person connected to God through a personal relationship.

The gift of a new eternal life connected to God is both unearned and undeserved, yet it is the greatest gift we could ever receive.  In the next post, we will examine why this new life rooted in Jesus matters, especially in the here and now.