Who is a Born Again Christian?
In John 1:12 & 13, the bible explained
that as many as received Him, become children of God and to those who believe
on His Name (referring to Jesus). In other words, those who are born again are
those who received Christ and who believe in His Name. And these people (as it
where) are spiritually born of God; just like their physical fathers were
responsible for their physical birth, God is responsible for their spiritual
birth.
In John 3:3-8, Jesus explained the concept
more, talking about the need to be born again.
The birth Jesus was talking about wasn’t the physical birth that
Nicodemius was talking about. In this one, the instrument or the seed for this
birth is the Word of God referred to
as water and the Holy Spirit in the verse we just read.
Now Jesus
said that without being born again, it is not possible to see the kingdom of
God. And He wasn’t talking about the physical eye, He is talking about
perceiving; you cannot understand or perceive or be part of the kingdom of God.
And except you are born of water and the Spirit, you cannot enter into the
kingdom of God. That is the necessity for the new birth; learn the procedure.
Jesus said
“these ones that are born again (born of God), they are born of the Spirit”.
Now when you combine this with what we read in John 1:13, you now see that the process described in John 1:12 & 13 is the process of
being born again that Jesus was referring to in John 3:3-6. And what exactly happens? The first thing that happens
is the truth: that the person that is born again is a spirit. Even though you
possess the physical body, you possess blood and water, the person that is born
again is made up of a recreated spirit that is made in the Name or the Nature
of the Spirit of Jesus.
Now in John 4:24, the bible says “and God is a
Spirit”. Then if God is a Spirit and those who are born again are born of God
and that which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the
spirit is spirit (according to Jesus in John
3:6), then it means that everyone that is born again is a spirit.
People of
God, remember that we started by saying that anybody who is a Christian and is
ignorant of his/her real identity in Christ will live in the flesh; will live a
carnally minded life in-spite of being born again. That is why we started by
showing first, the nature of the born again as person. So, by reading John 3:6; 1:12 & 13; 4:24 together,
you must come to the conclusion that everyone born of God or born again
possesses the nature of a Spirit; and that spirit is God that reproduces them.
Reproduction
means producing in the nature of, producing similar to, producing with the life
that is inherited, that is got from the Father. And so, the man or woman that
is born again is primarily a spirit produced like God. Which is one of the
reasons why the bible said that we are like Jesus; as Jesus is, so are we in
this world.
Meaning we
possess the same characteristics in the spirit that He possesses, otherwise why
will Jesus say things like He said in John
14:12? You can only say such when that person shares your nature, your
capacity. And so the truth is that if you are born again (when you are a
spirit), you must allow that truth to sink into your spirit before you begin to
ask other questions about how to operate like a spirit. Because first and
foremost, it must be embedded, it must sink into your spirit of that being the
truth before you can begin to get the other information about how to operate as
such.
copied from the book titled: Life In The Spirit (coming up soon).
By Pastor Mike. O. Onyeka
