WHO IS TRULY "BORN AGAIN"?

Robert F. Pellien

“ARE YOU A Born Again Christian?” This is a common question asked by many religious groups today professing to be Christian. It may appear, at face value, to be but a simple, innocent question rooted only in curiosity. However, the question itself bears significant implications. Why? There are preachers today whose teaching leads others to conclude that one must wear the title “Born Again” upon himself so as to be considered a Christian, and thus be worthy to attain coveted salvation offered by our Lord Jesus Christ.

This led some to merely search out groups that use the phrase “Born Again” believing that if affiliated with such group, their salvation is secured. But, is that so? Is joining any group whose members simply call themselves “Born Again” a guarantee of salvation? Is being born again just a change in a person’s way of life, or there are more involved? These are some very important questions that one must ask before embracing a group declaring itself to be “Born Again”.

BEING BORN AGAIN

First, does the expression itself have any biblical basis? It was no less than our lord Jesus Christ who spoke it in a conversation he had with Nicodemus:

"Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, ‘Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him’. In reply Jesus declared, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’" (John 3:1-3, Ibid.)

It can be easily gleaned from this conversation that our lord Jesus Christ gave much importance to being born again and that it has direct relevance to one’s attaining eternal life. However, just as so many still today, Nicodemus misunderstood the declaration of the Savior. He asked Jesus:

"’How can a man be born when he is old?’ Nicodemus asked. ‘Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.’" (John 3:4-5, Ibid.)

Clearly, Nicodemus misunderstood and was corrected by our lord Jesus Christ. Jesus went on to explain that being born again meant being born of water and spirit. The question that people must then ask themselves with a religious group that has for themselves a title of being “Born Again” or not, but rather if they have been born of water and spirit or not. How can a person determine if he has yet undergone such a rebirth via water and spirit?

THE WATER AND SPIRIT

Which are the water and the spirit one is to be born of? Jesus spoke of the water, not as that which would only quench a literal thirst:

"Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’" (John 4:13-14, Ibid.)

If  it  is  not a  literal  water that will quench one’s thirst being referred to, but rather a water that will bring one eternal life, what then is being referred to as the eternal life-giving rather that leads one to become born again?

"For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God." (I pet 1:23, Ibid.)

It is the word of God that will lead a person to become truly born again, not merely a self-proclamation. There is a process one must undergo, which begins with the cleansing power of the words of God. If that is what is meant by being born of water, what about the expression of Jesus when he mentioned that one must also be born of the spirit so as to be born again? Who is the spirit of which one must be born? Our lord Jesus Christ teaches:

"God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24,Ibid.)

The bible teaches us that god is spirit. Thus, to be born again, one must be born of God and of his words. If not, one would only be laying claim to a position of being born again but without sound biblical basis for such claim.

UNDERGOING REBIRTH

The bible teaches us how the process of becoming born anew takes place. Apostle Paul taught:

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (II Cor. 5:17,New King James Version)

What takes place is a complete rebirth or the making of a new creation, according to apostle Paul. If a person has not undergone  this  process  of  renewal, he  could not truly born again.

So, who have become a new creation? Are they those who have merely made such a claim for themselves? No. According to Apostle Paul, “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature”. The Apostle identified those who are “in Christ”, thus:

"For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace," (Eph. 2:14-15,Ibid.)

The new creation or those who are truly born again, therefore, are those who became part of the “one new man” which is composed of two parts. Anyone who wishes to be reborn or born again must be brought into the one new man by God through his words. It cannot be done by self declaration or only by affiliating oneself with a group that merely calls itself “Born Again”.

What are the two parts of the one new man which we are to become part of?

"And he is the head of the body, the church;...". (Col. 1:18,Ibid.)

The two parts of the one new man are Christ as head and the Church, his body. Which Church is Christ head of? It is the Church that carries his name—the Church of Christ:

"Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over which  the  Holy Spirit  has appointed  you  overseers, to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with his blood." (Acts 20:28, Lamsa Translation)

All truly born again Christians, therefore, are those who have undergone the process of becoming a member of the true Church of Christ. They have been born of the spirit, born of God, or born of his word; therefore they have been added as parts of the one new man composed of a head and a body. They are in the body of Christ or Church of Christ.

