What Does It Mean to Be Born Again?There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.John 3:1-3, 7In this passage, Jesus had a discussion with a man called Nicodemus. Jesus was at home one night when Nicodemus came to Him. Nicodemus was a very important person in town. The Bible says he was a ruler of the Jews, a master of Israel, a leader in the synagogues. Nicodemus went to see Jesus at night, so that all the people who respected him would not see him. This prominent Jewish leader said something to Jesus, which prompted Him to give an interesting reply. Nicodemus told Jesus that he recognized Him as a great man of God. Jesus saw right through him and replied, “You must be born again. You are a good person. I know you pay tithes and fast often. You are a Pharisee, and a ruler of the Jews, but you still need to be born again!”Now, the questions we have to ask ourselves are these: “Why did Jesus tell Nicodemus that he had to be born again?” “Why did He launch out into this sermon?” The word “born” means “to be produced or created”. Therefore, to be “born again” means “to be produced or created again”.There are lots of people doing all sorts of religious things. These religious activities make people look like and feel that they are Christians, but actually they are not. Being religious does not make you born again. Such people are not born again. Indeed, apart from Christianity there is no religion that requires a person to be born or created again. All the major religions of this world give instructions for their followers to obey. There is, however, no religion that claims an inner new birth. Christianity stands alone in this claim!To understand what it means to be born again, we can look at what being born again is not! To understand the Bible better, I often try to look at the opposite of what is written. This can be very revealing. For example: “...Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). The opposite of this is: “...Do not seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these things shall not be added unto you.” It is as simple as that. If you do not seek first the Kingdom of God, you cannot expect God to give you the things you need. So, to understand the concept of being born again, we are going to look at twenty things that are NOT the same as being born again.Twenty Things That Are Not the Same as Being Born Again1. Admiring miracles is not the same as being born again.Whenever there is a miracle worker, large crowds gather. These crowds are often not stable crowds; they only gather for a reason and for a season. The large crowds who gather to experience miracles are not necessarily born again.When Jesus himself organized miracle crusades, large crowds gathered but when he began teaching certain hard truths, he was deserted by all, except the twelve disciples (John 6). A deep admiration for miracles is not the same as being born again.2.Befriending a man of God is not the same as being born again.Nicodemus got acquainted with Jesus and became His friend. In the same way, there are many who have become friends of pastors and men of God. Jesus did not say, “Except a man has a pastor as his friend….” He did say, “...except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3).3.Giving money to a church is not the same as being born again.Giving money to a church is not the same as being born again. Some people have given money to churches for many years, but that is not a substitute for being born again. It will not result in the giver receiving special treatment at the gates of Heaven. Though it is good to give to God, no matter how much money you contribute to the church, you still need to be born again. 4.Joining a church is not the same as being born again.A person may join a church by registering as a member of that church and still not be born again. I have been in church all my life but I did not get born again until I was a teenager. In “religious” countries such as many African countries, you could easily be a member of a church, and not be born again.5.Playing a role in a church is not the same as being born again.It is possible to play a prominent role in church without being born again. For instance, during an altar call in our church, some choristers responded to the call to give their lives to Christ. They were members of the choir, but were not born again Christians. A person who is not born again may get involved in church activities and even become a priest. There are priests standing behind the “sacred desks” in many churches who are not born again! Playing a role in church is not the same as being born again.6.Praying every day is not the same as being born again.Praying every day is not the same as being born again. When I was a child, I approached a priest and asked him, “Sir, how can I go to Heaven?”He said, “My son, pray ‘Hail Mary’ three times a day, and ‘Our Father’ once a day, and you will go to Heaven.” I thanked him, and began to pray every day, reciting The Lord’s Prayer and Hail Mary. Oh, how I prayed! But, that was not the way to salvation! I diligently followed my priest’s instructions but I was still not born again. You may be very religious, but if you are not born again, you will die and go to Hell. 7.Reading the Bible is not the same as being born again.Reading the Bible and quoting the Scriptures is not a guarantee of salvation. You may be able to quote the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. This does not mean that you are born again. There are theologians who have degrees in all sorts of theological studies, but are not born again.8.Being baptized is not the same as being born again.Baptism is not the same as being born again. Jesus Himself commanded us to be baptized, but He said baptism should follow salvation. Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved...Mark 16:15, 16You have to believe before you are baptized. It has become some people’s tradition to baptize little babies when they are a few days old. How can you believe when you are eight days old?Baptism is immersion in water: a sign to the person being baptized and to all witnesses that he is now born again. The “old man” of sin goes down into the water and the “new man” recreated in Christ emerges. We know that baptism is a sign of what has happened on the inside. This is because when you are born again, nothing actually happens physically for those around to see. So, being baptized becomes a physical sign of what happened inside but is not the same as being born again.9.Being “confirmed” in a church is not the same as being born again.In some churches, a person is baptized by the sprinkling of water on him when he is a few days old. It is expected that when he grows up he will come back to the church to confirm his Christianity. This is what is known as “confirmation”. I think that what really happened is this: At some point in the development of Christianity, people felt that they were “big-shots”, too big to be immersed publicly in water. It was humiliating for them to be put into water publicly, so I believe it was arranged for people to be baptized as children. Then, when they grew up, they were confirmed. The result of this has been the creation of a large sea of confirmed sinners and unbelievers who are deceived that they are born again. Being confirmed is not the same as being born again.10.Taking Holy Communion is not the same as being born again.Taking Holy Communion is not the same as being born again. It does not matter how much of the communion wine you drink, or how much of the bread you eat. Taking Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper is actually meant for born-again Christians, who eat the bread and drink the wine in remembrance of Christ’s death. However, it is now common to find Reverend Ministers serving communion to die-hard sinners who come to church on special occasions. Pastors also serve Holy Communion to unbelievers who are on their deathbeds, approaching the gates of Hell. But eating a big loaf of bread and drinking a whole crate of communion wine cannot save your soul and does not make you born again. 11.Being in a Christian family is not the same as being born again.Being in a Christian family is not the same as being born again. I was brought up in a “Christian” family. I was baptized as a baby, and then confirmed later. I was also given a Bible and a hymn book by my godmother in England, but it just gathered dust on the shelf. I was in the church with my family for years until I became born again. There was a definite point in my life when I got born again.I find that religious people are surprised (like Nicodemus), when they are told they must be born again. They believe they have been devoted “Christians” all their lives, probably singing all the hymns, songs and doxologies they know. If some young man comes along to tell such religious people that they need to be born again, you can understand their surprise. Indeed, a “Christian” upbringing is no substitute for being born again.12. Using Christian jargon is not the same as being born again.Using Christian jargon is not the same as being born again. Examples of these are: “Praise the Lord”, “Hallelujah”, “Glory”, “Be blessed”, and “Amen, brother!” I have worked with people in various Christian groups. There are times I have felt that some of these people were not really born again. I doubted if they were really Christians, yet they were so rich in Christian jargon. When they met you, they knew exactly what they were supposed to say.13. Denominationalism is not the same as being born again.Denominationalism, or “Churchianity”, is not the same as being born again. Being a member of one of the great denominations of our day does not make you a born-again Christian. You may be in the Lighthouse Church, but be an unbeliever. In the same way, you may be in the Methodist Church, but simply be a Methodist unbeliever. The Catholic Church is a very powerful denomination, which I really respect. In my estimation, many churches are not as devoted and as charitable as the Catholic Church. Many Charismatic and Pentecostal pastors have a lot to learn from our Catholic brothers. When I was in the medical school, I had the opportunity to learn first-hand about the Catholic Relief Services. They offer wonderful social, medical, and relief services. God bless their hearts for all their efforts. However, it is my duty to inform all Catholics, Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists, Pentecostals and Lighthouse members that they must be born again. Being part of your great denomination does not mean that you are born again. 