Born again means---ahh--hmmm.

I grew up with a pretty strong belief in what it means to be born again. While a bit of a caricature, a Catholic web page I consulted recently summarizes it reasonably well:

For an Evangelical, becoming "born again" often happens like this: He goes to a crusade or a revival where a minister delivers a sermon telling him of his need to be "born again." 

 

"If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and believe he died for your sins, you’ll be born again!" says the preacher. So the gentleman makes "a decision for Christ" and at the altar call goes forward to be led in "the sinner’s prayer" by the minister. Then the minister tells all who prayed the sinner’s prayer that they have been saved—"born again."

That same source (http://www.catholic.com/tracts/are-catholics-born-again) then gives a very different explanation from the Roman Catholic point of view:

When a Catholic says that he has been "born again," he refers to the transformation that God’s grace accomplished in him during baptism. 

Why am I concerned about this? Jesus told Nicodemus that he had to be born again. Nic was understandably disconcerted. As a leading member of the Pharisaic brotherhood, and a pious Jew, he doubtless assumed that his good standing before God was rooted in his heritage in the 'seed of Abraham'. Getting back into his mother's womb and starting over again seemed a bit over the top. 

He may have been amused at the suggestion, angry at having his time wasted by this strange preacher, or just plain bewildered at what Jesus could possibly mean. Jesus didn't elaborate on the subject but merely reiterated its importance (see the New Testament gospel of John 3:3-7).

So let's delve into this further. Its meaning is pretty important apparently. We can't see the kingdom of God without going through the process, as I noted in my previous post.

As is often the case, my first recourse is to that excellent resource Wikipedia. A quite comprehensive study of the term 'born again' can be found under 'Born again (Christianity)'. Of course, it does nothing to establish the exact meaning of the term, because there is a wide understanding of what being born again implies. But it is noted here (and elsewhere) that the original Greek word 'again' is better translated as 'from above'.

Jesus Christ used the "birth" analogy in tracing spiritual newness of life to a divine beginning. Contemporary Christian theologians have provided explanations for "born from above" being a more accurate translation of the original Greek word transliterated anōthen. Theologian Frank Stagg cites two reasons why the newer translation is significant:

1. The emphasis "from above" (implying "from Heaven") calls attention to the source of the "newness of life." Stagg writes that the word "again" does not include the source of the new kind of beginning
2. More than personal improvement is needed. "...a new destiny requires a new origin, and the new origin must be from God."

This is a good beginning. Whatever else it means, this experience originates with God alone and has to do with something new that is different from our physical start in life. And it certainly accords with related passages such as:

John 1:12-13 - Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. 

1 John 4:7 - Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 

1 Peter 1:22-23 - Now that you’ve cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it. Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God’s living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself!

Not just a fresh start, then. Not even an overhaul. It's what St. Paul called a new creation (Galatians 6:15). It doesn't come from being born into the right crowd, as Nicodemus believed. In fact, it has nothing to do with human birth at all, other than that we have to exist in order to be eligible. It can't be earned (Ephesians 2:8-9) or purchased (Acts 8:20), as the Bible makes clear again and again. It's a free gift from God. 

What else is it?