Membership in the true Church of Christ is therefore necessary for one to become a true born again Christian. One question people should ask themselves is whether they are in the true Church headed by Christ.

COMPLETE RENEWAL IS NEEDED

But is entering the Church of Christ the only thing needed so as to be truly born again? No. The renewal of one’s life is an important requirement in the process as well. As mentioned by Apostle Paul in the verse quoted earlier, “the old things have passed away” (II Cor. 5:17, NKJV).

The ways of life that must be left behind by anyone becoming part of the Lord’s body or Church were described also by Apostle Paul, thus:

"Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes." (Eph. 4:22-23, New Living Translation)

The apostle also taught the church about what happens to the former self of a person once he becomes part of the new creation or is truly born again. It dies and is buried:

"Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." (Rom. 6:3-4, NKJV)

Jesus taught that we need to be born again to receive eternal life. We must therefore not resist the correct process of becoming truly “born again”. The bible does not show any shortcuts. One becomes a born-again Christian by becoming a member of the true Church of Christ and by living a life in accordance with the will of God.

God's Message: August 2008/ Volume 08/ ISSN 0116-1636/ pp. 29-31

MAN SHOULD KNOW THE TRUTH TO BE SAVED

By Jose J. Ventilacion

THE BIBLE TEACHES that God created man to serve and worship Him in accordance with His will. In return, God will grant him salvation. Obviously, God's plan to save man should be known and correctly apprehended. Without the proper knowledge of this plan of salvation man will totally lost instead of gaining God's blessings. Although the desire to be saved is in the heart and mind of many, there is confusion as to how salvation can be obtained.

Various opinions were advanced and presented for this goal to be achieved. A floodgate of opinions coming from theologians, scholars, spiritual gurus, and sometimes even from common people have saturated and confused the minds of those eagerly searching for salvation. Although their intention is for the welfare of their fellowmen, the various prescriptions for salvation have somewhat added insult to injury, as they only complicate the already sad state of uncertainty concerning the method of salvation.

Concerning the divine plan for the salvation of men, the best source of knowledge on how to achieve such grace is God Himself since it was He who created man and planned for his salvation. What does the Bible say concerning God's plan of salvation? Apostle Paul clarified:

"This is good and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to know the truth" (I Tim. 2:3-4, Today's English Version).

 God is the One who wants all men to be saved. However, according to His manner of saving man, he must know the truth and not base it on someone's mere opinion or assumption. No matter how nicely presented the idea is but if it runs contrary to the truth, it should not be entertained but rather should be rejected totally.

What is the truth that man should know so that he will be saved? In His mediatory prayer, the Lord Jesus Christ proclaimed:

"Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth" (John 17:17, New International Version).

The truth, which is the word of God, is also the gospel, which is the power of God for the salvation of everyone:

"...Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you ..." (Col. 1:5-6, English Standard Version).

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes ... ." (Rom. 1:16, NIV)

Anybody who is interested to be saved should not rely on somebody's opinions but should adhere to what the God-appointed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 2:11), has to say about it. The Savior proclaimed:

"... 'In very truth I tell you, I am the door of the sheepfold ... I am the door; anyone who comes into the fold through me will be safe' ..." (John 10:7, 9, Revised English Bible).

Jesus said that He was telling the "very truth"─He is commanding everyone to come into the fold through Him for his salvation.

The fold is also the flock of the sheep (John 10:16). Thus anyone who wants to be saved should enter into the sheepfold or should be in the flock. What is the flock of Christ where those who have entered in Him are found? Apostle Paul stated:

"Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed your overseers, to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with his blood." (Acts 20:28, Lamsa Translation)

The fold which is also the flock into which one must enter to be safe is the Church of Christ. Hence, it is very important for anyone who desires salvation to become a member of the Church of Christ. What if some refuse to follow this instruction? What will surely happen to those who are outside the Church of Christ? Apostle Paul said:

"What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? ... God will judge those outside. 'Expel the wicked man from among you.'" (I Cor. 5:12-13, NIV).

The Bible explicitly states the verdict of God on those who are outside the Church of Christ─the wicked─will be judged! Man's refusal to join the Church of Christ is tantamount to being judged by God on the final day of reckoning.