14.Being a moralist is not the same as being born again.Being a moralist is not the same as being born again. There are some people who have very high morals. But having good morals is not the same as being born again.For instance, there are some people who would never break their marriage vows. I once spoke to an unbeliever, who belonged to an occult group. He told me he had been married for seventeen years but had never been unfaithful to his wife, even though she could not have a child. This is a test many born-again Christians may not be able to pass. Many people go outside their marriages and break their wedding vows in order to have children. But listen, being such a moralist does not mean you are born again. I congratulate you for your morality. I respect you for the fact that you never commit adultery or fornication. I am glad that you are not into pornography or prostitution, but I must still inform you that you must be born again! Nicodemus was a moralist, that is why he was so surprised when Jesus told him that he needed to be born again. “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”15. Being principled is not the same as being born again.Being a man of principles is not the same as being born again. Some people are very principled and will not cheat you, even if they have the opportunity to do so. Sometimes people cheat in examinations, but such principled people will not have anything to do with it! I have found it more difficult to bring principled, moral people to Christ. Hard-core sinners are more aware that they need God. A very principled person sees no reason why he must be saved. His excuse is often, “Why? I am a good person, why should I change?” “Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you” (Matthew 21:31).There are principled doctors who are not born again, who simply refuse to do abortions. To them, abortion is murder. Yet, even such principled doctors need to be born again. 16. Being respectable is not the same as being born again.Being respectable is not the same as being born again. Indeed, you may have been respected in society for many years. All your life you may have been singled out and given leadership responsibilities. Perhaps, you are a person in authority now. You could be the President of a country, a parliamentarian, a Minister of State, a King, a Chief, a headmaster or headmistress. Such positions are held in high esteem. Do not be deceived. That respect accorded you does not mean you are born again. Jesus says to the President, “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”17. Being popular is not the same as being born again.Being popular or famous is not the same as being born again. I remember a particular short young man who was extremely popular in my school. Whenever he walked in or out of any school gathering, there was a great uproar, as everybody cheered him on. He was a very popular guy but he still needed to be born again! You may be popular. People may hail you wherever you go, but you still need to be born again! Popular politicians need to be born again in spite of their popularity. In spite of their popularity they must still be born again! People may like you. Everybody may be pleased with you. Yet, being popular is not the same as being born again. Marvel not that I say unto you, you must be born again.18. Obeying a new set of rules is not the same as being born again.Being born again is not the same as obeying a new set of rules. When you join a club, such as an Old Boys’ Association or a Keep Fit Club, you may be presented with a new set of rules. My wife’s school, Wesley Girls’ High School, had as its motto: “Live pure, Speak true, Right wrong and Follow the King”. This set of rules may be your guiding principle. But you still need to be born again. There are also people who are rich in wise sayings. In Ghana, one of our popular wise sayings can be translated as, “The animal without a tail is protected by God”. The deeper meaning of this is, “God takes care of the fatherless”. How wise and impressive this sounds! Another wise saying goes like this: “The old man who is sitting at the foot of the irokko tree sees further than the young man who climbs to the top of the tree.” Wow! How wise and how deep! Another wise saying is, “A stranger has eyes but he cannot see.” This is fantastic. These sayings are really deep. Such deep wisdom does not mean that you are born again.Throughout your entire life you may be guided by these nice-sounding wise quotes. However, Jesus says to you, “You must still be born again.”19. Being a good spouse is not the same as being born again.Being a good wife or a good husband does not mean that a person is born again. You may love your husband, look after him, submit to him, support him and pray for him but it does not mean you are born again. You may be living happily together, but it does not mean you will go to Heaven. Good family people are often surprised when you tell them to be born again. They will say, “Look at me! What is wrong with me? I am a good person, and this is my happy wife. I have a good life, a good family and nice children. We are living happily ever after! What could be better than that?”I agree to all that you have said, but you still need to be born again.20. Being rich or poor is not the same as being born again.Being rich or poor is not the same as being born again. Being poor in this life is all the more reason why you must be born again. Your poverty and suffering in this life should not deceive you into thinking that there will be peace after death. If you are not born again, your poverty will not save you. You still need to be born again. Otherwise you will go to Hell and live in torment for eternity.If you are very rich and everything is going well, you may think you don’t need to add anything to your life. Jesus says to the rich and the poor alike, “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” In Luke 16:19-31, we read about the rich man. He was a fool, not because he was rich, but because in his rich state he did not acknowledge God. Often, rich people forget about God. Do not be just a rich man; be a wise and rich person.When the rich man found himself in Hell he became a virtual evangelist urging people to rise from the dead to take the message to his brothers. Mr. Rich Man, do not be surprised that you must be born again. You need to believe in God. You need to believe in Jesus.