I frequently hear or read about folks mentioning that they are “Born Again”, and I used to wonder exactly what they meant when they did so … So I did a little research, and I found out that — for the most part — being “Born Again” (in the traditional, religious sense) entails a person openly & completely giving his or her entire life to Jesus Christ; for him or her to devoutly worship Jesus as the only Son of God that ever was or ever will be; and for him or her to bow down to Jesus as their “only Lord & Savior” — developing a personal relationship with his resurrected spirit and thereby becoming eligible to live forever in Heaven with God after his or her physical body dies.

Fair enough … Though there is no practical evidence that these folks are correct, and while there are more than a few moral inconsistencies that such a belief system brings into being, I must humbly admit that these “fundamentalist” (or “evangelical”) Christians MIGHT actually be right … Like every other sentient being on this phenomenally diverse & remarkably beautiful planet, we do not know with any certainty what awaits us on the other side of death’s portal, and like every other sentient being on this planet — including those Christians aforementioned — we’ll just have to wait and see. Frankly, I’m pretty sure myself that the only thing that is guaranteed with regards to the Hereafter is that we are ALL going to be more than a bit surprised by what we find (or what we don’t).

That having been said, it IS quite interesting to learn the little-known fact that Jesus himself had a very different opinion as to what being “Born Again” is and what becoming “Born Again” entails …

*For starters, Jesus’ version of “Born Anew” was not a “merit badge” that one could permanently attain with but a single experience of fervent belief, or a single professing of sincere subservience, or a single redemption by religious ritual. No, for Jesus at least, being “Born Again” was an flowing and fluid experience that by its nature could NOT ever last. It could be renewed as often as one wished, and yet continually renewed it must be.

*Secondly, Jesus felt that one became truly “Born of the Spirit” only while acting accordingly — only by serving the downtrodden in one’s midst; only by sacrificing one;s own comfort to enhance the Peace of another; only by forgiving those who annoy or harm us their trespasses; only by giving to the poor past the point of convenience; only by being openly Kind to strangers; and only by humbly & courageously Loving our enemies. For Jesus at least, THIS was the what it meant to be “Born Again”, and THIS was the way he wanted others to enliven his teachings and thereby obey his only two Commandments (Matthew 22:37-40 + John 13:15-17).

And finally, Jesus made it pretty clear that he was NOT giving any advice or offering any wisdom on how to get into Paradise after we die. Rather, he was almost obsessed with telling others over & over & over again how they could enter his “Kingdom of Heaven” right here & right now — in every moment of their lives — BEFORE they died (Luke 17:20-21).

In closing, then, what is really fantastic about this Biblical teaching is that ANYONE & EVERYONE can put it into practice RIGHT NOW — indeed, in every single moment for the rest of your lives can you do so. All that is required is the humility to stop worrying about yourself, the decency to look around and find someone nearby who could use a bit of Kindness, and then the courage to extend them the same — openly if they are a stranger, and anonymously if they are friend.

That’s it! Every time you do so, you will enter the “Kingdom of God” Jesus mentioned in John chapter 3 … and every time you don’t you won’t. How often you do so is completely up to you. True, this way of being might not get you into Paradise after you die, and yet it most definitely WILL get you into Heaven while you are still alive.

Amen … Let it be so.

“Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born anew.’ And Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born again?’ And Jesus answered, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of both water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is Spirit.* Do not be astonished that I said, “You all must be born anew.” For the wind* blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know from where it comes or to where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’ And Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can this be?’ And Jesus answered him, ‘How can you be a teacher of Israel and not understand these things?'” ~ John 3:1-10

(*Both “wind” & “Spirit” in this passage are translated from the same Greek word.)