What is the true meaning of being born again and who is the founder of it?
The words “born again” refer to the new life God imparts to the sinner who believes in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Scripture is clear that God “is the founder of it.”
The most well-known passage of Scripture dealing with being born again is John 3:1-16 (which I would encourage you to read). In verse 3 Jesus told Nicodemus (a very religious and honorable man), “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (NKJV). In these few words Jesus was informing Nicodemus that his religion, character, and reputation were not enough to give him entrance into God’s kingdom; he needed to be “born again.” Nicodemus replied in verse 4, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter into his mother’s womb and be born?” He couldn’t comprehend that Jesus was not speaking of another “natural birth,” but of a “spiritual birth,” so Jesus went on to say in verse 6: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” One is born naturally “of their human parents,” but one is born again “of the Spirit.”
Jesus went on in verses 14-16 to speak of the necessity of His death on the cross in order for God to be able to offer men eternal life. They read, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” In Moses’ day people were dying from snake bites and God had Moses make a serpent on the pole and people were healed if they simply looked at it. Jesus was lifted up on the cross of Calvary so sinners could look at Him dying for them and receive eternal life. Has my reader looked in faith to Jesus Christ as your own personal Savior?
The reason many people have not been born again, is because they refuse to admit THEIR NEED TO BE BORN AGAIN. Scripture tells us we were all born in sin (Psalm 51:5) and that we have all committed sins (Romans 3:23). Because of this we are “dead in trespasses and sins” (see Ephesians 2:1). And like Nicodemus, our religion, character and reputation won’t give us access into heaven. We are “spiritually dead” and thus we need to be “born again.” It is the mission of the Holy Spirit to convict us of our need to be born again and when this takes place the Holy Spirit conducts us to the cross so that we can fix our gaze upon the Lord Jesus dying for us. The very moment we look, by faith, to Jesus dying on the cross to save us God imparts to us the precious gift of eternal life. We are then BORN AGAIN!
We can see from the scriptures quoted that “God is the founder of the New Birth.” We were spiritually dead and there was nothing we could do to earn eternal life. It was God the Father Who sent His Son to the cross so He could offer us eternal life, and it was God the Holy Spirit Who works in our heart to produce conviction of sin and to lead us to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior.
I will close by quoting two verses that clearly teach us that we are born again the moment we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior and that this miracle of being born again is all “of God.” I’m speaking of John 1:12-13, “But as many as received Him (Jesus Christ), to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: WHO WERE BORN, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but OF GOD.” (248.5) (DO)