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A12
Being Born Again from Above

A12

We are to be born again from above.

Category: Godliness, Holiness & Righteousness

Type: Positive

Form: Explicit

Source dataset: Old Testament

Uniqueness: Not unique

Classical commandment: No

New Covenant Literal Application

Applies to Person Categories: Everyone

Literal Application: mandated

More explanation about New Covenant Literal Application

The New Covenant Literal Application Code (NCLA) is an interpretive guide used by the authors to indicate which person categories a mitzvah applies to, and at what level of literal compliance.

It combines person categories such as Jewish, K'rov Yisrael, and Gentile, together with male/female distinctions and an application level such as mandated, recommended, optional, or prohibited.

This code reflects the authors' interpretive opinion and is provided for prayerful consideration. On this page, the technical code is summarized into plain language to help new readers understand it more easily.

Detailed codes: GFm - Gentile female, mandated | GMm - Gentile male, mandated | JFm - Jewish female, mandated | JMm - Jewish male, mandated | KFm - K'rovat Yisrael female, mandated | KMm - K'rov Yisrael male, mandated

Read the full explanation from the source

Bible references

Key NT Scriptures
  • John 3:1-16
Supportive NT Scriptures
  • Acts 4:12
  • 2 Corinthians 5:17
  • Ephesians 4:4-9
  • John 5:24
  • Mark 16:16
  • 1 Peter 1:3
  • 1 Peter 1:23
  • Romans 1:16
  • Romans 5:8
  • Romans 6:3-5
  • Romans 10:8-9
  • Titus 3:4-6

Bible verses copyright: PUBLIC DOMAIN except in the United Kingdom, where a Crown Copyright applies to printing the KJV. See http://www.cambridge.org/about-us/who-we-are/queens-printers-patent

Commentary

Rabbi Michael Rudolph

The common understanding of scholars is that Yeshua's exhortation to Nicodemus in John 3:7 that he "must be born again from above" was a reference to his first birth being from the waters of natural childbirth. There is, however, another way to understand this, and that is that man's first birth was also from above - from the waters of creation ( Genesis 1:1-2 ) - and that man's original death due to Adam's disobedience required that he be "born again from above" in order for him to have eternal life, which was God's original intention. One might argue that being "born again" (while it is God's desire for us all) is not a true mitzvah because the power to accomplish it is God's and not ours. True, the supernatural power to cause a man to be born from above is God's alone, but God gave us the key to unleash His power by receiving His son Yeshua - our Messiah - as we read in John 3:14-16 : Just as Moshe lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that everyone who trusts in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only and unique Son, so that everyone who trusts in him may have eternal life, instead of being utterly destroyed. Trusting [NKJ: Believing in] Yeshua as our Messiah (savior) means repenting of our former unbelief and accepting his sacrificial death as ours, and our means of receiving God's forgiveness. Now every cohen stands every day doing his service, offering over and over the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this one, after he had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, sat down at the right hand of God, from then on to wait until his enemies be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has brought to the goal for all time those who are being set apart for God and made holy. ( Hebrews 10:11-14 ) As a Messianic Jewish believer in Yeshua I am sometimes confronted with the following question or a variation of it: "I consider myself a good person. All the things the Bible teaches I try to do, and all the virtues the Bible teaches I try to have. Are you telling me that just because I do not believe that Yeshua is the Messiah I am destined for Hell?" My answer to the question is always the same: "Your standing with God and your salvation are not for me to judge, nor is it for me to tell God whom he can save and whom He cannot. I can only tell you that Acts 4:12 of the New Covenant Scriptures teaches that " There is salvation in no one else " [meaning no one other than Yeshua], and that "there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by whom we must be saved! " Notice that the Scripture I quoted is God's promise that if you repent of your sins and receive Yeshua as your Messiah, YOU WILL BE SAVED! If you want to take your chances and negotiate with God for some other way to heaven, that's up to you. But If you want to be sure of your salvation, I would advise you to do it the way that God guaranteed."

Classical commentators

This Mitzvah is not addressed by any of the Jewish classical commentators.


Copyright © Michael Rudolph and Daniel C. Juster, The Law of Messiah, Torah from a New Covenant Perspective, Volume 1 & 2

Related Law of Messiah commandments

Source and License

Based on The Law of Messiah - Torah from a New Covenant Perspective by Michael Rudolph and Daniel C. Juster.

Volume 1 & 2 | Volume 3

License: CC BY-ND 4.0 (Attribution required, NoDerivatives). CC BY-ND 4.0

Disclaimer: the original content is authored by Rabbi Michael Rudolph and Rabbi Daniel Juster; additional notes or implementation details on this website are not part of their original work and do not represent their views.

Record source: The Law of Messiah - Torah from a New Covenant Perspective - Volume 1 & 2

Copyright note: Copyright © Michael Rudolph and Daniel C. Juster, The Law of Messiah, Torah from a New Covenant Perspective, Volume 1 & 2

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