Are Catholics born again?

Jesus and Nicodemus

Many of our Fundamentalist friends and even our Protestant friends are saying that Catholics, “are not born again”. They say that for a person to be born again, they must make an altar call, say the sinner’s prayer and then they are saved. This is based from their track that I received when I was about to become a Baptist once:



THE ROMANS ROAD OF SALVATION:



1. Admit you are a sinner (Romans 3:23)
2. Believe in Jesus Christ to save you (Romans 5:8)
3. Accept Him as your Personal Savior (Romans 10:9)



But the question is, while our Protestant friends have a point here, they believe in Sola Scriptura. The question is, is there a “PERSONAL” Lord and Savior in the Bible? Where in the 73 books of the Bible does it say that Jesus is a “PERSONAL” Lord and Savior if ever? In the Bible, God is never a PERSONAL Savior, but the SAVIOR of men. Take a look at 1 Timothy 4:10, and here’s what it says in the King James Version:

1 Timothy 4:10 (KJV), “For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.”

See? Jesus can never be a PERSONAL Savior, because it will imply that you are the only one that can be saved, but all who believe in Him. Now, speaking of a personal relationship with the Savior, we both do so in the Eucharist where we receive Jesus’ body, blood, soul and divinity. Here’s what it says in John 6:56

John 6:56 (KJV), “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.”

See? Now that sounds like a personal relationship with the Savior, He will make His home with us if we eat His flesh and drink His blood. How come Protestants and Fundamentalists have an, “ALTAR CALL”, when they have no altar? Just a pulpit and a stage?

We have a Personal Relationship with the Savior by eating His flesh and drinking His blood as He commanded us

BORN AGAIN THE BIBLE WAY:



Now, Fundametalists and Born Again movements like that of Billy Graham, Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen,  and of course, Rick Warren will quote John 3:3, and here’s what it says:



John 3:3 (KJV), “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”



Now, after they quote it, then they will say, “You must be born again by accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior”. But is that really what our Lord meant? We will examine the Greek text of John 3:3 and see if it is really, “born again” that is written there. I’ll be using the New Testament Greek Textus Receptus 1550:


John 3:3, ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω σοι ἐὰν μή τις γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν οὐ δύναται ἰδεῖν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ

Evangelist Pat Robertson of the 700 Club

In the Greek language, the KJV alone is not faithful to it. It doesn’t use the word,”γεννηθῇ ἀναγεννάω”, or, “gennethe annagenao” which means, “born again”, but rather, “γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν” or, “gennethe anothen” which means, “born from above”. Protestants and Fundametalists alone didn’t consider the Greek text of John 3:3. What does our Lord meant when He said, “born from above”? Let’s continue the read to v.4-5



John 3:4-5 (KJV), “Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”



When our Lord says, “born from above”, He didn’t mean an altar call or saying the sinner’s prayer, but rather, “born of water and the Spirit”. If we want to know what our Lord is trying to imply, let’s read how our Lord was baptized in Matthew 3:16-17 and here’s what it says:

Matthew 3:16-17 (KJV), “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Jesus was baptized of water and the Spirit. Remember? Our Lord is talking about baptism. The water and the Spirit bear the same testimony as it is written in 1 John 5:8of the King James Version:


1 John 5:8 (KJV), “And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.”

The baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River

See? When a person is baptized, he receives three things: The Holy Spirit, the waters of baptism and the blood of Jesus. That’s one interpretation of 1 John 5:8. Another interpretation is that it can also mean, baptism of blood, baptism of desire and baptism of water. Both interpretations are correct. That is why, for a person to be born again or born from above in the Greek text, he must be baptized as our Lord says in Mark 16:16

Mark 16:16 (KJV), “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; and he that believeth not shall be damned.”

The conclusion is: YES, CATHOLICS ARE BORN AGAIN! THE BIBLE WAY!

So the next time you are asked if you are born again, say, “Yes, I am born again the Bible way by baptism as our Lord Jesus commanded (cf. John 3:5, Mark 16:16). Thank you for that question”