Biblical terms and theological ideas can often confuse people. It happens to us all. But how do we find the truth of these for God's Glory so we can fully understand them at a deeper spiritual level? We are to be biblical Bereans ( Acts 17 ) going to the Word alone and that indeed will help us understand better what can be confusing if we only use our own human reasoning.
Note: If you are NOT in Christ with His Holy Spirit at work in you; it can be much harder to understand the things of God but that is another topic for another time.
Below is the gospel and how you can be made new in Christ via His Spirit and Truth:
Read on please......
Perhaps no other scripture verse has received as much attention as the one in the book of John chapter 3 where Jesus makes this statement:
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Wanting to use good exegesis (click HERE to learn about exegesis) in our bible studies; let us see what the root words are for this born again verse?
Born in the Greek is the word.... gennao
it really means just what we in English would understand as being born or birth. That seems clear.
If we look at the word again in the Greek it is....anothen
It does mean again but it also can mean from above.
So John 3:3 can read you must be born from above to see God's kingdom.
But what is this being born from above?
Later in that same area of scripture Jesus talks about being born of water and the spirit.
verse 5
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Most do agree the spirit .... pneuma... means the breath of God or His Holy Spirit
But what is this water that the Lord speaks of here?
The word is.... hudor hudatos.... and it means just that; water. Again not hard to grasp but exactly what water? There are various ideas set out there but the most popular ones are that the water is:
* being physically born as we are all in a type of infant embryo water before birth
or
*it is the waters of Christian baptism
or
* or being cleansed by Christ's blood
I vote for all 3 ...let me explain.
It seems all three have some part/symbolism in being born again.
( you must be physically born, you should be baptized in obedience and we MUST be cleansed by Christ )
Since scripture goes on later to speak of baptizing; it seems the water he spoke of could in some sense be the waters of baptism as a symbol though; the thief on the cross shows water baptism in NOT mandatory. See this article that shows water baptism is NOT mandatory for salvation:
http://spiritandtruthdiscernment.blogspot.com/2017/06/baptism-for-salvation-is-not-biblical.html
Note:
If water baptism saves you, then Jesus NEVER saved anyone as he did not baptize one person in scripture. That is not sound theology.
We do know one MUST be cleansed by Christ to gain eternal life:
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
1 John 1:7
( See the book of Hebrews )
What I would like to focus on is the greater meaning of that water and baptism at a deeper symbolic level.
Water in the Jewish culture and the Old Testament was very important for washing, cleansing and even for spiritual reasons. There was specific rites and ways the Priests in the Temple of God had to be made clean to come before the alter of God. There was a thing called a Jewish Mikveh which really just meant a "collection of water". It was used by the people to ritually cleanse ones self as a Israelite. So water was used as a cleansing tool for many centuries by God's people in Israel. Can I ask you who do we see has come and has cleansed His people of their sins? It is indeed the Lord Jesus. Who is called the Living water in scripture? Jesus was indeed speaking of a purification a man needs and that is found in Him alone, not any water process. That water cleansing baptism and the Mikveh of old was really just a forerunner/archetype of the Lord Himself who now cleanses those who seek Him.
Jesus said...He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
John 7:38
This is very important to note as though out the bible we see that the coming Jesus Christ was shown in symbolism over and over again. He was the Ark that saved Noah through water, He was the ram sacrifice of Abraham that would save His people from their sins and He is the bread of life just like the manna that fell from heaven and fed the Israelites in the desert. Please see HERE our post here on archetypes in the Holy Word.
So it would seem that the water the Lord speaks of one needing to be born from is really most of all, a symbolism of the "cleansing" everyone needs from their sin and that is what Christ brought for eternal salvation. By his perfect sacrifice on the cross; He alone was able pay for (cleanse) those who are born in Him by His Spirit. ( powerful symbolism is used with wind for the Spirit and water for His redemptive cleansing work and sacrifice )
Having said this and knowing that the water ( even baptism as a symbol ) is really Christ's cleansing; many religious groups do say and teach that a man "must" then be baptized in water to make it to heaven. But this is not supported in the bible as our article showed. It is true that in various places ( like Acts 2 ) water baptism is taught with repentance and it is indeed the obedient thing to do as a believer comes to faith in Christ. ( Acts 3 says repent and be converted and leaves out baptism.... )
I need to remind you it is more then just the actual ritual of physical water cleansing. It is the super natural act of God by His Spirit cleansing a man from his sins though Christ in faith and repentance. While the symbolism of water baptism should be lived out and followed, we do know it is ONLY a symbol with no powers behind it at all like some teach. (see the roman catholic faith) The work of the Spirit and the TRUE cleansing that gives eternal life is done in a mans heart; not in any religious water tank or sprinkle on the head! As evidence we see that the thief on the cross who repented of his sin and asked Christ to remember him indeed was cleansed and made new by the water of God's Spirit through Christ without water baptism at all.
