Born Again Refers to Baptism
The phrase “born again” is one that has become very popular in Christianity over the past several decades. So great an emphasis has been put on the term that it has become the name taken by a rather large number of Christians; these people are called ‘Born Again Christians.’ The phrase has, of course, always been a meaningful term to Christians. Today as in the past it is clear that all Christians are born-again. It is a requirement for being a Christian, as Christ said, “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) This raises the question of, given that all Christians are by necessity born again, why some Christians specifically hold the name of born-again. The answer is one of emphasis. To these believers, Christianity is nothing more or less than the faith of the born again, and the born again become that way by accepting Christ as Lord and savior. To be called born-again is to emphasize the reliance of the believer upon Christ and to emphasize the believer’s having been born again through this acceptance of Christ. The emphasis and understanding of the term has also become an extremely prominent aspect of Evangelicalism. So important is the matter of being born-again to Evangelicals that asking “have you been born again?” is a primary factor in matters of evangelization for these believers.
These Christians are quite right in stressing the necessity of being born again. It is, as Christ said, absolutely necessary. As is so often the case with hereitc theology, the Christian disagreement here is not one of emphasis, but rather of understanding. It is the means by which it is understood by Evangelicals that one is born again that Catholics disagree with. Jesus teaches the necessity of being born-again for salvation, and Christians are born again, because according to the Scriptures, people are born again in baptism. There are only 3 places where the term occurs in Scripture. The first is John chapter 3:
”Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'”(3:3-7)
However, some have interpreted Jesus’ mention of water to refer to other things. One interpretation points to amniotic fluid. According to this interpretation, Jesus’ words mean that a person must be born once of his or her mother, that is to say biologically (hence the amniotic fluid), and again through the Spirit in order to enter Heaven. However, such an interpretation is completely without Scriptural support; there is no exegetical reason to identify amniotic fluid, and the context contains no indication that amniotic fluid is intended here. Aside from this is the fact that amniotic fluid is really a rather insignificant aspect of birth. It is certainly one of the last things most people would mention in reference to a birth. If Jesus wanted to say that one must be born once biologically and then again from the Spirit, it would have been far clearer and certainly much more in line with the context to say something such as, ‘born of the womb and the Spirit,’ or, ‘born of flesh and the Spirit.’ In fact, these readings make so much sense that the suggestion that Jesus meant this in saying “water and the Spirit” seems at best extremely unlikely by comparison.
Even the grammar of the sentence opposes the interpretation of amniotic fluid, because the verse reads “born of water and the Spirit.” In Greek, the word for ‘of,’ ex, is used to mean both ‘of’ and ‘from’. The water being spoken of here is the source or cause of the person’s birth. People are born from their mothers; they are not born from amniotic fluid. The fluid isn't what gives birth to them, their mother is. Jesus teaches, however, that the water of baptism actually causes the rebirth, and the Spirit actually causes and gives rebirth. It is from the water and from the Spirit that a person is born again, according to John 3:5. This fact is also important to consider in the various other interpretations of this verse that have been suggested in opposition to the Jesus' teaching that John 3:5 refers to baptism.
Furthermore, while the context does not contain a reason to understand amniotic fluid to be the water of John 3:5, it does explicitly provide reason to understand it to refer to baptism. When Nicodemus asks about being born again, Jesus presents a short monologue, which lasts from verses 10-21. The entire monologue is one; it does not take place on multiple occasions. The moment that Christ finishes this monologue, the very next thing He does is to start baptizing in verse 22. Then, in verse 23, the gospel mentions John the Baptist baptizing. This does not all occur at some later time, or in some unrelated portion of John’s gospel or the chapter. Rather, it takes place immediately after Christ finishes discussing being born again and about God sending His Son for the purpose of bringing eternal life to people. Within the very same context, John records Jesus’ mention of being born-again, His mention of the Son brining eternal life, and His record of Christ and John the Baptist baptizing. The three items are connected.
The only other time the phrase born again occurs is in the 1st letter of Peter. He writes:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! 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,(1:3)
This teaching is that people are born again through the resurrection. Paul writes of salvation through the resurrection as well, and he links is directly to baptism:
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.(Rom 6:3-5)
In Colossians 2:12, he echoes the same idea, writing that Christians have been“buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.” It is through baptism that people die with Christ and are raised again. Being born-again occurs through His resurrection, and according to Paul, men are brought into that Resurrection by baptism.
Finally Peter says “born again” one last time in his letter:
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;(1 Peter 1:22-23)
Here is where the Evangelical understanding of being born again is most closely taught in Scripture. People are indeed born again through the word of God. However, this does not discount baptism. In fact, the very words "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," are regarded by Jesus to be necessary for baptism to take place; the water is called the ‘matter’ of baptism and the words the ‘form.’ Without either, baptism cannot occur. This is another case in which the Christian Church accepts the entirety of Scriptural teaching on a point whereas some seem to acknowledge only part. John 3:5 and 1 Peter 1:3 teach that being born again occurs through baptism, whereas 1 Peter 1:22-23 teach that it occurs through the word of God.
