The Grace of Being Born Again · Looking Back on the Journey

Study Topic: Born Again

What must be most fundamentally restored in our faith is not circumstance or temporary emotion, but an intimate relationship of life with God.

And at the starting point of that intimate relationship, the essential event called being born again is always situated.

In this journey, through the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus, we deeply reflect on what being born again means, why it is necessary, and the marks of life manifested in the life of one who is born again.

The Beginning of New Birth and Repentance

Attending Church Does Not Mean One Is Born Again

We may have lived out a religious life for a long time.

We may attend church, read the Bible, and participate in various forms of service and devotion.

Yet Jesus spoke very startling words to Nicodemus, who was a respected leader and scholar among the Jews of his day:

John 3:3

Nicodemus knew the Scriptures better than anyone, strictly kept the Law, and was morally respected.

Yet Jesus did not tell him to accumulate more knowledge. Nor did he tell him to live a better moral life.

"You must be born again."

This means a fundamental event of life—transcending the improvement of outward appearance or change in religious habits—where one's spiritual being itself is newly born from above by the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, we must quietly reflect and ask ourselves:

"Have I truly been born again?"

The Beginning of Being Born Again Involves the Realization That 'I Am a Sinner'

There is a gateway that one must first pass through in order to be born again:

It is realizing that one is a desperate sinner before God.

This does not mean a sense of moral inferiority from committing a few more wrongs compared to others.

It is acknowledging the foundational rebellion of departing from God, the Master of one's life, and living according to one's own will as the master of one's life.

When the Holy Spirit shines his light into our hearts, we finally confess:

"God, there is no good within me to save myself.
I am a total sinner who cannot escape God's wrath and judgment."

When this declaration of spiritual bankruptcy and mourning arises from the bottom of the heart, the door to true repentance truly begins to open.

Repentance Is Not Mere Regret

True repentance does not remain an emotional response of briefly feeling sorry for or regretting past actions.

Repentance is turning the direction of life with one's whole being:

• Turning away from the lifestyle where I was the master.
• Stopping the steps that chased worldly values and desires.
• And orienting the center of life completely toward God the Creator and toward Jesus Christ of the cross.

"God, I took the wrong road.
Now I stop living according to my own will and return to you, Lord."

This genuine turning is repentance.

The Grace of Salvation Through Faith in the Heart

The Cross Must Enter from Knowledge into 'Faith of the Heart'

Upon a repenting heart, the gospel of the cross finally enters as living faith.

We may know about the cross merely with our heads. We may intellectually agree with the historical fact that Jesus died on the cross two thousand years ago.

Yet the faith that occurs at the moment of being born again transcends that realm:

"That cross was because of my sins."

"The precious blood shed on that cross was the atoning blood that paid for my sins."

The cross strikes deep into the heart not as an event in history, but as God's event of salvation for me.

And one receives the risen Jesus personally as one's only Savior and true Master of life.

Religious Assurance Can Even Obscure Salvation

Here we must stand before a very solemn warning.

In Matthew 7, Jesus spoke these words:

Matthew 7:21-23

Even those who prophesied in the Lord's name and performed many mighty works may receive that frightening verdict from the Lord on the last day: "I never knew you."

Religious zeal, church office, or outwardly visible ministerial achievements cannot serve as a guarantee of salvation.

Rather, the complacent assurance that one is already doing well in religious life can become a spiritual stumbling block that hinders the necessity of true repentance and being born again.

Realizing That One Is Not Yet There Is Grace

The gospel does not expose reality in order to condemn or humiliate people.

It exposes it solely to bring to life and save.

Just as a faithful physician who discovers a serious illness upon examining a patient must inform them accurately, covering it up by saying, "It's fine, no problem," is never true love. Because only when one knows the reality of the illness can one receive true healing.

If, upon examining yourself, you realize that you have not yet personally met Jesus, discovering that now is itself unspeakable grace from God.

"I have not yet been born again."

"I have not yet met Jesus in my heart."

The moment this fact is brought to light, there is no need to be discouraged or despair. Because only when one honestly confesses one's poverty can one seek the grace of true salvation.

New Life and Growing Faith

Marks of Life Appear in One Who Is Born Again

Where life abides, the marks of life inevitably appear.

Being born again does not remain a past memory of repeating a prayer of reception once upon a time, nor a bygone souvenir. If one has personally met Jesus Christ and received new life, that life actually begins to breathe and work within that person's inner being and life:

• One's attitude toward sin changes: Whereas previously one took sin lightly and enjoyed it, now even before small sins the heart aches and one bows humbly before God.
• One hungers for God's Word: As newborn babes crave pure spiritual milk, one longs for the Word of God.
• One loves the brothers and sisters: Departing from a self-centered life, a desire arises to look after other members and serve them with love.
• One calls God Father and fellowships with him: Not out of fear, but as a child, one enjoys the joy of intimate conversation and walking with God.

This does not mean one becomes a perfect person. At times one may stumble and face weakness.

Yet at the center of that person, a newly living, breathing life has undeniably taken root.

Faith Must Be Guarded and Cultivated Daily

Life is life only when it breathes today.

Without resting complacently in past grace, one must remain awake daily through the Word and prayer.

In John 15:4, Scripture urges that just as a branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in the Lord always.

When abiding within an intimate relationship with the Lord, the born-again life grows and bears abundant fruit.