Jesus was the first to use this term. (John.3:1-7) Jesus told Nicodemus, "Verily, (truly) verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water (natural birth) and of the Spirit, (Spiritual birth) he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; (natural birth) and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (spiritual birth) Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. (John 3:3-8)
Why did Jesus say, you "must be born again."
The reason is because God's Word describes all of mankind to be "(spiritually) dead in trespasses and sin," (Eph.2:1, Rom.3:9-10,23; 5:10-21) and the only way back into fellowship with God (i.e. enter "the kingdom of God") is to be born back in.
Note the Genesis account.
1. God created man in His triune image. (Matt.28:19, John.1:1, 14, 1John.5:7, John.17:5 /
Isa.42:8, John.5:17-18, 1Tim.3:16, Gen.1:27-28) "spirit and soul and body." (1Thes.5:23)
a. Our spirit is our inner man. "For what man knoweth the things of man, save the spirit of man
which is in him." (1Cor.2:11, Rom.8:16) It is "the candle of the Lord" (Prov.20:27) Your spirit
is the real you. The Bible calls it a new creation, (2Cor.5:17) the new man. (Eph.2:15; 4:24)
b. Our Soul is our mind, will and emotions. The "Word of God divides the "soul and spirit"
(Heb.4:12, Gen.2:7, 2Peter.2:8 Lot - seeing and hearing with his mind, will and emotions,
it vexed his Soul)
c. Our Body is our natural, fleshly body. (1Cor.15:51-52)
These were all in harmony with Adam and Eve before sin entered.
2. God placed Adam in a "garden eastward in Eden "to dress it and to keep it." (Gen.2:8-
15) Adam was allowed to eat "of every tree of the garden...but of the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil he was not to eat.
3. God created Eve for Adam. (Gen.2:18-25)
4. Then came the serpent and cause Eve to revise the Word of God. (Gen.3:1-5) Compare
Gen.2:16-17
5. Then Eve "took of the fruit thereof...and gave also unto her husband...and he did eat "(Gen.3:6)
and sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for
that all have sinned." (Rom.5:12; 3:23)
a. God told Adam, "in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
(Gen.2:17) Adam did not die physically that day because he lived for 930 years. (Gen.5:1-5)
He died spiritually! It was "death by sin." (Rom.5:12)
c. The spirit of Adam and Eve died and became "darkness." Their candle went out!
(Prov.20:27) Death by sin is "darkness." (Matt.4:16, John.3:19,Col.1:13, 1Peter.2:9)
Paul says, "ye were ...darkness."(Eph.5:8)
d. Adam and Eve are now walking according to the "flesh (body) and of the mind" (soul).
(Eph.2:3) because their "spirit" (their candle Prov.20:27) is darkness / sin / dead.
This is why their spirit needed to be "born again!"
because their "spirit" was dead.
Adam and Eve's solution was "fig leaves"
Adam and Eve's solution was to "sewed fig leaves together, and made aprons" to cover
their nakedness (sin) because their eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they
were naked.." (Gen.3:7, Heb.4:13) These aprons of fig leaves were rejected by God. (Gen.3:21)
1. Man knows that he is a sinner. He knows he needs to cover his sin. (Psa.19:1-3,
Rom .1:20; 2:14-16) This is evident by all the religions of the world, and their "man made"
rules to justify themselves to God.
2. These "fig leaves" today, represent...Philosophy...Vain deceit...Tradition of men...The
rudiments of the world." (Col.2:10-12) These all fail to cover sin when exposed by God's
voice (Word) Gen.3:8-10 These are "filthy rags," (Isa.64:6) The apostle Paul calls them, "dung."
(Phil.3:1-8)
Note: This is why none of our good religious deeds can justify us before God,
because we "were darkness." (Eph.5:8) We were not sinners because we sinned.
We were born in sin, (Rom.5:12, 1Cor.15:45-49) before we committed any sin. Jesus
said, "Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine
runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are
preserved. No man" (not even the heathen don't put) "a piece of new cloth unto an old
garment, or that which is put into fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made
worse. (Matt 9:16-17) It is good common sense to start brand new!