But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Luke 23
( Jesus died before the thief so he died in the NEW covenant per Heb 9:14-17 )
If we go back to the born from above or born again idea; we know it is not about religious water baptism, sitting in a pew or performing man made rituals. It is really about a fallen man turning his will and crying out to God in faith and repentance then supernaturally his heart and mind are made new in Jesus Christ.
As Jesus said we cant explain it fully just as I have no clue how the wind comes and goes either!
As fruit he will then follow the Lord via His Word in obedience/holiness and endure as a new creation in Him. We can see this echoed in other places in the Holy Word.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.Romans 12
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new
2 Corinthians 5
Like newborn babes, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation; for you have tasted the kindness of the Lord
1 Peter 2
One thing is for sure....
no person will ever see God's Kingdom ( heaven ) unless they have taken this "new life creation" journey by faith and repentance that can only start and finish at the cross of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. You can believe all you want, remain in your sin and be very lost even while you perform religious rituals... no matter how well meaning or committed you are.
You MUST be born again or born from above by His cleansing Holy Spirit!
Now that we have a more clear understanding of what it is to be born from above biblically; lets take a brief look at what man made religion will try to tell you otherwise by its false rules and ways.
*Various man made religions like the roman catholic faith/some Lutherans/orthodox will teach that you can take this step of redemption as a baby by being baptized in your infancy. There is NO biblical instruction or evidence that infants or anyone too young to commit to Christ via faith and repentance were baptized in the Holy Scriptures. This infant baptism was used by the early pagan roman faith to ensure it was "enslaving" people into its ranks lest they be lost later to biblical truth once grown.
*They will also teach you there is something mystical about this water baptism but again this not supported by God's Holy Word. It is only their perverted man made doctrines that made it up and support it to it masses of people in the pews. Water baptism is a symbol of a MUCH greater thing... the work of God in a person who cleanses us and puts us on the narrow path of eternal life to come thru Christ.
* The roman catholic faith will also try to convince its people in the pews that they are deed in born again because they were sprinkled with water at birth and this is another lie from hell. All one needs to do is go read what Jesus said about the Pharisee's and how they washed the outside of their cups but; their insides were dirty and rotten still. ( see Matthew 23 )
Note: we must keep in mind that this same roman catholic faith was once found selling indulgences for forgiveness of sins and has persecuted (unto death) millions of people who stood against their false teachings. (See this post HERE for more info.)
We cannot undermine the importance of a biblical baptism as a sign/symbol for both yourself and those around you that you are new and now His; committed to a life in Him. But of course the meaning of it should be much deeper spiritually if it is real. This cannot be done when you are a infant can it? Sadly man made religion makes a big event out of it at times with parties and gifts; yet the theological truth is sadly lost as they are trapped in man made religion and not the truth of the Lord.
It is ONLY the super natural work of God's will inside a man thru this "new life" where your mind and heart are made anew by God that you can claim to be truly born from above in accordance with John 3:3.
What is some of the evidence you are born from above? These would be just some of the biblical attributes of a new creation in Christ:
leaving what you once embraced that is not consistent with the Word ( changed lifestyle )
obedience to the Word of God in full
love of true brothers and sisters
constant change to grow in biblical holiness
sensitive to all sin
rejecting man mad religion and seeking spirit and truth worship
biblical discernment on all matters
living for the Lords return
the fallen world rejects you and your message
a fearless desire to proclaim the biblical gospel
If you have these traits ... it is wonderful fruit you have been born from above.
(perhaps in another post we can add verses to all of there as well)
We hope you are now or will repent and find new life in Christ and be made new today!
Let us know how we can help you in anyway.
For His glory....
See our resources below and let us know how we can help you?
God be praised
Note: If you are NOT in Christ with His Holy Spirit at work in you; it can be much harder to understand the things of God but that is another topic for another time.
Below is the gospel and how you can be made new in Christ via His Spirit and Truth:
Read on please......
