(Photo: Courtesy of James Washington)
I know my own history would suggest that I probably would not fit into the category of a “born again Christian.” I could not and would not subscribe to my definition of what that meant.
A born again Christian more readily has been associated with a right-wing Jesus freak fanatic rather than a true believer. Then I got saved and began to understand those things about faith that actually say hello to a brand new me.
Now I profess a clearer understanding of what born again really means and guess what? That’s me in every sense of what it means to be born again, biblically speaking that is.
John 3:5-7, “Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, you must be born again.”
Rather than think being born again is some kind of radical belief system or conservative political movement of otherwise religious zealots, this clearly lets us know that being born again refers to an awakening in you and me of the real presence of the Holy Spirit at work in our everyday lives.
It all makes sense when you come to know yourself as a new creature attempting to operate with a new lease on life because of your new view of life.
Some things you can’t do anymore. Some things you won’t. That applies to some people also.
“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable (seed), through the living and enduring Word of God.” (1 Peter: 22-23)
My bible explains this to me in this way. The imperishable seed, the seed of the Word of God, planted in and accepted by the new believer, gives way to a new spiritual life. That spiritual life, when implanted in a person’s soul is eternal because God’s Word is eternal.
By becoming good soil for this process, a new life is born. God has been preparing many of us for the season of harvest. The key to understanding this is to recognize that the life you live upon acceptance of faith is a new life in service to the Almighty, hence “born again.”
Personally, my rebirth has been rather remarkable even to me. I don’t see myself as the same person I once was. Those around me when it happened might agree that I demonstrated a big difference in how my perspective changed in viewing the world we live in.
See me. See my lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Talk to me? Hear my Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Understand me?
Understand my faith walk in the name of Jesus Christ. It’s kind of simple really. You can call me anything you want to. But born again wouldn’t be too far off the mark. Actually, I’m kind of praying for the same thing to happen to you.
May God bless and keep you always.
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