Many of the Christians say that they are a born-again Christians. Whether they know the meaning of it or not, Christians knows that they must be born again to go to the kingdom of heaven. That is why Christians call themselves as a born-again Christian. Then what is the meaning of “Born-Again”? In the time of Jesus, there was a man who wanted to know how to be born again and he asked Jesus how he could be born again.
John 3:3 3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” 4 “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!” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
Nicodemus could not understand what Jesus was teaching about the rebirth, and also he truly wanted to know how to be born again so that he can also receive salvation. Jesus felt compassion for this man and taught him that he must be born with water and the Spirit to be born again. This is also the same in our age. Many says that he or she is a born-again Christians, but actually they do not know what it means. Neither do they have the humble mind of Nicodemus who truly wanted to know the way of being born again. People believe what they want to believe and say that they are born again. Whatever people might say about themselves, it is God who will make a judgment to decide whether a person is truly born again or not. That is why we must have the humble mind like Nicodemus and ask God how to be born again.
The bible testifies that there are two different lives in human beings.
1 Corinthians 15:44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body….48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.
We know we could be born on this earth into the natural body through our natural parents. We are aware of our physical body every moment of our life and we check our physical body if it is in good or poor condition, if there is anything lacking or full, etc…But since we do not see the spiritual body, we do not take much care of the spiritual body. Even many times we live without realizing the existence and the importance of it. While we provide good things such as food, water, exercise for our physical body, we do not know what to do to provide the spiritual body. But the bible says that we also have the spiritual body.
Therefore, we can conclude that “to be born again” means to be born into the spiritual body so that we can enter into the eternal kingdom of heaven. Apostle Paul teaches when we will receive the spiritual body.
1 Corinthians 15:51 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
At this time of transfiguration, our physical body will be changed into the spiritual body and we will enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Phil 3:20 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
The citizens of the heaven are those who would be able to receive this glorious body or the spiritual body. The perishable cannot inherit the imperishable; thus, with this perishable body we cannot enter into the imperishable world. To enter the spiritual world, our lowly body should be changed into the glorious body like Jesus and then we can enter into the kingdom of heaven. Then now the question is how we can receive the glorious body at the last moment. Many says, “I am born again,” but at the last moment in the time of transfiguration if nothing happens in their body, people will have a time of rude awakening, but there will be no chance for them any more at that moment. That is why we must know and make sure if we are truly born again or not when we still have time.
To make sure if we were truly born again or not, let us take a look at the teachings of Jesus Christ about the characteristics of the person who could be born again. Jesus said a person must be born of water and the Spirit. “Born of water” means to be baptized in the name of the Savior to receive the forgiveness of sins. Then what does “born of the Spirit” mean? When we receive the forgiveness of sins through baptism, our body of temple is cleansed and God pours his Holy Spirit in us and in this way we can be born again. Therefore, to be born again we must know the true Savior and receive the baptism in the name of the true Savior. In the age of Father it was Jehovah who could give salvation to his people, but in the time of Son now it was in the name of Jesus that they could receive salvation. Then what about us? Jesus said that we must also know the name of Savior in the last days.
Matthew 28:19 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Jesus taught that people who are living in the last days must be baptized in the name of the Holy Spirit. About this name of the Holy Spirit, Jesus also said:
Revelation 3:12 12 The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. 13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Jesus who is speaking as the Spirit prophesied that he would bring his new name in the last days. Therefore, in the last days, people must know the new name of Christ to be born again so that they can enter into the eternal kingdom of heaven.
Just as physically to be born on this earth we must have physical parents; in the same way to be born spiritually at least we must know our spiritual Father and spiritual Mother who can give us our spiritual body. That spiritual Father who can give us the new life is coming with a new name in the last days. This prophecy was fulfilled by Christ Ahnsahnghong by coming with a new name. He appeared for the second time as the Savior in the age of the Holy Spirit and let us know the name of Savior so that we can know who our Father and Mother are who can give us a new birth into the spiritual body. Let us accept our spiritual parents and be born again. Then we can truly say that we are born-again Christians. How can you say you could be born again without know your parents?