𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗻 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻: 𝗔 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀
Have you ever wished for a do-over, like hitting the reset button on life? Well, in the Bible, Jesus talks about something called being "born again" that’s a bit like that—except it's way better! Let's dive into what being born again means, especially if you're new to these ideas.
𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗺𝘂𝘀: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 "𝗪𝗮𝗶𝘁, 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁?" 𝗠𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁
Scripture: 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯 3:1-7 : 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘕𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘶𝘴, 𝘢 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘑𝘦𝘸𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮, “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.” 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮, “𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺, 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥.” 𝘕𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮, “𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘭𝘥? 𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘣 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯?” 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥, “𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺, 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. 𝘋𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶, ‘𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.’
Imagine Nicodemus, a respected teacher, sneaking out at night to chat with Jesus. He probably thought he was going to impress Jesus with his deep questions. Instead, Jesus told him, "You must be born again" (John 3:1-7). Nicodemus was puzzled.
Nicodemus: "How can someone be born when they are old? Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother's womb to be born!"
Jesus: "No, not physically! Spiritually! You need a fresh start from the inside out."
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮: 𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗻 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱
So, what does it mean to be born again? It's about becoming a new person, spiritually. When we decide to follow Jesus, He gives us a new heart and a new spirit. It’s not about turning over a new leaf; it’s about getting a whole new life! Here's how the Bible puts it:
2 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘴 5:17: "𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘪𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦!"
Think of it like this: Your old life was a bit like an outdated app. It had bugs, crashes, and definitely needed an upgrade. Being born again is like getting the latest version with amazing new features that actually work.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗻 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻?
𝟭. 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙄𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙮: You’re no longer defined by your past mistakes. You get a fresh start!
𝟮. 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙋𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧: You have the Holy Spirit living inside you, helping you make good choices.
𝟯. 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙋𝙪𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙚 : Your life now has meaning and direction. You're part of God's plan!
𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Paul, another person who loved explaining Jesus’ teachings, put it this way in Romans 6:1-11: Before being born again, it's like we were spiritually dead. But when we decide to follow Jesus, it's like we come back to life. We’re no longer slaves to sin; we’re free to live for God.
Picture it as moving from darkness to light, from death to life. Instead of being trapped by our old ways, we are set free to live a new, fulfilling life in Christ.
𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲
Okay, so you've been born again. Now what? Paul has some great advice in Galatians 5:19-26. He contrasts two ways of living: the old way and the new way, powered by the Holy Spirit.
The old way included things like anger, jealousy, and selfishness—basically, stuff that ruins relationships and makes you unhappy. But the new way? It’s all about love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It’s like trading in junk food for a banquet of the healthiest, most delicious food you can imagine.
𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗬𝗼𝘂!
Being born again is a gift from God, offering you a fresh start and a new life. If you’re thinking, “This sounds amazing, but how do I get it?” it’s simple: believe in Jesus, turn away from your old ways, and ask Him to be the leader of your life.
So, next time you feel like you need a do-over, remember that with Jesus, you get more than just a second chance. You get a whole new life. And just like Nicodemus, you might find yourself saying, "Wow, this is even better than I imagined!"
If you haven't given your life to Jesus, you can do it today. Below is a prayer that you can pray.
"𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥,
𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘠𝘰𝘶. 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘐 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘚𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘏𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘏𝘪𝘮 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘚𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥. 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘠𝘰𝘶.
𝘐𝘯 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴' 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦, 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘯."
If you prayed this prayer, please let us know. We'd love to celebrate with you and discuss the next step of baptism. We're here to help you connect with a supportive local church where you can grow in your faith and live out your new life with God.