However, those who refuse to accept this truth reason out that they do not need to be in the Church of Christ since they are God-fearing and consider themselves true Christians, because not only do they recognize Jesus Christ as their Lord and personal Savior but they serve Him with devotion. These people think that what they have done would be enough for them to merit salvation.

Does the Bible sanction this belief? According to Apostle Paul, what is even better? That you know God or that God knows you?

"But now you know God. Even better, God knows you ... so you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir" (Gal. 4:9, New International Reader's Version; Gal. 4:7, NIV).

Notice that what really matters is not the we simply say that we know and recognize God. What is more important is that God knows or recognizes us as His children. Those whom God knows or recognizes as His children are His heirs or the ones who will inherit His promises. It's only right and logical that He would grant the inheritance to someone whom He knows or to someone whom He has designated as His heir.

The same truth shines when we analyze the statement of the Lord Jesus to those whom He shall rebuff on Judgment Day:

"Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord,  did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." (Matt. 7:22-23, 21, Ibid.)

What Christ is saying in these verses pertains to what will happen on Judgment Day. It will be a very sad situation for those who think that because they have drove out demons and performed miracles in the name of Christ, their services would give them easy access to heaven. Instead of being rewarded, they shall be driven out by the One whom they have supposedly served. Why? Because they have failed to do the will of God, the Father. This expectation on that day will be its opposite: rejection instead of salvation.

What is the will of God that should be done by those who are expecting to be rewarded with salvation on Judgment Day? Apostle Paul elucidates this:

"And he made known to up the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment─to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ" (Ibid.).

It is God's will that all be brought together under one head, that is, our Lord Jesus Christ. How can this be done? When all of those on earth shall be gathered together in the Church. Why in the Church? Because the Church is headed by Christ and it is His body (Col. 1:18).

The Church headed by Christ was called by the apostles as the Church of Christ:

"The common object of their labor was to bring the Christians maturity, to prepare them for Christian service and the building up of the Church of Christ ..." (Eph. 4:12, Norlie's Simplified New Testament).

Therefore, when all people shall be gathered in the Church of Christ, they have done the will of God. On the other hand, if people are scattered in different churches, then they are not able to do the will of God.

Those who reject the singularity of the one true Church of Christ reason out that the phrase "Church of Christ" is not referring to a single organization headed by Christ but to all Christian professing churches. They aver that these churches are collectively called the "Church of Christ." However, in the light of the Scriptures, this claim is not true since what are many are the parts of the body of Christ:

"You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts—limbs, organs, cells—but no matter how many parts you can name, you're still one body. It's exactly the same with Christ" (I Cor. 12:12, The Message).

The term "parts" in this version is rendered as "members" in the New King James Version. Therefore, the members are many while the body or the Church is only one.

Since the Church of Christ is the place where services to God will be acceptable, what does God want us to do so that we will receive life and blessing?

" I am now giving you the choice between life and death, between God's blessing and God's curse, and I call heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Choose life. Love the LORD your God, obey him and be faithful to him, and then you and your descendants will live long in the land that he promised to give your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." (Deut. 30:19-20, TEV)

God wants all men to live and not to die. For this to happen, man should choose life and blessing, by obeying God and being faithful to Him. What does God want man to obey? His will is for man to be gathered in Christ or in the Church of Christ. God waits for you now to make the right decision: to choose life, by becoming a member of the true Church of Christ, that someday you will be with Him in His eternal kingdom enjoying the promised salvation.

