5 Shocking Ways Christianity got it All Wrong About Being Born Again

DO YOU REALLY KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO BE BORN AGAIN? This might be shocking but you need to know the truth: mainstream Christianity’s teaching about born again is wrong.

In Christian term, Born Again is commonly defined as a person who is converted to a personal faith in Christ. It is a term commonly used to describe a person who made an 180-degree turn from sin and made a life committed to God. However, a deeper look in the Biblical passage will tell us something that this world’s Christianity had missed.

In this post, let us briefly take a look at what it really means to be born again. Let us see if the understanding of popular Christianity really is in agreement with the teachings of the Bible.

Truth no. 1: Born again means becoming a spirit being

Contrary to what most Christians think, being born again means becoming a spirit being. It is not something that we attain when we accept Jesus Christ in our lives.

When Jesus Christ said that “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3), Nicodemus did not quite get what Jesus exactly means.

Puzzled, Nicodemus responded, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born” (verse 4). This is the understanding of Nicodemus to Jesus Christ’s statement. Nicodemus did not understand it at that time and surely, Christians today are no different.

So Jesus Christ explained what it means to be born again. We must take a close look at Verse 5-8 as these verses explained its real meaning.

The problem with Christianity today is that they just read John 3:3  and STOP there without really reading the whole context of the chapter.

So let’s notice John 3:5-8;

Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, 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.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Did you grasp what you just read?

Let me break it down for you. For one to be born again, they must be born of the water and the Spirit. If you are born of the flesh, then you are flesh. If you are born of the Spirit, then you are a spirit.

Jesus Christ makes it even clearer in verse 8. A man who is born again is like the WIND!

 

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Being a Spirit Being is likened to the wind. (Photo Credit: https://pixabay.com/en/users/Farrokh_Bulsara-30101/)

 

What is the wind like? The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but we cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.

NOTICE what Jesus Christ added: SO IS EVERYONE WHO IS BORN OF THE SPIRIT!

Question: are you like the wind that blows where it wishes? Are you like the wind that cannot be seen? Are you INVISIBLE? Are you like the wind that cannot be caught by our bare hands?

IF your answer to these questions is no, then it is very obvious that YOU ARE NOT BORN AGAIN YET!

Truth no. 2: As long as you are flesh, you cannot be born again

Here’s another startling and surprising truth. Jesus Christ, Himself, said that one who is born of the flesh is flesh. One who is born of spirit is a spirit. Nothing can be PLAINER than that!

Human beings are composed of flesh. We are composed of material substance. We are all matter. As God said to Adam, we are all dust and unto dust, we shall return (Genesis 3:9).

The point of Jesus Christ is that the Kingdom of God is composed of SPIRIT BEINGS. This is the main reason that He said that we must be born again – from flesh to spirit – to become part of the Kingdom of God.

No man have seen God’s glory and lived. It is only possible for us to dwell in the Kingdom of God if we are spirits who could withstand the full strength of the glory of God.

Truth no. 3: We can NEVER be born again during this lifetime

Here’s another plain truth that we need to understand: God has His own timetable for us to be born again and certainly it is not during this lifetime.

If not now, when? First let us all remember that “flesh and blood CANNOT inherit the Kingdom of God” (I Corinthians 15:50).

We are all made of flesh and blood.

Therefore, it is very clear that we are not yet born again and we cannot be part of the Kingdom of God yet.

So when can we born again? The Apostle Paul made it very clear:

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, AT THE LAST TRUMPET. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality (I Corinthians 15:50-53).

WE WILL BE BORN AGAIN IN THE BLOWING OF THE LAST TRUMPET! That is exactly when Jesus Christ will return on this earth. In this point in time, the earliest possible time for us to be born again is in the second coming of our Savior.

Truth no. 4: Being born again means immortality

Flesh is flesh. Our body is subject to death and decay. Certainly, this is not something that describes someone who has been born again!

Being born again means we will all be changed! In the twinkling of an eye, our corruptible body will become incorruptible. Our mortal bodies will now become immortal!

Read again I Corinthians 15:50-53.

That’s the AWESOME TRUTH that the Bible is telling us! Can you believe that? Believe it!

Truth no. 5: The misconception about born again deceives us

Now that you know the truth about being born again, does it really matter? OF COURSE, IT MATTERS. Because of the false teaching surrounding being born again, many are led away from the incredible truth embedded in the Bible. Knowing the truth about born again opens a floodgate of UNDERSTANDING.

The truth about the concept of born again gives us HOPE that though we may die now, we will all be resurrected to an incorruptible body that will never see death again!

No more pain.

No more suffering.

No more body aches.

No more battling with diseases.

Most importantly, no more death!

Without the misconception about born again, we can now fully grasp what it means when Paul said these words:

“So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: 

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

“O Death, where is your sting?  O Hades, where is your victory?”

