Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - BORN AGAIN

 BORN AGAIN*

In John chapter 3, Nicodemus said to Jesus:

“…no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

(verse 2)

Jesus replied:

“…unless one is born again, 

he cannot see the kingdom of God…

[and] …unless one is born of water and the Spirit, 

he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

(verse 3&5)

It was in this particular chapter that the phrase of bring “born again” is first mentioned. But it wasn’t Nicodemus who was first to be in this category, nor was it even the disciples of Jesus who were the first to be “born again” - even though they were the first to be given the Holy Spirit by Jesus. When Christ met His disciples in a room after the resurrection…

…He breathed on them, and said to them, 

"Receive the Holy Spirit.” 

(John 20:22)

In fact, the first person to be “born again” was Jesus Himself. John asserted, in the first chapter of his gospel, that:

He was in the beginning with God. 

(John 1:2) 

And Jesus Himself stated:

“…O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, 

with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”

(John 17:5)

So, Jesus became the only begotten (born) son of God when He left His spiritual existence to enter an earthly life. In a sense, He had to learn how to function with man’s sight, hearing, and touch along with other functions required of an earthly being. By so doing, He, of spirit, was “born again” into flesh so that we, who are born of flesh, may be “born again” into spirit. We do this by following Him who has been reborn a further time back to spirit. And, as He had to learn how to function as human, so we will have to learn to function as spirit.

In that way, we will all become begotten sons and daughters of God; born of the Father and into His eternity. This might be a little different way of looking at the concept of being “born again” but…

…it is certainly something to think about.

* Concept from The Book of Mysteries by Jonathan Cahn day 241