by
Keith Hunt
We know that the phrase "born again" is only used in one passage
in the entire Bible, the passage that has become somewhat
famous....John chapter 3, somewhat famous in the circles of
Church of God and a Fundamental Protestantism.
We note that the phrase "born again" was never used by the NT
church. We do not read about people going around asking others if
they were "born again" or telling them they should want to be
"born again." We note that Peter in the very first days and
weeks of the start of the NT church on and after the Feast day of
Pentecost, told people to REPENT and be CONVERTED. He did not
preach to them that they should be "born again" - I doubt if
anyone would have understood what he was meaning if he had
preached "be born again folks." - they of course would understand
the phrase "repent and be converted or changed." the prophets of
old had preached much about "repentance" and the word "converted"
merely means to be made over, be different, and the apostles
were telling the people in teaching session in the Temple etc.
how to be "different" and what to repent of.
We note that no writer of the NT books, especially Paul, who
wrote 14 of them, used the "born again" phrase. Paul usually
opened up with positive remarks or gave some as he went along. He
never once said, "It is so good to know you are all born again
Christians" or "you were all once good born again Christians, but
I'm sorry to say many of you have been led astray." He sure had
an opportunity to write like this when writing to the
Galatians, as they were being led astray fore sure, and so also
the people at Corinth in many areas of doctrine and living. When
Paul wrote to Philemon, look at how he opened up, started his
letter, why he could have easily slipped in words like, "It is so
good to know you are loving and a faithful born again person."
But no such "born again" phase used.
Then look at the three letters the apostle John wrote, much down
to earth teaching and preaching in them, but not one word about
how the people he was writing to were "it warms my heart to know
you are born again followers of Christ."
James never used such a phrase either BUT he DID USE "begat" -
"Of his own will BEGAT he us with the word of truth, that we
should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures." Now,
there was if any a golden opportunity to have said something
like, "Of his own will we are born again by him with the word of
truth, and have so become the first born ones of his creatures."
The opportunity for NT writers to use this kind of "born again"
phraseology....well they had all this letter writing, all the
salutations, all the closing remarks. Look at Paul writing to
Timothy, he got down to some pretty heart talking words to him,
but not once did Paul say to him, "From the day you were born
again you had gifts of the spirit....." or "Be strong in your
born again experience and do the work of an evangelist..." or "As
you are born again, one of God's born again sons, make your
ministry strong and effective..."
Then Jesus Himself could have used the phrase many times in His
preaching and teaching, as He taught the people, but He used it
once with a Pharisee man who came at NIGHT to him, in a private
night time talk.
The Protestant fundamentalists do not understand John 3 correctly
and so have hatched what to them is a neat little "catch all"
phrase which they know among themselves (others out in the world,
unconverted, even un-read in the Bible and there is now a whole
generation of people who have never read the Bible, not a word, I
worked with such a young man, about 30 years old, and he told me
one day he had never read even one word of the Bible) but none
Christians may not have the slightest clue as knowing what
the phrase "born again" means.
So many want to use this phrase saying the NT teaches such an
idea that we are born again in this life time. They take you to
the parables, analogy, type passages in the NT to try and prove
the NT writers and the NT church used this phrase (but of course
there is no proof anywhere where the NT church members ever went
around among themselves or evangelizing with this born again
phrase coming forth out of their mouth as it comes out of the
preachers and members' mouths of the fundamental sects of North
America).
One section of NT Scripture used to try and prove the NT church
taught a now born again doctrine is 1 Peter 2 and verses 2 and 3.
"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you
may grow thereby. If so be you have tasted that the Lord is
gracious."
Now parables and allegories, and types and analogies, are used
throughout the Bible. First we need to realize that such use of
them can be very limited, in that not all that is used is to
teach true points per se. Let me give you an example. Jesus used
a parable, analogy, of the woman nagging at a judge. It is
called in some Bibles, "The importuning widow" and is found in
Luke 18. Now it becomes clear that this judge represents God and
the widow someone who keeps as we would say, nagging at God about
a certain matter.
God finally hears and answers His people who are asking for
vengeance to be poured out on their enemies. It is said of the
judge that he fears not God, so does God not fear Himself, and
what would that mean anyway? This judge regards not man. What
does that mean? Well you could say God sure is not scared of any
physical human.
But the point is this judge is not made out to be the most
understanding and sympathetic a judge towards people who come to
him with requests. In fact we have to face it but this judge is
made out to be hard nosed and someone you would not probably
like to have as a friend.
But the point of the parable is not to teach this at all about
our heavenly Father, there is another OVERALL point that Jesus
wanted them to grasp and to get, and that was the point of the
whole parable....never stop praying and asking God for something,
UNTIL God gives you the answer one way for the other.
