Are Catholics “Born Again?”

Our parish has a Q&A feature in which staff members tackle the queries left in a comment box or e-mailed to the parish. I volunteered to reply to the question titled above:

The root of this principle is in John 3:3-5, and it reads:

Jesus said to (Nicodemus), “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”
Nicodemus said to him, “How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?”
Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.

Scripture scholars note that the Greek word ἄνωθεν (anothen) means both “from above” and “again.” Jesus seems to be referring to the first meaning, and Nicodemus seems to misinterpret the Lord, taking the second meaning.

Misunderstandings aside, the notion of being reborn in baptism, in “water and Spirit,” tells of the great significance of the sacrament, and of the commitment to the Christian life it implies. Jesus certainly preaches that those who wish to see and participate in the kingdom of God will experience such a momentous change in their lives, that the notion of a second birth is not an exaggeration.

Many Christians speak of being “born again,” as a graced event in which people, usually adults, experience the Lord in such a significant way that it’s like a whole new life for them. And ideally, this is what all Christians should experience when they commit themselves to Jesus Christ. The question might be raised: does it happen only once? Or is it possible, through a continuing conversion, to go progressively deeper into a Christian commitment to God? The witness of the saints might suggest that this continuing experience is the mark of a godly life.

In baptism, and even as infants, Catholics are “born again,” in the sense Jesus means: “being born of water and Spirit.” It’s no accident that the baptismal font at our parish was designed to suggest a tomb, and that in baptism we participate in death and rebirth, as Saint Paul describes, “We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4)

As a child grows, an openness to God’s grace is necessary. The same is true for adults. Baptism is not a magical event, and neither is the evangelical or charismatic experience of being “born again.” Each of these experiences is an opportunity for God’s grace to work in us. But we always have the freedom to choose: we can close ourselves off from divine grace, or we can cooperate with God’s will and live out a Christian life after being “born from above.”

Image Credit: painter Edward Tanner (1899), Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia.

Pardon me, but I don't particularly care what you think. I'm secure in my beliefs and don't need anyone's "sadness" or pity, thank you very much. The "born again"...notion is not one I believe in. I find the Prodigal Son approach to be more authentic. Humble oneself and ask for forgiveness rather than assuming some entitlement.

The gospel this morning was Luke's Prodigal Son. I may be more like the older son than the prodigal, but that doesn't make me any less joyful in the Church, and in what I do for my fellow believers in Christ and those who we help return to Him. It is the call to return over and over, every day, that holds hope and promise of achieving Heaven. This is why one of my prayers in the evening is an Act of Contrition, one that is addressed to God with no intercessor, just as we do in the Sacrament of Penance. If this offends, that is not my intention. It's simply the way it is.

I was merely writing some apologetics, trying to correct some falsehoods that are repeatedly posted here and any number of places about what the Church teaches and why Catholics do what we do. It's all about actually doing what Christ asked us to do - serve others in His name. Do we know if we've done enough? No. We don't. We never do until we are judged as our fleshly life ends. And yes, I do believe in Purgatory and being purified through suffering - sometimes here on Earth. There are victim souls who suffer their whole lives and then go straight to God. Would that I could be one, but alas, no, I'm not. At least I don't think so.

None of it is as simple as "if you believe, then you are saved." It just isn't. That may be difficult to accept, but that's the way it is. We have to constantly, every day, turn to conversion from sin and sinful habits that includes pride and other all too human failings. Every day we have to guard against it. No one sacrament, liturgy, prayer, Scripture passage - any of it - can do that, but all of it together forms a sort of support system that acts as a bulwark against temptation.

I'm off this thread. I shouldn't have given in last night.

I have not read all the comments. And I cannot begin to count the number of times I have been asked if I was born again.

And for years, I could not begin to understand what people were asking when this question was asked.

The day I discovered that somebody ( and I sure would like to know who it was) changed the WORDs ‘born from above’ to again it was total relief that I could finally answer this question that has no basis from what Christ was actually teaching Nicodemus.

The subject is ‘who’ can ‘see’ the kingdom of God and what is required. And Christ exhorted Nicodemus in verse 10 Jesus answered and said unto him, “Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

So the instruction was NOT new, Genesis in describing the formation of the Adam, says the flesh was not living until the breath of life, which means soul was breathed into the Adam's nostrils. And Moses does not pen one word regarding the creation of the souls/spirits but they certainly did exist.

Then the book of Ecclesiastes describes the flesh and the soul/spirit bodies. In Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, all souls are Mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. So there was cause for Christ to expect a master of Israel to know the answer to this subject.

Now if all souls already belong to the Heavenly Father long before they were placed into the flesh at conception, when were the souls/spirits created.... They had to be in existence when this was penned.

Paul says for further clarification in Hebrews 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

This is not talking about baptism, this is describing the children partaking of flesh and blood which begins at conception as Luke describes to us in Luke 1:41-45.

The answer to the question by Nicodemus is given in John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but He That came down from heaven, even the Son of man Which is in heaven.

The soul/spirit existed before this ‘flesh’ age, and only those souls/spirits that choose to be born in the ‘water’ at the time of conception will have opportunity to see the kingdom of God.

Peter says there are three different heaven/earth ages IIPeter 3 and all Peter was doing was expounding on the instruction Christ put forth in His discussion with Nicodemus.

AND yes ‘Catholics’ are born from above, every one, good, bad, and middle of the road that gets planted at conception are born from above.

"I wonder what Christ would think of one self professed Christian disparaging their brothers and sisters in Christ, fomenting dissention for the enemy as you've done here.
Check your heart."
"Yea, hi Satan.
Sorry, it won’t work. We Catholics worship Christ,the Holy Spirit, and God the Father. (Three of a kind beats a full house of Satanic hatred.)

