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, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, (I Peter 1:3,4 ESV)
Born Again
It is time to reclaim the phrase, “born again” from a common misunderstanding. Being born again has come to mean, even among Christians, as having a religious experience that results from a decision, involves a lot of tears, and makes saintly aunts rejoice.
But being born again, while perhaps leading to those things, is actually something God does for us.
When my grandfather was teaching me to play chess, he had a strange rule. At any point in the game, I could ask to start over. It seems like an odd way to teach anything. But it helped me overcome the despair that arose when I became hopelessly entangled in the effects of a poorly chosen move.
That is why God causes His people to be born again.
When we reach the point of despair, knowing how our bad decisions and actions have ruined everything, God says we can start over, in His eyes.
It happens through clinging to Christ, it happens through acknowledging and hating our old self, it happens through Christ’s love… but we get to start over.
We are peculiar, we can be born again.