GraceAmbassador

The problem with "again":

I often wonder if the Bible translators, especially of the KJV in translating the Greek word ἄνωθεν in John 3:3 made the same mistake of Nicodemus when he surmised whether Jesus was teaching that he had to go back to his mother's womb, after being old, and translated such word as "again". I fully understand that it may appear obvious that if Jesus had said You must be born "from above" or "from heaven" or "from God" (the most common translations of ἄνωθεν), Nicodemus would likely not ask anything similar to a repetition of birth, or How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time in his mother's womb and be born?. He would rather have asked "How can a man be born FROM ABOVE (from heaven, from God)?. However, it does appear to me that Nicodemus simply concluded that, in order for a man to be born from above, from heaven, from God, it would be required for an old man to re-enter his mother's womb. So, to me it does not follow that Nicodemus question about the repetition of birth signifies, above and beyond shadow of doubt, that he did hear from Jesus ἄνωθεν as AGAIN, but in fact he heard it right and his question to Jesus was based upon his own understanding of the process of birth.
Why is important to understand ἄνωθεν as "from above, or from God"?

These two precious links from Blue Letter Bible and A.V. will give us great insight. It is not necessary for us to point out the degradation, the watering down and the really folkloric tone that the term "born again" has acquired today in the evangelicalism. But let's not commit, if possible, any logical fallacy: the argument that the term has been abused and diluted into nothingness cannot invalidate the term. We have to check the theological implications of the term in order to render it incorrect, IF incorrect.

"They were APPOINTED to Salvation
and THEN they believed,
not the opposite order as the "free-will defenders preach!"

Now, is the term correct? As one may see in the links above, there are examples, however not so common, of the word ἄνωθεν being used as a repetition of something, thus correctly interpreted as again. We need to know what is the text saying in its totality to verify that the idea of from above, from heaven or from God would be a better translation. Without the aid of the context we would not be able to determine which is which and if we had no regard for good theology we would regard the exact meaning of ἄνωθεν of no importance. Here, however, we can look at context. Note that I defended, defend and always will defend that the Bible is self-sufficient and primarily does not need any outside source to prove or interpret itself. All we need is to look at the text. In the same chapter of John, in verse 31, John 3:31 (mouse over the scriptures to see them) the same word ἄνωθεν is translated "from above", but in the very words of Jesus clarification to Nicodemus he mentions what he means: John 3:5-13. Here we see that Jesus is using words such as "born of the Spirit" and "heavenly things", so Jesus is clearly speaking of "things above" or "from above". Jesus even goes so far as to disclose to Nicodemus that "the issue here is not FLESHLY birth (John 1:11-13) and that the birth is not fleshly, but OF THE SPIRIT. I believe this settles the issue that the Greek word ἄνωθεν should indeed be understood not as a "repetition of an event" as many believe Nicodemus thought, but FROM ABOVE, from heaven, from God! Have you made up your mind already?
It is indeed important to understand the new birth as a birth that is from above, from God! Christianity has paid a high price, the price of a dissolution of the message of the Gospel (another Gospel, according to the Apostle Paul) when preachers preach what they think is a "fiery message" (to me not the fiery from the heavenly fire!) urging people to be "born again" by somehow exercising the "power of their free will, free moral agency" or any other human participation whose terms are not even in the Bible. Kleenex tissue are provided in what they call "altar" in their "altar calls", three verses of Just as I am are sung three hundred times, and are often "hummed" to bring about the right ambiance as the noisy juke box of a night-club provides the right ambiance for an erotic dance, a "sinners' prayer is prayed" (as if there is any other kind of prayer), the attendants of such "altar call" are invited to repeat the prayer, people weep profusely, Kleenex stock reaches the roof in Wall Street, and there is is: people, with a sigh of relief proclaim themselves "born again".
When we understand that our birth is from above, from God, we know that He initiated and finished the process (Phil 1:6, Hebrews 12:2) of our Salvation. Salvation belongs to God! (Psalm 3:8) and that, if we are being born or "being birthed" there is nothing that we can do such process to take place and that actually God is the one performing such a birth according to His eternal and immutable will and not according the frailty and frivolity of ours, since we are dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1-3), but His own will (John 1:13). I hope I am not stating an abusurd when I say that none of us could control our birth; we could not control who we would be, the color of our hair, our ethnicity; NO, there is no participation in our birth! That's why Jesus chose to use BIRTH as an analogy for what happens to us in regeneration. Someone told me that in natural birth, chemicals prompt the baby to irresistibly, uncontrollably and unknowingly push himself out through his mother's birth canal. I am not a doctor, but it this is true, this is exactly what happens in our spiritual birth: God sends His Holy Spirit who effectually calls us and we then we come to light! We give Glory to God because He has performed the miracle of my spiritual birth, which we call regeneration and has given me the gift of faith which brought me irresistibly to believe Him (John 6:37, John 10:16) as the AUTHOR of my new birth! As Lazarus who could do nothing but to obey Jesus' call out of the tomb and come out of it, Grace brings us unavoidably to Christ! That's why is so important to believe that our new birth is from above, from God, outside of my control since I was not even born yet! Giving Glory to God is exactly what God planned in giving new birth to us: God's goal is His Glory! Is there a need for preaching? Yes, that's is God's plan. Is there a need for an altar call? No! In Acts 13:46-48 it tells us that it was actually the crowd who appealed to the apostles to be saved and then the Bible says "and as many as who were APPOINTED, or ORDAINED for eternal life, believed, Acts 13:48!" Note: they were APPOINTED to eternal life and THEN believed, and not the opposite order as the "free-will" defenders preach!
What more proof do we need that we are "born from above" as "born from God"?