You can just go back to your underworld."

It is typical for Catholics to attempt to silence those who speak against that monstrosity from Rome. Bashing and personal attacks are expected. For usconservative to ignore the words of IrishCatholic and criticize my condemnation of Rome's demonic theology is perhaps due to the inability to see the light.

Catholics may, or may not, be individually born again. The process of the Holy Spirit awakening the elect to their rescue can take days, months, even years. That some of you are still entangled in the error of Rome does not surprise any of those who now clearly see that Rescuer from Israel is the only way out of the darkness. Nothing you do, nothing you say, nothing you initiate, think, believe, or perform will cause you to escape from the death of your trespasses and sin. But what is impossible with man is possible with God. That is the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Of course it is not the news from Rome.

When one begins to recognize their new life was not a product of themselves (the way Lazarus found himself made alive from the dead), of course one can and should try to grow toward the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus. But even then, we recognize that it God who causes the real growth.

As long as one stays stuck in the "self" religion of Rome, they will try personal holiness, try to make oneself worthy, try to make oneself fit for heaven and they will flail about, striking and hating those who remind them of their helpless state and the error of semi-Pelagianistic Rome. It is to be expected. We all did it. But, remember this reminder...you are the clay, He is the potter.

For every verse like that, I can quote you one that makes it clear actions play the ultimate role in salvation. The New Testament is rife with passages indicating that one must live Christ’s words, not just talk about them.

If mere belief was enough for salvation, why would Paul write to various groups of converts cautioning them that they were on the wrong track? Weren’t they “saved” by virtue of being Christians? No. He wrote because they were in jeopardy of losing their salvation by improper beliefs, misunderstandings, and impure acts.

In other words, their actions were not in keeping with belonging to Christ. Paul seemed to think that was pretty serious!

Paul was not ashamed of his cause in 2 Timothy 1:12. His cause was to bring souls to Christ. He is asserting his faith and trust in Christ’s love and mercy. But in other passages he is very clear that those who don’t live Christ’s message are in jeopardy- even if they are Christians.

Salvation is a gift freely given. We must accept the gift. And we have the responsibility from that moment on to live the good news.

A person can be “born again” or “saved” and then lose his salvation by backsliding.

Judas believed in Christ and had a “born again” moment when he became a follower of Christ. Was he saved? What about later, when he betrayed Christ? Was he still saved? What about after that, when he committed suicide? Was he still saved by virtue of that one moment in time that he experienced the emotional rush of being “born again”?

What saves you is perseverance in living Christ’s will. Paul cautioned us to run to the finish in the race. Faith demonstrated in action.

No one knows who’s saved but God. It is presumptuous to assume you are saved. We hope and pray we are, relying on God’s grace and mercy.

It is typical for Catholics to attempt to silence those who speak against that monstrosity from Rome

wow...slow down, you could actually begin to believe the tripe that you spew. Think really carefully now.......without the Catholic promoting, fulfilling, establishing, protecting, defending, whatever else they could do, there wouldn’t be any protestants. For 15oo years, catholocism was Christianity, there were no lutherans, calvanists, methodists, evangelicals, jehovah’s witnesses, mormans, seventh day adventists, church of god, church of the nazarine.......nothing, just Catholics. There were, of course Moslems and the Catholics pretty much ran their butts out of Europe and elsewhere. (they are back, it’s your turn this time!)I love the “johnny come lately” religions that spring up from nowhere and decide that they are right and that a 2,000 year old, established by Christ, infallible religion has somewhere gone wrong.....Jesus promised to be with the Catholic Church “from now until the end of the age (time)) He still is, come home!!

"...without the Catholic promoting, fulfilling, establishing, protecting, defending, whatever else they could do, there wouldn’t be any protestants. For 15oo years, catholocism was Christianity"

You need to get out more. Read some material not shoved down your throat by Rome. There is a whole world of real truth that says there has always been a group protesting the abomination from Rome. Your historical survey has no connection to reality and their gospel is from the pit.

You may think Jesus spoke about the Catholic Church, but it was the end of the third century before the words were used. The story you hear is rewritten history, friend. We are of the strain of the Apostle Paul and the real Apostle Peter (not the trumped up "first pope" trash peddled by Rome. They can keep the bone they own...we have the man that wrote the epistles and dispelled the humanism Rome holds. Sorry fellas/girls).

Jesus promised to rescue those whom He elected (John 6) and no one whom He did not choose may come close. That is why you will find some pounding on the door claiming they performed miracles (Rome? Medjagorje? Weeping pictures?), but are cast into hell. Rome needs to repent...if it can.

Do us a favor and go to Wikipedia and look up the Great Inquisition. More like Protestantism survived INSPITE of the Roman mob

Ahhhhh the inquisition...was it a good period in history, absolutely not, but carried out much more as a political, rather than religous movement....do you recall the burning of “witches in early times....darned Catholics.....oh, wait a minute, those were protestants. All churches are made up of fallible people. Catholics have done some stupid things throughout the years, protestants have done their share, and Moslems are at it as we speak. Jesus never promised that all Catholics were infallible, just that the church is.When christianity was threatened by the protestant revolution, why would you think that those who had protected it for 1500 years wouldn’t be more than a little upset?? St thomas more wasn’t treated too good by the English protestants and many other good people, on both sides were tortured and executed. Evil actions by individuals is normally not a good reason to condemn any organization. There is one true Christian church on earth and it is the Catholic church....you may not agree, but that changes nothing. The Catholic Church is 2,000 years old, doing just fine thank you, and has buildings older than any christian denomination..They didn’t do that by accident!

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