Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again." (John 3:3, NIV)
What does it mean to be born again? Being born again can mean several things: your internal qualities are born again, the way you sense pleasure is born again and your perception of reality is born again.
1. YOUR INTERNAL QUALITIES ARE BORN AGAIN:
Your internal qualities have to change from selfishness to love of others, meaning you have to seek to benefit others instead of yourself.
When you're in selfishness you're not in the Kingdom of God. You see the Kingdom of God only when your internal qualities are in love of others.
First, you're born with the quality of selfishness, then you're born with the quality of love of others. Your internal qualities are born again.
Some people say they're "saved." What does it mean to be saved? It means you're saved from the quality of selfishness that keeps you separated from God. You enter the Kingdom of God and the quality of love of others. God saves you and brings you back to Him.
2. THE WAY YOU SENSE PLEASURE IS BORN AGAIN:
When you're in selfishness you sense the pleasures of this world and the five senses - food, sex, family, money, honor, knowledge and power.
When you're in love of others (seeking to benefit others instead of yourself), you sense the pleasures of the Kingdom of God. This pleasure is very intense and is greater than all other pleasures combined, rapture.
First, you sense the pleasures of this world, then you sense the pleasures of the Kingdom of God. The way you sense pleasure is born again.
3. YOUR PERCEPTION OF REALITY IS BORN AGAIN:
When you're in selfishness, you perceive a selfish world. Then you go through a change in the perception of your reality and you perceive an altruistic world. Your perception of reality is born again.
"Born again" can mean several things: your internal qualities are born again, the way you sense pleasure is born again and the way you perceive reality is born again.
Copyright © 2013, Carter Kagume. All Rights Reserved.