Perhaps no other scripture verse has received as much attention as the one in the book of John chapter 3 where Jesus makes this statement:
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Wanting to use good exegesis (click HERE to learn about exegesis) in our bible studies; let us see what the root words are for this born again verse?
Born in the Greek is the word.... gennao
it really means just what we in English would understand as being born or birth. That seems clear.
If we look at the word again in the Greek it is....anothen
It does mean again but it also can mean from above.
So John 3:3 can read you must be born from above to see God's kingdom.
But what is this being born from above?
Later in that same area of scripture Jesus talks about being born of water and the spirit.
verse 5
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Most do agree the spirit .... pneuma... means the breath of God or His Holy Spirit
But what is this water that the Lord speaks of here?
The word is.... hudor hudatos.... and it means just that; water. Again not hard to grasp but exactly what water? There are various ideas set out there but the most popular ones are that the water is:
* being physically born as we are all in a type of infant embryo water before birth
or
*it is the waters of Christian baptism
or
* or being cleansed by Christ's blood
I vote for all 3 ...let me explain.
It seems all three have some part/symbolism in being born again.
( you must be physically born, you should be baptized in obedience and we MUST be cleansed by Christ )
Since scripture goes on later to speak of baptizing; it seems the water he spoke of could in some sense be the waters of baptism as a symbol though; the thief on the cross shows water baptism in NOT mandatory. See this article that shows water baptism is NOT mandatory for salvation:
http://spiritandtruthdiscernment.blogspot.com/2017/06/baptism-for-salvation-is-not-biblical.html
Note:
If water baptism saves you, then Jesus NEVER saved anyone as he did not baptize one person in scripture. That is not sound theology.
We do know one MUST be cleansed by Christ to gain eternal life:
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
1 John 1:7
( See the book of Hebrews )
What I would like to focus on is the greater meaning of that water and baptism at a deeper symbolic level.
Water in the Jewish culture and the Old Testament was very important for washing, cleansing and even for spiritual reasons. There was specific rites and ways the Priests in the Temple of God had to be made clean to come before the alter of God. There was a thing called a Jewish Mikveh which really just meant a "collection of water". It was used by the people to ritually cleanse ones self as a Israelite. So water was used as a cleansing tool for many centuries by God's people in Israel. Can I ask you who do we see has come and has cleansed His people of their sins? It is indeed the Lord Jesus. Who is called the Living water in scripture? Jesus was indeed speaking of a purification a man needs and that is found in Him alone, not any water process. That water cleansing baptism and the Mikveh of old was really just a forerunner/archetype of the Lord Himself who now cleanses those who seek Him.
Jesus said...He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
John 7:38
This is very important to note as though out the bible we see that the coming Jesus Christ was shown in symbolism over and over again. He was the Ark that saved Noah through water, He was the ram sacrifice of Abraham that would save His people from their sins and He is the bread of life just like the manna that fell from heaven and fed the Israelites in the desert. Please see HERE our post here on archetypes in the Holy Word.
So it would seem that the water the Lord speaks of one needing to be born from is really most of all, a symbolism of the "cleansing" everyone needs from their sin and that is what Christ brought for eternal salvation. By his perfect sacrifice on the cross; He alone was able pay for (cleanse) those who are born in Him by His Spirit. ( powerful symbolism is used with wind for the Spirit and water for His redemptive cleansing work and sacrifice )
Having said this and knowing that the water ( even baptism as a symbol ) is really Christ's cleansing; many religious groups do say and teach that a man "must" then be baptized in water to make it to heaven. But this is not supported in the bible as our article showed. It is true that in various places ( like Acts 2 ) water baptism is taught with repentance and it is indeed the obedient thing to do as a believer comes to faith in Christ. ( Acts 3 says repent and be converted and leaves out baptism.... )
I need to remind you it is more then just the actual ritual of physical water cleansing. It is the super natural act of God by His Spirit cleansing a man from his sins though Christ in faith and repentance. While the symbolism of water baptism should be lived out and followed, we do know it is ONLY a symbol with no powers behind it at all like some teach. (see the roman catholic faith) The work of the Spirit and the TRUE cleansing that gives eternal life is done in a mans heart; not in any religious water tank or sprinkle on the head! As evidence we see that the thief on the cross who repented of his sin and asked Christ to remember him indeed was cleansed and made new by the water of God's Spirit through Christ without water baptism at all.
