What does it mean to be born again? The word theologians use for “born again” is regeneration. It describes renewal, restoration or regrowth and occurs in both the natural and spiritual worlds. Cells in the bodies of living things regularly die and are replaced through the process biologists call regeneration. Death gives way to new life. Jesus said a spiritual rebirth was necessary to enter the Kingdom of God. Just as we had no say in our natural birth, we have no control over our rebirth. “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44 | NIV). Regeneration results from placing faith in Jesus as both lord and savior in response to the Holy Spirit’s prompting. It means dying to self to live for Christ. Theologically speaking, regeneration or rebirth justifies the believer in God’s sight. It saves him from sin’s penalty. The proof of regeneration is receipt of the Holy Spirit. And the proof of the Holy Spirit is striving to be like Jesus by living a life that glorifies God.

We are all born into a natural, sinful world. In the natural world we make our own choices and follow the course we decide. Some people believe that life is short and all that matters is “looking out for number one.” Such people are godless and self-seeking. But most of us, on the other hand, try to be good people who do mostly good things. And while that works pretty well, there is something inside us that longs for a connection to something greater than ourselves. There is always a sense there is more. Nothing we try or buy seems to satisfy. The gospel message demonstrates we can never be good enough for God on our own. It also makes us aware of how we can satisfy that longing by ultimately making that connection and gaining a restored relationship with God. A relationship with God is only possible through regeneration. 

The gospel is the door that allows us to move from being a natural being inhabiting a material world to one who sees the world from a radically different spiritual perspective. “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned”(1Corinthians 2:14 | NIV). No matter what happens around us, we have confidence that everything is going to work out exactly as God intends. We no longer have to worry about tomorrow. Knowing God has our backs allows us to put others before ourselves. What God wants, we want. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2 | NIV). No, it isn’t looking through “rose-colored glasses.” Everything around us likely remains the same. We are totally different. Our priorities and concerns are no longer self-defined. We are, indeed, a new creation. “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20 | ESV). We have been born again!  

If you are wondering how you can be born again you are in good company. Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the Jewish ruling council secretly visited Jesus one night. He didn’t ask the question directly, but apparently Jesus inferred that to be the reason for his visit. “Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again’” (John 3:3 | NIV). This was the first time “born again” appeared in Scripture. Nicodemus stated the obvious regarding the physical impossibility of an adult being naturally reborn. Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit” (John 3:5-6 | NIV). After Christ’s resurrection and ascension, the apostle Peter put flesh on those bones. He was asked a similar question after he preached his first sermon. His response, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38 | NIV).

Regeneration is only the beginning of a walk of faith. It only places our feet on the pathway of sanctification–striving to be like Jesus. Through the Spirit’s leading, Christ’s disciples are empowered to live lives that honor God by emulating Jesus as they expand God’s kingdom on earth. It is common for people to say that they “made a profession of faith,” “accepted Jesus,” or “gave their life to Jesus.” All of those phrases essentially mean the same thing as regeneration or born again. But that is only if the person went beyond simply accepting Jesus as a fact of history and considering him to be a great teacher and role model. It even means more than them believing he died on the cross for their sins and those of everyone else in the world. It must also mean that they have turned away from sinful behavior and with their whole heart are trusting in Jesus as both their personal savior and lord. Accepting him as savior is easier than making him lord over every aspect of their life. But, unless that happens, they have been still born, not reborn.

Redemption and ransom are synonyms. The words are typically used to describe paying a price to release someone from slavery, bondage or captivity. It is the currency of atonement. In the New Testament the word redemption is used metaphorically to represent God’s gracious deliverance from the bondage of sin by an act of divine power reflecting both his justice and love. Redemption is the means by which humankind is saved from death row, specifically by payment of a ransom. It is a metaphor for what Jesus did on the cross. He “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mathew 20:28 | NIV). He paid a ransom with his life to redeem or release us from Satan’s bondage of sin. Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story– those he redeemed from the hand of the foe . . .” (Psalm 107:2 | NIV).

The word first appears in the Book of Exodus. Israel had been in bondage in Egypt for 430 years before Moses led them to freedom. It was the final plague that caused Pharaoh to allow them to leave. His heart was hardened until God killed the firstborn male human and animal in every home that did not have sacrificial lamb’s blood on the doorpost. (Exodus 12) God’s people had essentially moved from harsh Egyptian bondage into his loving bondage. As the price for freedom he required them to redeem their firstborn sons with a lamb. (Exodus 13:13) The life of a lamb was exchanged for the life of the firstborn male child. Redemption in Christianity reflects that historical practice. Jesus is the “Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world”(Revelation 13: 8 | NIV). In the Old Testament, it was a father who was required to redeem a firstborn son. An animal sacrifice was the quid pro quo; one life for another. The gospel message is a reminder that people must be redeemed from bondage. What is different is the one paying the ransom changed when Jesus took on human form.

