Born Again Christian -What Does That Even Mean?
Born again is a term all Christians use, but do we know what it means?
They know what God did ‘for’ us (dying for sins), but it seems religion blinds them from knowing what God did ‘to’ us.
They say ‘born again’ but then turn around and say they need to die to themselves. They need to get out of God’s way. They quote OT passages and say they have wicked hearts. What they are actually saying is “I was saved, but I’m still the same old wicked person and I can’t trust my heart or its desires’.
If all God did was save us, and nothing else changed, then Christianity is nothing more the God telling us to act and live out in a manner that is totally opposite of who we are. It would be like God saying “you are evil at your core and your heart is deceitfully wicked, so I need you to fake it and try to be something that you aren’t”. But that’s not the case, and if we could just take our religious glasses off, we would see it.
God didn’t just die ‘for’ us, He also did something ‘to’ us. The Bible says we were given a new heart. It says we were given new desires. It says the old you was crucified with Christ, and the new is here. How can you be ‘born again’ and still be the same evil person? You can’t! The truth is you can trust your new heart because it’s good.
What does the bible say about the NEW Christian heart? Is it evil or good?
[2 Cor 9:7] when addressing giving it tells us to “give from the HEART”. Hmmm, why do that if we can’t trust our hearts? Answer: Because we can.
[Rom 6:17] says we “became obedient from the HEART”.
And where is the love of God at? Rom 5:5 says it ‘poured into our HEARTS’.
I know we all still struggle with sin. Boy, I sure do. But our hearts are not causing it. Sin originates from a real external source – not from our new heart. That’s why we can say no to sin. That’s why we can live Godly lives. That’s what it means to be born again. We weren’t just saved. We were changed. It’s time we stop quoting OT verses and pre-salvation verses about our hearts and start trusting what God did ‘for’ us through our new births.
Take away: Believers are not evil people trying to be good. We are good people trying to avoid the deceit of sin.
Author: Mike Cynar
Mike Cynar was raised in a church setting where he frequently noticed that many attendees would eventually drift away. The church labeled these individuals as ‘back sliders’ or ‘fake Christians’ just looking for ‘fire insurance’. However, Mike realized the issue was rarely with these individuals but instead with the church’s message itself. The teachings heavily emphasized behavior improvement and one’s flaws, with only a fleeting mention of one’s identity in Christ. It felt as though every sermon was tailored to the church of Corinth, who as we know or committing sins that even unbelievers don’t partake in. This trend was noticeable not just in one denomination, but across Baptist, Catholic, Pentecostal, and many other churches. Upon understanding the true essence of the gospel – that our righteousness comes from Jesus’ actions, not our own – Mike was inspired to liberate believers from lifeless sermons and reconnect them with the genuine teachings of Jesus. He believes that one can nurture a vibrant and growing bond with Jesus, unhindered by rigid religious practices. And thus, “Jesus Without Religion” was born.
It turns out that it is grace that leads to repentance. And if our heart is to get others to walk in the Spirit and live a godly life, then the best approach is not a beat down sermon, but rather to remind other that it is only when we understand our true identity in Christ that we will live it out. Yes, it’s true, if you’re convinced that God thinks you’re a dirty sinner, you will ultimately continue a lifestyle that mirrors that view, but if you truly believe that even on your worst day, you are called holy, sanctified, justified, and will be presented blameless in the end, well, it turns out this is the secret to living out on the outside what has been worked in to the inside.
