Born-again in a nutshell
The First Birth
The first birth is physical; it comes from a mother's womb. Those who are not physically born cannot see this world nor enter it. For one to be physically born, they must stay in the mother's womb for nine months. To be physically born, the baby does nothing — and cannot do anything. While lying in the womb, they don't even know themselves. The baby makes no effort to be born, and doesn't feel pain when being born; only the mother feels it. No one knows their own natural birth. Through believing what mothers tell them, people accept it.
In Adam to In Christ
Likewise being born again is like the first birth. Because we are all born from Adam, we inherit all of Adam's condition. There is no effort to become a different race — anyone born into a particular race becomes that race. Likewise, everyone born from Adam becomes together with Adam a sinner, a child of Satan, and a slave of sin. God will not accept an Adam-child, a Satan-child, or a child of sin into the kingdom of heaven. Only by being born again as a child of God can one enter God's kingdom. You are in Adam through your natural birth. And God placed you in Christ Jesus. The Bible says, " It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus" (1 Corinthians 1:30). Therefore, you are already in Christ Jesus; you must believe this. To be in Christ is to die together with Him. For the Bible so states: "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15:22)
The Old Man Dies
The one who is in Adam is called the old man. That old man is a sinner and a slave of sin; therefore he cannot hear God's voice. Religion tries to teach the old man how to become good, but no matter how much one teaches the old man to hear God's word, it is useless, because that old man is a slave of sin, and his master is sin. Therefore God kills that old man. The Bible says: "We know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. For anyone who has died has been freed from sin." (Romans 6:6-7). Our old man is dead; therefore we are freed from the slavehood of sin. One buries a dead person. The Bible writes: "Or aren’t you aware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death." (Romans 6:3-4). Baptism means burial. In Christ Jesus you have died and been buried.
The New Birth
After being buried in Christ Jesus, it is written thus regarding our resurrection together with Him: "Just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:4). When we are resurrected together with Christ, we do not rise again as an old man but rise as a new man. This rising is the new birth. Therefore the new birth is not by human effort nor by God's law-keeping, but it is the work of God through Christ Jesus (John 1:13). It is neither a mere moral change nor an attempt at religious discipline. Only by killing us in Christ Jesus, burying us, and raising us up to newness can the new birth happen. When one understands and accepts this work of God, anyone can be born again. So the question comes down to this: do you believe that you have been born again through Christ Jesus?
To Become a Child
People often assume that whoever is born again will live an extremely good and upright life. But when one is born anew, it does not mean they are born as an adult who can do anything; rather, they are born as a little child. When a baby is born, although they become a member of the family, they have no responsibility to carry out yet. Likewise, when spiritual rebirth happens, even though one becomes a member of God's family and will reach heaven, their ability to do much is very limited. People tend to think that once they're "born again" it's finished. But being born as a child is not the end — it is only the beginning. The baby must still grow up and mature. Likewise, whoever is born again must still grow and mature. When a baby doesn't grow, the baby themselves do not feel unwell; only the parents are sad. Likewise, when spiritual babies don't grow, people don't see it as a problem, but God and the spiritual Father and Mother feel sad.
Cleanliness
Every baby gets dirty. They smear their own waste all over their bodies. Therefore parents must give them baths. Because parents clean their babies, people tend to want to kiss every baby. Likewise, spiritual babies are so clean at birth that everyone tends to love them. But just as a baby who crawls around on hands and knees picks up whatever it finds on the floor and puts it in its mouth, so too do spiritual babies who don't grow — they tend to engage in drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, chewing betel nut, and drinking beer, etc., thinking this doesn't affect their salvation. They also think there's nothing wrong with partying, chasing entertainment — getting hooked on TV, the internet, or video games. Yet they have no desire to pray, read the Bible, bear witness, or hear God's word. These behaviors show that, despite being born, they are still children. When a child grows up into a youth, they absolutely refuse to do childlike things. Paul said, "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I set aside childish ways." (1 Corinthians 13:11). Therefore if a believer still does something unclean, they are a child; and if cleanliness becomes their priority, it shows they are becoming youth. If work becomes their focus, one can tell they have reached adulthood..
Children Are Included Too
It is preached that not everyone who is born again will be included in the rapture; only those with a clean life and those awaiting Christ's return. Therefore some people quit chewing betel nut, smoking cigarettes, and drinking alcohol. Quitting these things is very good, but it doesn't mean they'll be included in the rapture simply because they don't use them. When a family moves to a new home, would any adult ever move out and leave behind their children who aren't clean? No — there are no parents who would do that. Parents won't abandon such unclean children. They don't wait until the kids are old enough or clean enough; when it's time to move, even dirty children go along with them, because they're family members.
The Corinthian church were also children. Paul said: "Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly—as infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for solid food. In fact, you are still not ready, for you are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and dissension among you, are you not worldly? Are you not walking in the way of man?" (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). The Corinthian church were spiritual children who lived in a natural, worldly way. They drank only spiritual milk, and they still had envy, strife, and divisions. But it is written that they would be included in the rapture like this: "Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)
Some worry that if one teaches like the above, people will live careless lives. It's true that saying those with unclean lives will also be included in the rapture can cause them to live a careless lives. But by teaching them to grow and mature, they can live clean and godly lives.
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