But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Luke 23
( Jesus died before the thief so he died in the NEW covenant per Heb 9:14-17 )
If we go back to the born from above or born again idea; we know it is not about religious water baptism, sitting in a pew or performing man made rituals. It is really about a fallen man turning his will and crying out to God in faith and repentance then supernaturally his heart and mind are made new in Jesus Christ.
As Jesus said we cant explain it fully just as I have no clue how the wind comes and goes either!
As fruit he will then follow the Lord via His Word in obedience/holiness and endure as a new creation in Him. We can see this echoed in other places in the Holy Word.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.Romans 12
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new
2 Corinthians 5
Like newborn babes, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation; for you have tasted the kindness of the Lord
1 Peter 2
One thing is for sure....
no person will ever see God's Kingdom ( heaven ) unless they have taken this "new life creation" journey by faith and repentance that can only start and finish at the cross of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. You can believe all you want, remain in your sin and be very lost even while you perform religious rituals... no matter how well meaning or committed you are.
You MUST be born again or born from above by His cleansing Holy Spirit!
Now that we have a more clear understanding of what it is to be born from above biblically; lets take a brief look at what man made religion will try to tell you otherwise by its false rules and ways.
*Various man made religions like the roman catholic faith/some Lutherans/orthodox will teach that you can take this step of redemption as a baby by being baptized in your infancy. There is NO biblical instruction or evidence that infants or anyone too young to commit to Christ via faith and repentance were baptized in the Holy Scriptures. This infant baptism was used by the early pagan roman faith to ensure it was "enslaving" people into its ranks lest they be lost later to biblical truth once grown.
*They will also teach you there is something mystical about this water baptism but again this not supported by God's Holy Word. It is only their perverted man made doctrines that made it up and support it to it masses of people in the pews. Water baptism is a symbol of a MUCH greater thing... the work of God in a person who cleanses us and puts us on the narrow path of eternal life to come thru Christ.
* The roman catholic faith will also try to convince its people in the pews that they are deed in born again because they were sprinkled with water at birth and this is another lie from hell. All one needs to do is go read what Jesus said about the Pharisee's and how they washed the outside of their cups but; their insides were dirty and rotten still. ( see Matthew 23 )
Note: we must keep in mind that this same roman catholic faith was once found selling indulgences for forgiveness of sins and has persecuted (unto death) millions of people who stood against their false teachings. (See this post HERE for more info.)
We cannot undermine the importance of a biblical baptism as a sign/symbol for both yourself and those around you that you are new and now His; committed to a life in Him. But of course the meaning of it should be much deeper spiritually if it is real. This cannot be done when you are a infant can it? Sadly man made religion makes a big event out of it at times with parties and gifts; yet the theological truth is sadly lost as they are trapped in man made religion and not the truth of the Lord.
It is ONLY the super natural work of God's will inside a man thru this "new life" where your mind and heart are made anew by God that you can claim to be truly born from above in accordance with John 3:3.
What is some of the evidence you are born from above? These would be just some of the biblical attributes of a new creation in Christ:
leaving what you once embraced that is not consistent with the Word ( changed lifestyle )
obedience to the Word of God in full
love of true brothers and sisters
constant change to grow in biblical holiness
sensitive to all sin
rejecting man mad religion and seeking spirit and truth worship
biblical discernment on all matters
living for the Lords return
the fallen world rejects you and your message
a fearless desire to proclaim the biblical gospel
If you have these traits ... it is wonderful fruit you have been born from above.
(perhaps in another post we can add verses to all of there as well)
We hope you are now or will repent and find new life in Christ and be made new today!
Let us know how we can help you in anyway.
For His glory....
See our resources below and let us know how we can help you?
God be praised
www.dontperish.com
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https://www.dontperish.com/the-gospel.html
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http://spiritandtruthdiscernment.blogspot.com/
Go here for audio teachings:
https://www.dontperish.com/john-424-radio-audio-page-1.html
https://www.dontperish.com/the-gospel.html
Dontperish Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/dontperishministry/
Here is a 10 point biblical test:
https://www.dontperish.com/10-point-biblical-test.html
Spirit and Truth Teaching Blog:
http://spiritandtruthdiscernment.blogspot.com/
Go here for audio teachings:
https://www.dontperish.com/john-424-radio-audio-page-1.html
Go here to see our videos:
https://www.dontperish.com/videos.html
https://www.dontperish.com/videos.html