“The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Conclusion

The incredible, indescribable and mind-blowing potential of man is very far than what we could ever think of. Being born again to the Kingdom of God is something that our human mind cannot fully grasp. As this might be the case, we can be sure that born again is not what Christianity popularly believes.

Like Nicodemus who did not understand Christ, the majority of Christianity today also don’t know what it means.

Born again does not happen when we accept Jesus Christ and confess our sin.

It is not something that happens when we become converted.

The plain truth is that born again is the process of becoming spirit from being flesh. Born again is the process when we will finally put on immortality and be part of God’s Kingdom. May God speed that day!

20 thoughts on “5 Shocking Ways Christianity got it All Wrong About Being Born Again

  1. Dear Joshua, I`m sure you are meaning well. Truth is, one cannot become born again if he is not born in the body. and before one dies he must know he is born again. Look at the present tense in the following verse:- John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Man is spirit, soul and body at the same time. God can only be worshiped in our spirit. John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Regards, Harry van Niekerk.

    • Hi Harry. Man is not spirit. He is made of flesh. Worshiping God in spirit means we are not anymore confined with some physical limitations like race, geographical locations, or physical sacrificial ceremonies.

      • Worshiping God in spirit is worshiping Him not through any created things or rituals. Being born again is by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. Your explanation is somewhat mystical

      • Joshua, sorry you you have not received The Promise of Father God, without IT, you’re doomed for eternity according to the Scriptures and subject to His Wrath which will soon be poured out . Praying that you will soon study The Whole Word of God and accept His Salvation.
        …’it was His will that we (we Jewish Christians), who were the first to set our Hope on Christ causing His glory to be praised even before The Christ came, looking forward to His coming, waiting for the consolation of Israel, the Hope of the Promise made by God to our Fathers.
        Also, you, Gentile Christians, when you had heard the Word of Truth—the instrument of Sanctification—the New Birth—the Good News of your Salvation—and believing, receiving the Seal of the Promised Holy Spirit—became incorporated in Christ, receiving The Spirit as the pledge that we shall enter upon our heritage, when God has redeemed what is His own, to His praise and His glory. (from Paul speaking to new converts in Ephesians 1:12–14)
        And, how about you; what must you do to be Redeemed?
        YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THEN, ‘THAT DAY’!
        REPENT! CALL, ON HIM TODAY WHILE IT IS STILL TODAY and BE SAVED, BORN-AGAIN from above by God, the Holy Spirit. Amen. “… it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the Lord has said, Among the remnant whom the Lord calls.” (Joel 2:32)

      • Hi Tom,

        I have presented the truth through my blog. It’s up to you what you want to believe. God has given us the freedom to choose.

        Regards,
        Joshua

    • If you’re born again, it means that you are already a spirit being. Spirit beings do not marry anymore. So, technically, I’d say the answer to your question is yes.

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  3. Thanks. Deep but true, though not many want to here something like this. I have been wondering why in most English translations, the expression ‘born again’ is used in 1 Pet 1:23. In the Greek, the word here is different from the word used in John 3:3. Please do you have any explanation on that?

    Have a blessed Sabbath.

    • Born again

      Very good question.

      John uses “gennao” (G1085) for born.

      Peter uses “anagennao”(G313) which means born again.
      The “ana” means anew or again.*
      My supposition is the Holy Spirit through Peter used a unique word to emphasize the unique nature of the second spiritual birth.
      Scripture inspired.(2 Tim 3:16) Translated into kingdom(col 1:13) with (1 John 3:14) passed from from death to life.

      Peter uses “gennao”(G1085) in 2 Peter 2:12 (and maybe in Mark 14:21) describing physical birth.

      1 John 3:9, 4:7, 5:1, 5:4, 5:18 uses “born of God”

      *Google “ana prefix greek”

    • Hi Israel! Sorry for the late reply. I Peter 1:23 and John 3:3, I believe refers to the same event – being born again in the Kingdom of God. It describes the spiritual birth that we will be undergoing.

      By the way, can you tell me which Bible translation use the term “born again”?

  4. Josh it seems you have not yet been born again. You are right it involves immortality, but where you are wrong is it is not a promise for now. I am a Christian immortal. Living in the kingdom of god means living forever on earth. The path of immortality is real to those who accept it. Keep god’s commandments and do not be loving the things in the world and you will live!

  5. You are all on the right track-but, I just want to be a little more creative here; what if being born again means to soul travel-to leave the physical body and be invisible like the wind? That being said, we all leave our bodies every night during sleep, some remember doing this but the majority do not.

  6. Josh, I really appreciate your ability to weed out the wackiness of some of these comments with all the respect you do. The way we communicate about matters of personal belief and biblical texts and also pragmatism is so important. Thank you!

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