Paul prayed three times that the thorn in his flesh would be
taken away, I suppose he would have prayed more times, but God
finally answered and said NO, it would not be taken away, but His
grace would help Paul bear it.
Parables, analogies, allegories, types, usually all BREAK DOWN at
some point, not all within them is to teach an iron clad truth in
all that a parable may contain. They then do at times have
LIMITS. But they also usually have at least one great truth and
teaching in them that is the MAIN reason for someone giving a
parable in the first place.
So now, back to 1 Peter 2:2-3.
You will notice Peter does NOT say, "You are NOW born again
babies with the Lord, so desire the milk of His word...."
No, he says, "AS newborn babies..." As new born babies desire to
have milk, then you should also desire to have the milk that
comes from God, His word. Peter looks at a physical part of life
(Just as Jesus looked at some judge who was hard nosed and
somewhat arrogant in his mind), and takes a "cue" from it, takes
a point from it that he can use to simply illustrate a main
thought in his mind, that thought being the word of God can be
milk for us to feed on, and as we feed on it we can learn more,
become more spiritually mature. The MAIN POINT with Peter was NOT
to teach a "born again" now in this life from God, but that we
need to drink in God's word to grow as Christians, in much the
like manner that new born children have to drink mother's milk to
grow.
Again you will notice no words come from Peter to state that the
ones to whom he is writing are "born again" now as sons and
daughters of God, he does not say, "You ARE NOW newborn babes to
the Lord, so desire...." The main focus in Peter's mind was the
MILK that new born babies DESIRE, and so he analogisted the MILK
as the word of God, which we as Christians should continue to
desire. After all some to whom he was writing may have been
Christians for 30 years (the introduction to this book in my
Bible says it was probably written about 63 A.D.), hardly new in
the faith for some.
It is obvious from the context that Peter was not getting into
any doctrine of the "born again" phrase, which we have seen was
never a part of the apostles religious phraseology.
Then it is put forth that God gives us all this teaching, all
this information, all this instruction, all this guidance with
the Holy Spirit, and with all this knowledge, surely we
MUST be more that just BEGOTTEN children in the womb, for such
really do not know very much at all it is argued.
First, the begotten child in the womb KNOWS a lot more than most
have ever understood or expected. They have over the last 25
years really come a long way in understanding the mind of a child
still in its mother's womb, and have been amazed at what they
have found. A lot of this information is now contained in baby
books while carrying the child still in the womb.
I will give you one classic example.
This full grow lady was playing in a classical concert orchestra.
One day the leader and conductor decided on a certain piece of
music. This young lady had never seen or heard the music before
they started to practice it. She came to a certain section and
was amazed to discover that she somehow KNEW this part she was
now learning to play. It was such a shock to her mind that she
had to tell her mother about it all. The mother smiled, looked at
her and said, "I also as you know played in a classical
orchestra. When I was carrying you we were also practicing this
very same number, and you play the same musical instrument I
played. You heard that section over and over gain as I
practiced it when carrying you." This was in a Reader's Digest
magazine way back in the 80s, and they know a lot more now than
back then about what is the mind of an unborn child.
It can be surprising what the child in the womb can know.
Now, stop and think, we as adults in this modern 21st century can
know many wonderful things, depending on what training we have
taken for what line of work we are doing.
Someone with the Spirit of God can indeed know many wonderful
truths about God and what is in His word, BUT, and let me BUT it
again with big letters, BUT, when we are in that resurrection,
when made IMMORTAL, WHEN WE SHALL BE AS JESUS FOR WE SHALL SEE
HIM AS HE IS (1 John 3:1-3), when we no longer have just the
"earnest" of the Spirit, when we are full Spiritual BEINGS, MADE
OF SPIRIT, when we NO LONGER LOOK THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY (as Paul
said we now do in this life - he comparing it to our eternal life
state), then we SHALL KNOW EVEN AS WE ARE KNOWN (God knows the
number of hairs on your head, do you? Maybe if a man is bald, he
may).
The things we shall know, the mind we shall yet have, is too
great and too incomprehensive for our human mind to grasp at this
time while in this body of flesh and blood. I tell you the
difference in our mind as we go into eternal life will be
compared to the difference in mind from a child in the womb to a
full grown person. It will be like night and day, no real
comparison.
So what you think you have now with the Spirit of God will be as
NOTHING to what we shall have when we are born of God at Jesus'
return.
Parables, analogies, allegories, types, all have a place to play
in God's communicating with mankind, but we need to be careful
how we use them, and careful in not getting messages and
theological teaching from them that God NEVER INTENDED for us to
get.
The "born again" phraseology so widely used by fundamental sects
in North America, is just one of their errors of reading and
understanding the Word of God, one of their many errors of
theology I must add, probably one of the least damaging errors,
but an error nevertheless.
.....................
Written July 2003
