Are You Only Born Again?

Over the years I've become intrigued by our fascination with the term "born again". Many times, upon walking into a church or meeting other believers, we'll hear the question: "Are you born again?" This question seems almost to be like a challenge, and the only way to get into "the clubhouse" is to reply with the password: "Yes, I'm born again."

But what do the scriptures say on the subject? How much ink is devoted to the idea of being born again?

Well, to start with we have John 3:3: Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." (ESV) This, of course, is the passage the entire idea of being born again is built on. The idea is also found in 1Pet. 1: 3, 22-23: According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. . . . Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God. (ESV)

But that's about it! Three or four verses, found in two chapters of the New Testament, and we seem to have built our entire theology of salvation on such thin support!

But what was Jesus' emphasis? What was it He said to those who were interested in His message?

Follow Me

If you search the Gospels you will find that the constant call of Jesus was: "Follow Me." We see this repeatedly:

Simon (Peter) and Andrew: "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Matt 4:19, ESV)
Matthew: As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me." (Matt. 9:9, ESV)
Levi: And he said to him, "Follow me." (Luke 4:27, ESV)
Phillip: He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." (John 1:43, ESV)

And that's just the tip of the iceberg:

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12, ESV)
If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. (John 12:26, ESV)

So we see that even John, the one who gave us the idea of being born again in the first place, speaks more of following Jesus than he does of being born again.

The Cost of Following

The final thing we see about following Jesus is the cost. For the rich young ruler the cost was everything he owned (Mark 10:21). For another it was a demand to leave his family, letting the dead bury their own dead (Luke 9:59). And for all that would follow Him it was a demand that they deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow Him (Luke 8:23). That is, they had to relinquish control of their lives and be willing to suffer humiliation and even death to follow Christ.

We see this again in Luke 14:25-33, where Jesus clearly warns the crowds that were following Him that they must choose Him over family (v. 26); that they must be willing to suffer the humiliation of the cross (v. 27); that they must specifically count the cost like a man who has to decide whether he has the resources to build a tower (v. 28-30); that they must decide if this is a war they truly want to fight (v. 31-32). He closes this string of thoughts by clearly stating that anyone who does not renounce all that he has cannot be Christ's disciple (v. 33). And when you consider that the Great Commision is to make disciples, not converts (see Matt. 28:19), this distinction is crucial.

So What Is The Difference?

So why am I making such a big deal over this? Very simply, because the difference between the two thoughts, that of being "born again" or "following Jesus", is like night and day. There are two crucial differences.

Being "born again" is a one-time event; it happens at a specific point in time and it is never repeated. Further, it is passive; it is something that happens to us, even if it happens as a result of a decision we might have made.

But becoming a follower of Jesus is an ongoing process; true, it has a beginning point, but it will continue for the rest of our lives. And finally, it is active; it is something we do.

Now, don't get me wrong - I'm not opposed to the idea of being born again. Rather, let's treat it as Jesus treated it, simply as the starting gate. Yes, you have to be born again to run the race. But the idea is to run the race, not to just sit in the starting gate and bask in our salvation. Jesus didn't call us to become "born again" just so we could go back home and watch the Raiders get clobbered yet again next Sunday morning, secure in our salvation. Rather, He calls us to be followers, active participants in our salvation:

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Eph 2:10, ESV)