How to be Born Again

Acts 8:35 "Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. 36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. 39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing."

Campbellites use these scriptures to define what they call "the process of salvation". This is a BIG issue which was part of the "American Restoration Movement"  by Barton Stone and Thomas Campbell in 1832. At this time many baptists(and others) left their church or converted to this movement in opposition to creeds and denominations. If the reader is unaware of that schism, it was an attempt to restore the faith to where it was in apostolic times. (See Restoration Movement).

One of the most profound distinctions between baptists and Stone-Campbell Churches of Christ, Disciples of Christ or Christian Churches, is whether salvation comes with faith or is finalized by baptism. Both agree in the mode of salvation (deep water and immersion), but the efficacy of baptism is the argument.

For baptists the act of baptism is an "ordinance" and for the Stone-Campbellites, it's a "sacrament". Strangely, the Christian Churches are in agreement with the Roman Catholic Church on the efficacy of salvation, but differ on the the issue of paedobaptism (infant) compared to credobaptism (believer's or adult).

An "ordinance" is a command and it's purpose is to be obeyed. A "sacrament" is: the outward expression of the receipt of grace. As such "sacrament" implies that grace was received and dispenses salvation. Baptists are firm on sola grata (by grace alone) whereas baptism requires you to do things to be saved (works). (Note that different religious groups have slightly different views of a sacrament). At a later time we shall discuss the efficacy (result) of baptism further.

With that explained let's examine the our text. Philip used scripture and explained to the eunuch Jesus (verse 35). As such it's obvious that the eunuch learned of his own sins, the nature of Jesus, the purpose of Jesus and the grace of Jesus, as well as the resurrection. He was surely told that the reward of being a Christian is to have everlasting life!

After hearing scripture (the Old Testament) and having it explained to him, the eunuch, it is implied, was enlightened. Truth was revealed to him, he understood that truth and he applied it to himself.

Now let's examine this "born again" experience of which all Christians must be!

1 Peter 1:23 "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever."

After he was enlightened he wanted to know what "to do" next. "Doing" is "works".  Baptism was the next activity. It is a "work of faith".

Of course the question "When does the new birth occur?" is still to be resolved, but for now, let's go with when a person first  believes.  That  did occur with the eunuch: "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." (verse 37). in the Epistle of Peter above the person changes from corrupt to incorrupt "by the word of God"!  (unchanging and life-giving word).  This verse adequately describes the "born again" experience because a new person emerges from the old.

2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

It can be said that the eunuch, when he first believed, "that Jesus is the Son of God (verse 37), it was at that time the transformation was made and he wondered what to DO next!

It was a creature which would die (corrupt), but the new creature would be eternal (incorrupt).  Not by coincidence this is what is symbolized by baptism:

Galatians 3:27 "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ."

Being "born again" is the transformation. Baptism is putting on the apparel of the One who was responsible for the transformation. I believe it's a pledge to be as Jesus is. It's a pledge for the Christian to put away the "things of the flesh" and put on a cloak of righteousness. It is serious business, but it's what you promise because of the grace which saved you!

Now speaking of salvation, it's because we believe:

Romans 10:9 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."

"Confess" is to "profess" Jesus. What better way to do that than by obedience. The eunuch wanted to know what to do next. It's to profess his faith. The way to do that is by baptism. Just as circumcision was symbolic of the Abrahamic Covenant, baptism is symbolic of the Covenant of Grace!

"The mouth" expresses the heart's emotion. Of course if you can't speak, you're still saved, but the mouth, if it can speak, is the way to express the emotions of the heart.  I believe that before a person is baptized, they should put their mouth where their heart is. It's imperative that one testify to his/her belief in Christ. It must not be a superficial belief, but an expression of faith.

"Believe" means "committed to" and "to trust" in Jesus. Both of those mean that this new creature which you profess to be, must be a different creature. The biggest failure of any Christian is missing this point: "salvation implies a changed heart and changed hearts have changed behaviors"! Some say "I'll never change for anybody!" and they don't. However, they must change for Jesus or they are not that new person he/she claims to be!

Then the proper method of baptism is used: "they went down both into the water" (verse 39). When we do an ordinance, or sacrament if you prefer, we need to do it correctly! It's not by pouring or sprinkling; they both went down into the water.  To do it more correctly I would even suggest natural flowing water, perhaps a river, creek or stream. This is the correct method and we should endeavor to do the baptism as Philip (and John the Baptist) did!

 Is it a sin to do it otherwise? Scripture doesn't make the method a command, but obedience. Although I have been re-baptized (anabaptism) to do it correctly, salvation is of the heart. Since baptists don't believe that baptism is a dispensation of grace, then the absence of baptism or a less than perfect method is not damning! On the other hand, others who believe baptism is a sacrament would insist that it is a requirement of salvation and must be done by immersion.

Note that no mention of the Holy Spirit was made of the eunuch, but of Philip only: "the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip". Philip had been filled with the Holy Spirit previously on the Day of Pentecost (Acts Chapter 2). It appears that the eunuch did not get the Holy Ghost with either belief nor with baptism. When did he get it? We'll examine "the filling of the Holy Spirit" later on.

Is being "born again", or salvation, a process or a time of enlightenment? If you're baptized, and that is an obligation, then the question is of no consequence. The believer is born again.

If one is "born again", but does not get baptized, that person is not testifying to the grace he or she has received. It would appear that they miss the importance of being baptized or fail to obey.

The danger lies in those who are baptized without the new person being born again. Being baptized is not "saving". It's belief which saves, but one must remember that it's a belief that transforms! It's a belief that truly changes the heart and brings forth commitment to Jesus! Obedience is what results and the first command to obey is baptism! Don't ever be just a wet-sinner!

Obedience, following God's commands, is how we demonstrate our love to Jesus for saving us! Are you disobeying God at this time in life? Remembering that sin can be by omission: Do you truly love others? Do you pray earnestly and continually? Do you step regularly on Holy Ground by attending church (God's House)? Likewise, are you sober-minded and charitable? Do you love the unloveable?

If you come up short on any of these or even more, then perhaps the reader should examine just who this new person is! Was the born-again experience heart-felt? Only you know... and God! Just allow him to speak and that requires for you to listen and understand. The eunuch did. You can too!