What do people mean by being Born Again or Saved?

To be born again – this is what Jesus said one must be in order to see the Kingdom of God. The term has gotten so fuzzy and confusing for so many. It comes from John 3 where a Pharisee, Nicodemus, comes to Jesus to ask him about God and Jesus replies:

“I tell you the truth; no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'”

In essence Jesus is saying that in the same way a woman gives birth to a baby (flesh to flesh) so the Spirit of God gives birth to the human spirit (spirit to spirit). Jesus goes on in this chapter and says the Spirit is like the wind, unpredictable and unable to be caught. To be born again means to allow the Holy Spirit to blow upon your spirit and infuse it with the life of God. This is parallel to when God created Adam and breathed his Spirit into him.

The Bible also says that no one comes to the Father unless the Spirit draws him. This is why when we share our faith with unbelievers our goal isn’t to convert them but to simply share the love of God with them. Some plant, others water and still others reap the harvest. When you share the love of God with other people leave the work of the Spirit to the Spirit. He will draw their heart and in due time they too will understand what it means to be born again.

The term, 'saved' isn’t seen very often in the Bible but has become very popular in our modern Christian circles. If you lived a life of sin, darkness and desperation and then Jesus found you and forgave you, you know why someone would say they are saved. They got rescued from the heaviness of the cares and temptations of this world. They were empty, lost and all alone and then God saved them, rescued them and delivered them. No matter how 'good' or 'bad' you may think you are - we are all in a desperate state of need; some are just blinder to it than others. This is why we all need to be saved. We all need to be rescued from the deception and evil of our souls.

These terms may sound a bit confusing but when you understand them for what they are they are truly simple. The message of these terms is that we, as humanity, are in need of rescuing and there is only one who can literally save us. Jesus made the way for everyone to come to Father and have the Father give birth to his Spirit in us, his people.