2) BORN AGAIN & CHRIST’S IDENTITY

When it comes to the subject of “Born Again,” we tend to gloss over its meaning. Or we substitute the meaning for something else. For example, we tend to define born again as “conversion.” You may have heard someone asked, “Have you been born again?” What they meant was, “Have you had a conversion experience where you asked Jesus to come into your life to be your Lord and Savior?” Born again encompasses conversion, but it is more than conversion.

These two simple words transcend all languages. Every language on Earth has a word for “born” and a word for “again.” Missionaries and Bible translators do not need to come up with new words to convey the meaning for birth or again. Furthermore, the concept of birth can be understood by an 8 years old to an 80 years old. Birth can be understood by the uneducated tribal people to the great philosophers of the world. The words born again transcend language, ethnicity, age, and education. Anyone, anywhere on Earth can understand God’s path into the Kingdom of God. However, the irony is that we tend to substitute the simplicity of this understanding for something else that sounds more “holy.” What are some simple lessons we can learn from the concept of born or birth?

First, birth convey the simple meaning of beginning. Can you tell me about the time before you were born? No, you cannot. Birth is the beginning of our lives. From the point of our birth onward, our total focus and energy is on living this life. We do not swing back and forth between the desire to live a past life and the desire of our current life. So why are we doing this in our spiritual life? The “traditional” church has been teaching us to battle our old selves. We were taught that our life consists of an old and new self, and we are being pulled on both sides. So, we must fight to resist the old in order to live the new life. Though that idea seems logical, it is contrary to New Testament teachings. Birth conveys a beginning, a time where before that, we didn’t exist. We came into existence by birth. Hence, the first lesson we learn is: Birth is the beginning of life. There was no past life before birth.

The second lesson we learn from birth is that it’s the origin of our identities. We were born into an identity. Likewise, we receive Christ’s Identity when we were born again. This makes you a child of God. We inherited God’s characters and attributes upon this new birth. Christ’s likeness lives fully in us. God’s DNA, His “seed,” is in us because he gave birth to us.

1 Peter 1:23

since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;

1 John 3:9

No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God

God’s DNA is in us. Our job is to live it out. Learn to master that which you have inherited by birth.

The third lesson from the concept of birth is that we play no part in our birth or how we obtained our physical identity. You did nothing to cause your birth, and likewise, you did nothing to earn your salvation nor your identity. We play no part in how our identity turned out to be. We did not choose our hair or skin color. We inherited them by birth. We like to think that we have a part to play in our sanctification, but that’s not what the Bible teaches.

Sanctification: also a product of Salvation, where we are declared completely holy in Jesus Christ and are made holy through a renewal process of the Holy Spirit.

1 Cor. 1:2

“To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:”

Hebrews 13:12

“So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.“

1 Cor. 12:2

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Ephesians 4:23-24

“and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Noticed that all of these are works of God through Jesus Christ. Sanctification is God’s work in us. Sanctification does not require any effort from us. On the contrary, our part in sanctification is to enjoy it. Picture it this way. Sanctification is a new suit that God had tailored and gifted you. Your part is not to do anymore sewing to the already finished work. Your part is to enjoy the new suit that God had put on you. I had no part in having black hair and tanned skin. My Asian looks, even my characters, were given to me. What I did was learn to enjoy my Asian likeness and characteristic.

Go back to the story of Nicodemus. This Pharisee represented everything that is the church today: the law, performance, spiritual growth, etc. The first thing that Jesus said to him was: no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. In other word, Jesus said to him: “Stop being the church. Stop teaching about human efforts, what you must do to enter the Kingdom of God, or what you have to do to retain your salvation. Stop it!” It has NOTHING to do with YOU.

John 1:12-13

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

We are children BORN into God’s family. It all has to do with God. We must be born again. We must be born of God! It is not by our human effort, decision, nor our will. It has nothing to do with us! Stop adding to the finished work of God. Enjoy being God’s children instead of trying to be God’s children. Our sanctification is not dependent on our efforts. It is something we were already born with. Our task is to identify with Christ’s identity and live out that identity daily.