Born Again?

What does this phrase actually mean? It's nonsense when taken literally! Nicodemus was a clever bloke who was chatting with Jesus when He brought up the subject:

“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

The misunderstanding many people have with this phrase is that it's not talking about undoing your first birth, then having a replacement birth. It's all about having an extra birthday! What's not to like? (And it doesn't mean your get old twice as quick!)

Ok, so your first birth was “physical”. You now exist in the world as a lump of “stuff” that other people can see and touch. The second birth is about awakening your “inner self”, your “spirit”, the “real you”.

Some Christians describe this as “waking up”, or “becoming aware”. They say the “scales” have fallen from their eyes and now they can see more, and understand better. Some describe it as “coming into the light”.

Maybe this all sounds a bit mystical and scary. Maybe you think it sounds like the effect of taking certain types of drugs.

Anyone who is not “born again” is essentially sleepwalking through their lives. They have the illusion of free will and choice, but there is no way to know if you are making the right choices, or if things will go wrong for you as a result of the random way you live your life. How do you know what actually influences your decisions? You are simply being tossed around like a boat in a storm. Yes, you have control over the rudder to steer your course, but how much does it really affect where you're going!

Back in the beginning, Adam and Eve discovered a way to get more knowledge.

"When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves."

When you understand what is really going on, you will be able to take the appropriate action, so you don't continue doing silly things, but turn your life around, and become wiser and more confident.

But if you read the full story, you will notice that eating the “forbidden fruit” caused a severe reaction and judgement from God. That was because the fruit was forbidden - God said “You must NOT eat it”. The big difference between eating the fruit and being born again, is that God said “You MUST be born again”.