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This is why Jesus was born of a virgin, (Matt.1:18-25, Isa.7:14) because "death by sin"
(Rom.5:12) has "passed upon all men" through the natural seed of the father. This is why
Joseph "knew her (Mary) not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his
name JESUS." (Matt.1:25) Jesus is "the seed of the woman." (Gen.3:15)
God's solution was Jesus, the "seed of the woman"
"And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Gen.3:15)
God's solution was (Gen.3:15) to "put enmity (hostility) between thee (the Serpent) and the woman, and between thy seed (the serpent) and her seed. " (The Lord Jesus Christ! - Gen.3:15, Isa.7:14, Matt.1:23) This "enmity" / hostility was to continued until Jesus came with the "purpose" to "destroy the works of the devil," i.e. bruised the head of the serpent (1John.3:8 ) This was fulfilled when Jesus (the seed of the woman) was crucified, and blotted "out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, (i.e. Adams sin)...nailing it to his cross." (Col 2:14-15)
Jesus took our place! (Rom.5:12-21) He paid the "price," He died for our sin! (1Cor.6:19-20, 2Cor.5:21) This is the reality of going through the Cherubim and flaming sword because death
was the only way back for Adam and Eve. (Gen.3:24, Isa 55:8-9, Rom.8:5-8)
When we put our trust in Christ, by faith we are crucified (i.e. go through the "flaming sword") with Him. (Gal.2:20) When Jesus was buried, we were buried with Him, (Rom.6:1-5) and because Jesus resurrected " we..walk in newness of life." (i.e. born again)
This was the future promise to Adam and Eve. (Gen.3:15-21)
Until then God killed an innocent animal and shed it's blood to cover Adam and Eve's sin
God was beginning to reveal His Redemptive plan in the Old Testament that would be finished (or completed) by Jesus, the ultimate Passover Lamb, that takes away the sin of the world. (John.1:29) This Old Testament sacrifice (the coats of skins) was "for the time then present...until the time of reformation," or the time that Christ comes. (Heb.9:1-10; 10:1-10) Under the Old Covenant (Testament) the "blood of bulls and goats" could never "take away sins." They could only cover sin until Jesus came "and lead captivity, captive. (Eph.4:1-10)
1. It began with the coats of skin (Gen.3:21) which required death and blood to be shed.
God said, "for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul." Lev.17:11)
2. "In the process of time...Abel" offered the firstlings (Lamb) of the flock. (Gen.4:1-4) The pattern
did not change.This also required death and blood to be shed.
3. Then Noah offered sacrifice of clean animals on an Altar. (Gen.6:20-21) The pattern of death
and blood being shed, continued.
4. Then came the Law. This included the Sin offering, Trespass offering, Burnt offerings, Meal
(food offerings) and Peace offerings. (Lev.1-5) These required death and blood shed.
These were designed to bring us to Christ, (Gal.3:24) to bruise the head of the
serpent. (Gen.3:15)
Jesus, (the seed of the woman) came
When Christ came, He came as the Lamb and "bruised" the head of the serpent (Gen.3:15) at the Cross. (Col.2:14-15) He fulfilled / completed / confirmed, what the coats of skins, the firstlings of the flock, the Altar and the Levitical Offerings foreshadowed. (Dan.9:27, Rom.15:8, Gal.3:16-17, Matt.5:17-19, Heb.10:1-10)
1. At the Cross, Jesus "was made sin for us," (2Cor.5:21) and He faced the Cherubim and flaming
sword (the judgment of God) instead of us.
2. Now "by faith" I am "crucified with Christ" (Gal.2:20) as He went through the judgement of the
Cherubim and flaming sword.
2. When Jesus was buried, I was buried. (Rom.6:1-6)
3. When Jesus resurrected, I was resurrection to walk in newness of life. Born again!
4. Now my Soul (mind will and emotions) and my flesh (body) must give place to the new spirit man
Note: To apply the Bible term of "being born again" to anything else other than the blood
atonement of Christ. is another Jesus.
Notes----------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Encyclopedia Britannica
2. (Bible-soft New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Bible soft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