There is no money or animal involved in the New Testament redemption transaction. Yet it still involves freeing people from slavery. God, the father, is paying the price to free sinners from bondage and he uses his firstborn son to do it. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people” (1 Timothy 2:5-6 | NIV). Like those freed from Egypt, sinners who have received God’s emancipation become his slaves. “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life” (Romans 6:22 | NIV) The only way to really comprehend redemption is through the metaphor of slavey. We are born into sin slavery and the only way for us to be free is for a ransom to be paid. “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin” (John 8:34 | NIV). When we place our absolute trust in Jesus for our salvation, we are set free, yet we remain in slavery. “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness” (Romans 6:18 | NIV). And it is that righteousness that reconciles us to a righteous God and guarantees the reward of the righteous. Once free, we do well to heed the apostle Paul’s warning, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1 | NIV).

What does it mean to be spiritually lost? We often hear Christians talk about the “lost.” The lost are people who have either not heard the gospel or who have decided that following Jesus is not for them. It also includes good, moral, religious people who do not have a personal trust in Jesus as both lord and savior. Those who are lost do not know that they are lost. Unless their eyes are opened by the Holy Spirit they see no need for Jesus in their lives. That is because the things of God are spiritually discerned. “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18 | NIV).

Jesus proclaimed he “came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10 | NIV). He used this short parable to summarize what he meant. “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent” (Luke 15:4-7 | NIV).

The Kingdom of God, Kingdom of Christ and Kingdom of Heaven are synonymous. They do not refer to a specific geographic location or people. They describe God’s reign in a place and in a people who acknowledge his authority and submit to his sovereign will. The purpose of the kingdom is to redeem people from worldly influence and Satan’s control. (Matthew 4, Luke 4) In the New Testament the terms represent the divine authority to rule that God has given Jesus. “The kingdom of God is the redemptive rule of God in Jesus defeating Satan and the powers of evil and delivering people from the sway of evil.” [1] It is established in the hearts of believers through childlike belief. (Matthew 19:14, Mark 10:15 and Luke 18:17)

God’s kingdom is on the move. Sometimes it may seem like it is advancing at a snail’s pace, but, rest assured, it is advancing. Jesus prayed, “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10) The kingdom represents a return to God’s original plan for humankind; a time when it comprised both heaven and earth. Then, his relationship with people was so intimate he walked on earth in the cool of the morning and interacted, face-to-face with them. (Genesis 3:8) But, Satan, a fallen angel, introduced the disobedience of sin, severing that relationship.

Reign implies absolute influence and control. And there is a battle for every human soul. Two kingdoms are in direct opposition and deadly competition. God has always reigned in heaven. But since his ejection from heaven, Satan has ruled the earth. Until Jesus’s reign is completely established, Satan is the ruler of the world. Whether you realize it or not, you are a citizen of one kingdom or the other. If you are not serving God as a disciple of Jesus, you are serving Satan and if nothing changes you are destined to spend eternity with him and his angels in the place of punishment reserved for them. (Matthew 25:41) Those who continually resist the gospel have been spiritually blinded. (2 Corinthians 4:4) But God has always offered a way to leave Satan’s kingdom. He has reigned in the hearts and lives of everyone who demonstrated faith in him before the incarnation; people like Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Ruth and David.  Since then, he has been both savior and lord in all who are Christ’s disciples.

For now, the best way to understand the kingdom concept is “already,” but “not yet.” The kingdom exists in the hearts of believers who are striving to live God’s way in the world. But, his consolidated kingdom will eventually encompass all of creation. Until then he has given divine ruling authority to Jesus (Luke 22:29), who proclaimed his supernatural rule during his earthly ministry. (John 18:36) Although there is a spiritual battle raging for control of human souls (Ephesians 6:12), the end of the story has already been written. God’s kingdom on earth will be fully restored when Jesus returns, (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17) Satan is destroyed (Revelation 20:10) and all believers who have died are raised to eternal life and clothed in incorruptible bodies. (1 Corinthians 15:53-54) Once he has completed his rule by subduing all enemies, Jesus will return the kingdom to his Father. (1 Corinthians 15:24-28) When that happens God will live among his people for all eternity. (Revelation 21:3) God wins!

[1] G.E Ladd, “Kingdom of Christ, God, Heaven,” Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, ed. Walter A. Elwell, (Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing, 2001) p. 658.