God's Message: September 2011/ Volume 63/ Number 9/ ISSN 0116-1636/ pp. 3-5

THE TRUE BELIEVERS

By Ruben D. Aromin

DURING THE TIME of early Christianity, to be branded as among the believers in Christ was a social stigma which would incur the ire and disgust of the world and would invite persecution and derision from the general populace. Today, however, "Christendom" offers a totally different picture. No longer are people ashamed to be called believers in Christ, but countless of them now claim and openly profess to be among their number. In fact, this expression has become so hackneyed and trite, each and every one who professes to be Christian appropriates this to himself, knowing fully well that no less than salvation is guaranteed by the Savior to those who truly believe in Him. There are even those who go so far as to use the expression to refer to all those belonging to different religious organizations or churches that allegedly make up the body of Christ, which is the Church of Christ. This view, which is usually found among the Protestants, has relegated membership to any particular church or religious organization as unimportant, for it holds that as long as an individual professes faith in Christ, accepts Him as Lord and Savior, he is a true believes and member of the Church of Christ and can share in Christ's promised salvation. For them, therefore, the expression "believers in Christ" refers to all professing Christians worldwide regardless of religious affiliation. What, indeed, is the biblical truth concerning the true believers? Who are they and what distinguishing qualities do they have which separate them from the rest of the Christian-professing people? Let us ask first, how does one become a true believer in Christ? The words of Christ clarify:

"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:44, New King James Version)

To be a true believer or follower of Christ, one must first be drawn by the Father to Christ and unless he is drawn by God to Him, he can not be a true believer or disciple. Apostle Paul explains that God draws people to Christ by calling them to have fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ:

"God is to be trusted, the God who called you to have fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord" (I Cor. 1:9, Today's English Version)

Those whom God has called to have fellowship with, or union with, Christ "were called in one body" (Col. 3:15, NKJV), which is the Church headed by our Lord Jesus Christ (Col. 1:18). How fellowship was forged between Christ and the true believers in the Church headed by Him is explained further by the Apostle Paul thus:

"Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace." (Eph. 2:15, NKJV)

With the creation of the one new man out of two, referring to Christ as head and the Church as His body, fellowship and union was forged between Christ and those whom God has called. To have this fellowship with Christ and to be among the true believers, one must be "baptized into one body" (I Cor. 12:13), which is the Church headed by Christ or the Church of Christ. Members of the Church of Christ are the true believers in Christ, for they are the ones drawn by the Father to Christ and have fellowship with Him.

MANY PARTS, ONE BODY

There is simply no truth to the allegation that all professing Christians, regardless of the church with which they are affiliated, are true believers and disciples of Christ. Neither is there truth to the allegation that the Church of Christ is composed of all the religious organizations or churches worldwide professing to be Christian. Apostle Paul dispels such allegations in pointing out that:

"Christ is like a single body, which has many parts; it is still one body, even though it is made up of different parts" (I Cor. 12:12, TEV).

It is the parts and not the body or Church which are many─Apostle Paul explicitly says that though it is made up of different parts, it is still "a single body, ... it is still one body." And these different parts are the individual members of that one religious body or Church of Christ as he clarifies further thus:

"For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,  so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.  Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith;  or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching;  he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness." (Rom. 12:4-8, NKJV)

The individual members who make up the one body of Christ or true Church of Christ are the ones who are many and not the churches or religious organizations that allegedly composed the Church of Christ. These individual members are endowed with different gifts or duties to perform in the only one religious body or Church. This one body or Church is characterized by its unity in everything which could not possibly be found in the aggrupation of various religious organizations with different and even conflicting teachings, practices, and administrations. The Apostle Paul points out thus:

"There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." (Eph. 4:4-6, Ibid.)

In the one body or true Church, the members share one hope of their calling; recognize one Lord, Jesus Christ, whom God made as their Lord (Acts 2:36); serve and worship one God who is the Father; and have a uniform set of teachings and doctrines as they share one faith and one baptism. And "God composed the body," in such a way so "that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another" (I Cor. 12:24, 25, NKJV). This could not be possibly said of the various religious organizations professing to be Christians for they espouse varied and differing teachings, beliefs and practices, belying the claim that they compose the one body of Christ or the Church of Christ.

