What does it mean to be “born again?” The Lord Jesus Christ said, “Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). To be born again means a person’s life is changed for the better. The Holy Bible tells us “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come” (2 Corinthians 15:17). This means that we will not habitually commit sin. The Bible says “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” (1 John 3:9). “Born of God” means to be “born again.”
Although we will still sin on occasions, and whereas being born again makes us right with God, it does not make us “perfect humans.” The important point is that we will no longer practice sinning because its dominion over us has been broken when we trusted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. God also places His Holy Spirit within us (our body is “a temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19), to guide, and teach us the ways and purposes of God.
Living the new life requires reading and obeying the Bible—God’s Word. This helps us to live a holy life that pleases God. The Bible tells us “And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. Whoever says “I know Him” but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps His word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know we are in Him”(1 John 2:3-5). Keeping God’s commandments means being obedient to His word—the Bible. We will not obey God’s Word “perfectly” as long as we still have a sinful nature. However we will obey it purposefully because of an ongoing, earnest desire to do God’s will.
Another change that will come about is our love for others; it doesn’t matter who they are, where they come from, or what they have done. The Bible teaches “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” “(1 John 4:7,8). Dr Charles Stanley writes, “To be transformed into the image of Christ means to reflect His loving character in our behavior and attitudes. Therefore, if we are not becoming more loving, we have taken a wrong turn somewhere—either neglecting our relationships with Him or by disobeying His commands” (Life Principles Bible p. 1535). Love is God’s character and His love is engrafted in those who are born again.
Love is one of God’s amazing and great attributes. Just as God is “eternal,” meaning He has no beginning and no end, so is His love—no beginning and no end. Since God is love, He has put in our hearts the capacity to love others, especially believers. The Bible says, “We know we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers” (1 John 3:14). We may not always feel love towards them at times, but we will show love by seeking to do them good when we have the opportunity.
Christians are commanded not to love the world. And there are sound reasons for not loving the this “sin defiled” world. The “world” here does not mean the physical universe that God created, but rather the “world’s system” with its evil, wicked, and sinful practices. Therefore, our affections cannot be centered on the things of the world—we cannot love the world and God at the same time. Hence, the scripture says, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24). Furthermore, God has made it very clear: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).Since the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our lives when we are born again. means we do not need to set our hero’s affection on the things of the world, because Jesus Christ not only saves but he also keeps and satisfies us. He is our “all-in-all.” We must always be conscious of the fact that God is holy and requires that in response, we live a holy life to please Him.
In view of our complete salvation in Christ, the apostle Peter writes, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as He who has called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:14-16). The words “You shall be holy” mean to be “set apart” for God, and “walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do” (Galatians 5:16,17).
The changes that must take place are the evidence that we truly have been born again. If these changes are not evident in our life style, there is the possibility that we have not truly believed in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. The Bible says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17). Turn to the word of God to diligently seek His help and encouragement in living the Christian life in a victorious way. The Christian life is the very best life in the world and the only life that pleases Almighty God.