Question: Dear Mr. McLemore, What does it mean to be a born again Christian?

Answer: The New Testament teaches that one becomes a Christian, a child of God, by being born anew, born of water and Spirit. (See John 3:3, 5, 7; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:22, 23). Therefore, if one is a Christian, one has been born again, and if one has been born again, one is a Christian. The problem is that not all who have been immersed exhibit the behavioral evidence of being children of God. If there was no genuine faith and repentance on the part of the one being immersed, that one has neither been born again, nor has become a Christian. In reality, such a person has not received actual baptism. The need is for such a person to be baptized (as one who genuinely believes in Jesus and repents), i.e., to become a Christian by being born again. The concept of "born again Christian" suggests that one can be a Christian, a child of God, without having been born again. This is impossible, according to the New Testament.