FACTIONALISM AND DENOMINATIONALISM

Adherents of the Protestant faith claim that they are true believers in Christ and that they belong to Him. Although they do not subscribe to the church membership as requisites to the attainment of salvation, surprisingly they are themselves affiliated with different Protestant churches. In fact, as early as the mid-80's, it was reported by a Protestant writer that there were already "20,800 denominations in the world, supplemented by more than 15,000 distinct parachurch agencies" (Moody Monthly, Sept. 1984, p. 28). The same writer observed that this "division within the Church arose from unfaithfulness to Christ ... has marred the body of Christ," stating further that "today's churches bear little resemblance to the first-century model" (Ibid.). Indeed, the writer couldn't have put it better, for the true Church of Christ, of which the true believers are members, is not characterized by divisions and factions. The Apostle James emphasized to the true believers in the first century:

"But if you have bitter envying among you or strife in your hearts, do not boast and do not lie against the truth. This wisdom does not come from above, but it is earthly, sensual, devilish. For wherever envy and strife are, there is confusion and every sort of evil." (James 3:14-16, Lamsa Translation)

Clearly, division or strife, which is so characteristic of the Protestant faith, does not belong to God and to Christ. The Protestant churches, with all these divisions and denominations in their midst, are a far cry from the first-century Church of Christ. As such they are not the true believers and they could not have made up the body of Christ or the true Church of Christ.

THE WILL OF THE FATHER

Why could not just people be true believers even if they serve Christ and recognize Him as their Lord and Savior, as we see many people are claiming to be doing nowadays and because of this, they think that they already belong to Christ and will attain salvation? The Lord Jesus explains the reason why when He testifies:

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord', shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'" (Matt. 7:21-23, NKJV)

There is no doubt that the people being mentioned here by the Lord professes faith in Him and recognize Him as their Lord. They even have proofs of their vaunted faith in the Lord through the works of miracles that they have done in His name. Indeed, by their own standard, they could have easily passed themselves off as true believers in Christ and are entitled entrance into the kingdom of heaven. Sad to say, however, for Christ, they are not true believers, but false ones. In fact, instead of recognizing their efforts and even works of miracles in serving Him, Christ will reject them and will not save them. What is it that they didn't do, which is why they will be rejected and not be saved? Christ makes it very specific that only those who do the will of His Father will gain entrance into the kingdom of heaven, and those who did not, their services to Him will be in vain. What is this will of the Father concerning all men that if it is not done, profession of faith and the services rendered to Christ and to God will be useless? Apostle Paul enlightens us thus:

"And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ." (Eph. 1:9-10, New International Version)

It is the will of the Father for all people to be brought together under one head who is Christ. How this is fulfilled, Apostle Paul further explains:

"And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be the head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way" (Eph. 1:22-23, Ibid.).

The true believers in Christ have fulfilled the will of God, which is why they are members of Christ's body─the Church headed by Christ or the organization called the Church of Christ. Indeed, the importance of membership in this Church could not be overemphasized . Those who refuse to become members of this one religious body could not be true believers and will not be allowed entrance into the kingdom of heaven because they have not done the will of the Father in heaven.

THEY ALSO FOLLOW CHRIST

Besides fulfilling the will of the Father, the true believers in Christ ─the members of the Church of Christ─have also fulfilled or followed the words of Christ. The Lord Jesus emphasizes the importance of doing what He says to qualify as His true believers. The Bible relates this:

"To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples'." (John 8:31, Ibid.)

The true disciples and believers in Christ obey His teachings. They do not merely believe or profess faith in Christ, call on His name, and recognize Him as their Lord. Tin who do just that without following what He says are rebuked by the Lord:

"Why do you call of, 'Lord, Lord', and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46, Ibid.)

And what has Christ said which all true believers ought to follow in order for them to be saved? The gospel according to John records:

"So Jesus spoke again: In very truth I tell you, I am the door of the sheepfold. ... I am the door; anyone who comes into the fold through me will be safe." (John 10:7, 9, Revised English Bible)

To be safe or saved, one should obey these words of our Lord Jesus Christ to come into the sheepfold or flock in which those who have obeyed this bidding are found is the Church of Christ as testified to by the Apostle Paul:

"Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed your overseers, to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with his blood." (Acts 20:28, Lamsa Translation)

Hence, the true believers in Christ, His sheep, are in only one sheepfold or flock which is the Church of Christ. It is of this one religious organization that those who have done the will of the Father and have obeyed Christ's  words are members. Those who are not in this flock have not followed Christ and are not among His sheep and therefore could not be true believers. Christ has this words for them to ponder on:

"But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand." (John 10:26-28, NKJV)

God's Message: December 2006/ Volume 58/ Number 12/ ISSN 0116-1636/ pp. 9-12