What it means to be ‘born again’
It is not as simple as some would have you think
By Rev. Dr. David V. Mason
“The essence of the Gospel is transformation.”
I remember Father Wes Seeliger, long-time Houstonian and Episcopal priest, telling me this some 20 years ago. He was right then and he’d be right today if he was still with us. Twenty years prior to that, this was my senior quote: “There is no growth without change. He who has changed much has grown much.”
Some changes in our lives are unavoidable — the onslaught of puberty will arrive whether we’re ready for it or not. So will middle age and old age; all we need to do is stay alive and it settles in on us. Other changes we can decide for ourselves — what to study in school, which job to pursue, whom to marry.
In Chapter 3 of John’s Gospel, Nicodemus asks Jesus a vital, honest question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” In this gospel, Nicodemus is challenged to undergo a real transformation, nothing surface level. What greater change is there than to be “born again?” Born anew in the Spirit? Jesus told this man that everything must change for him, or at least that he must willingly be transformed into newness, to see and experience anew and then behave differently. Are any of us capable of so much change at all at once? However, it doesn’t have to be all at once. At this juncture I feel I must address those whose scalp-hunting form of evangelism has shunned the best interpretations of these verses. The crucial phrase is, “You must be born again.” To them, the threat of Hell is behind these words and you had better believe — and believe as their church does — or God will lock the pearly gates with you on the outside and the in-your-face proselytizer on the inside smugly declaring, “You missed your chance!”
Surely, this is theological misconduct.
This judgmental, coercive means of evangelizing often is used to exert power by accusing and condemning; historically, it was used to spark fear of damnation in the poor and uneducated.
My dearly departed yet cynical friend, Dr. Robert T. Hawkes, Jr., of Virginia, was fond of saying to evangelicals: “So, you found an ancient book (Bible) that lets you form your own private club that gets you into heaven and sends me to Hell — how nice that must be for
you.” He reminded me that any thoughtful rendering of Jesus’s message is practically the opposite of that mentality.
A Methodist, Hawkes was fond of assessing their Sunday morning worship thusly: “If Jesus himself were to stand in the back of this sanctuary during worship, the Lord would be very confused.” Considering all the robes, vestments, paraments, candles, incense, musical instruments, money offerings and so on, I’d say Hawkes was quite right.
The evangelical literalist types, even if well-intentioned, offer only a flawed version of Jesus’s truth in John 3. Here’s why: Jesus himself rebuked the literal interpretation that Nicodemus places on the phrase “born again.” (Actually, Nicodemus scoffs at it too.) No, of course you can’t re-enter your mother’s womb — don’t be silly. So what then does this massive transformation — being “born again” — mean in their context, and ours?
It’s figurative and metaphorical, not literal. It’s bound up with our notions of salvation and our need for it — always has been. Nicodemus doesn’t understand so Jesus clarifies and says he must be born of the Spirit. Interpret that however you wish but at the very least it means a conscientious decision made with clear intention and real conviction.
We’d like this all to be simple but I’m afraid it’s not.
The Apostle Paul adds this about transformation: “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” (Romans 12:2 RSV)
Be transformed in your mind. Not by physical circumcision, baptism, bar mitzvah or any religious rite of passage — engage your mind. Use your head. Understand that changing your mind will change your life. And know this: Salvation is transformation — and transformation takes time.
Hyman Schachtel, former Senior Rabbi at Temple Beth Israel here in Houston, used to visit with me. One time I told him the story of seeing Billy Graham on TV speaking to thousands in a stadium. As many came down from the stands after his urging them to accept Christ into their lives, he would look directly into a camera for a close-up and say, “... and if you’re in a hotel room watching this and you now want your life to be transformed and saved today, just walk over to your TV set, kneel in front of it, put your hand on the screen and repeat this Sinner’s Prayer after me.”
I can still see Schachtel shaking his head slowly.
“David, if it’s that easy to enter the Christian faith,” Schachtel said, “it’s that easy to leave.”
He was right.
To truly be a Christian (or Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu — I’ll dare to say) means you must willingly undergo transformation. Redirect your mind’s life, with divine help, as a conscious act of volition. You must undergo the transformative process and strive to achieve newness of life. If you’re not living now with the fulfillment, joy and purpose that you seek, join the club. I’m a member myself.
Change is inevitable; our acceptance of it is not. Expect that your transformation will come from within. I’ll also state, from my own experience in the pastorate, that your salvation may involve as much unlearning as learning.
So get ready. Remember, true conversion is not quick, simple or easy. Real transformations take time.
I’ll add one last note: The final transformation we will undergo is ending our lives here. Let’s not be surprised — we may have more to say about what follows than we think.
Wherever you are today, whatever your situation, move forward boldly. Don’t be afraid to change. Transformation is both vital and life-giving. Be open and willing to undergo a personal reevaluation and then redirect your own life with divine help.
Go ahead, be born again.
The Rev. Dr. David V. Mason has served parishes in the United Church of Christ and the Disciples of Christ. He also teaches college philosophy and literature and has penned four novels for young adults.