You Must Be Born Again

As a young Christian, I often heard preachers and other more mature believers in the Lord uttered the cliche - 'born again' believers in the Lord. My understanding then was that every Christian who has placed their trust in Jesus Christ as personal Saviour is a 'born again' believer who will eventually enter heaven upon death. But as I study into the Word of Scripture, I discovered that that isn't what it means.

What then, does Jesus mean when He told the Pharisees named Nicodemus, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.'? (John 3:3). It is absolutely crucial that you understand this truth because your destiny hinges on it. If a believer is being 'born again' at the point of conversion, then the Kingdom of God must be here now. But the Word of God clearly teaches otherwise - that the Kingdom of God will come after the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (Revelation 11:15).

Colossians 1:18 tells us that 'Christ is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead'. This verse tells us that Jesus is the first to be resurrected from the dead. All other believers who are resurrected after Him are Christs' brethren (Rom 8:29) - born into God's family as sons of God. This will happen after Jesus Christ return to earth at His Second Coming. The only qualifying condition is that they must have the Spirit of Christ living in them and be led by the Spirit of God, otherwise they are none of His (Rom 8: 9-16). Because the same Spirit of God that raised Christ from the dead will also raised all true believers into spirit body at resurrection (verse 11). The account in 1 Cor 15:44-54 makes this absolutely clear. To be 'born again' is to be resurrected into spirit body of immortality, incorruptibility, having the 'divine nature'. That is why one who is born again of God does not sin, for His seed (Holy Spirit) remains in him, and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God (1 john 3:9). If a believer is 'born again' at conversion, this verse just does not make sense because all Christians still sin after conversion!

God's plan is to have 'many sons' - born after His firstborn Son Jesus Christ. If He intends to stop at only ONE SON, the word 'firstborn' and 'brethren' are superflous (Rom 8:29) and the phrase 'sons of God' - Rom 8:14 - quite misleading! But all these truths Satan and his demons are fighting tooth and nail to keep the church from understanding - otherwise he will cut short his reign into the pit (Rev 20:2-3). For when the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven (God) is being preached in all the world as a witness, the end of the church age will come to usher in the return of Christ (Matt 24:14).

So the truth being told, one is born again at the resurrection - then and only then, will he/she sees the Kingdom of God. For flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption (1 Cor 15:50). It has to be YOU with a new spirit body that will never die (1 Cor 15:54), one that is fully led by the Spirit of God, of which we are now experiencing only an earnest (a guarantee - Eph 1:14), the fulness of which after we are born again!

The Apostle Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 15:50 states that we are to become spirit in order to inherit the Kingdom of God. Since humans are made of flesh and blood - from the dust, Gen 2:7 - they must be born again into spirits before they can enter the Kingdom of God. Like in a physical birth, a child is being delivered from his/her physical mother, in a spiritual birth the believer is being delivered from his/her spiritual mother - the church. The Lord Jesus likens this to wind in John 3:8, indicating that born again believers in the spirit body will also be invisible! Perhaps, the Kingdom of God will also be invisible to the natural but only those born of spirit will be able to see and enter into it.

Note that Nicodemus understood who Christ was and His authority from God when he said in John 3:2 'Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him'. Why do you think that the Pharisees still resent Christ when they knew who He was? The most probable explanation was that they feared the loss of power and authority that was given to them by the Romans if the message of the Kingdom (Government) of God, which was preached by the Lord Jesus was accepted by the masses. Similarly, many today understood the teachings of Jesus Christ about the Kingdom of God, yet they prefer to cling on to their traditions and beliefs for fear of losing their positions, power and status. That is why the Lord Jesus emphasised strongly, 'YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN' (John 3:7).