當你說自己是「重生」的基督徒時，曾否有人請你解釋一下「重生」是什麼意思﹖你或許會發現要解釋這個名詞有點困難，請容我冒昧的代你說明你的意思。

        你的意思是：上帝的國度如今成了屬靈的實體──除非擁有新生的眼睛，否則看不到這個實體。你的肉眼看不到。但你還是要先有肉眼才能具備靈眼，那就是為什麼在你被聖靈生出之前，你必須先從肉體被生出來（「從水生的」）。先有肉體，再有靈。救恩不只關乎靈，也關乎肉身；耶穌不只關心人的靈，也醫治人的肉體。你必須有身體，不論是現在自然的身體，還是將來在永恆榮耀的靈體。

        你的另一個意思是說，這個屬靈的再生是聖靈──上帝自己──工作的結果。耶穌說：「從靈生的就是靈」。人會考慮相信耶穌，完全是出於聖靈主動的引領，人才會進一步決志接受基督，那就更不用說了。

        沒錯，這裡又出現了一個新的要素：「接受基督」。如果不相信並委身於基督，「重生」是沒有意義的。人子必須在十字架上被舉起來，好讓歷史上所有的人都能看見祂，並決定要不要相信祂。決定相信祂的人「就得永生」。

        最後，你說「重生」的意思是，你已經得著一個新的生命，是永遠不被侵犯的──沒有人能將此生命奪去。並不是說惡者不會企圖奪走你的這個生命，就算牠奪不走，在你不察覺的情況下，牠也會想盡辦法侵蝕你的生命。但，重生者「不至」滅亡。當撒但數點牠的戰果時，你不會在其中。你已經開始了新的生命。

        主啊，再次賜給我們重生充分的確據。我們有時需要再被提醒，「舊事已過，都變成新的了」（林後5：17）奉主耶穌基督聖名，阿們！

English

        Have you ever been challenged to explain what you mean by the term, when you refer to yourself, or to someone else, a “born-again” Christian? Maybe you’ve found it a bit difficult to say what you mean. If I can be so presumptuous, allow me to suggest what you mean!

        You mean that the kingdom of God is a spiritual reality – unseen except with newly born eyes. Your physical eyes won’t do. Although, ironically, as useless as your natural eyes are, you can’t have spiritual eyes until you have physical eyes. That’s why you’ve got to be naturally born (“of water...”) before you can be spiritually born (“… and the Spirit… - v.5). First flesh, then spirit. Jesus doesn’t relate to disembodied spirits in the human realm. You’ve got to have a body, both now (“au naturel”) and in eternity (“au glorified”).

        You also mean that this spiritual birth is affected by the Holy Spirit – God Himself. “Spirit gives birth to spirit”, Jesus says. It’s only at the initiative of the Spirit that any mere human spirit even considers, let alone commits itself to, coming to Christ.

        That’s right – I’ve just introduced a new ingredient: “coming to Christ”. Being “born again” is meaningless without belief in and commitment to Christ. “The Son of Man must be lifted up” on the cross so that all men and women throughout history can see Him and decide. If the decision is to believe, then the believer “may have eternal life”.

        Finally, you mean that you’ve been born to a new life that is eternally inviolable – no one can take it away from you. Not that the forces of evil won’t try to wrest it from you, or if that fails, to erode it from you casually and seemingly imperceptibly. But, in being born again you’ve been “saved” from destruction. When Satan counts his victims you won’t be among them. You’ve entered a new life.

        Lord, give us today the full assurance of having been “born again”. We sometimes need reminding that “old things have passed away and behold all things have become new” (2 Cor.5:17).