Born Again?

I got this from one of my favorite websites, WELS.net:

Q: My question is about people that claim to be a Born Again Christian. I know of a lot of people that claim to be a Born Again Christian. I don't know exactly what they mean by this, and what they are trying to say, when they say it. Most of these people are members of churches like Assembly Of God, and other churches like them. Is there such a thing as a Born Again Christian, and what, and who are they. This really baffles me, because I don't know how to answer them. Thank You, 

 A: According to Scripture, the expression “born-again Christian” is redundant.  All Christians are “born-again Christians” (John 3:3).  Christians are born again when they are brought to faith through Holy Baptism (John 3:5) or through the preaching of the Gospel (1 Peter 1:23).

 As you’ve noticed, that’s not what most people mean when they use the expression.  It is generally used by churches with an Arminian theology that leads them to locate the cause of one’s salvation within the person who was saved.  These churches teach that one was “born again” if, while still an unbeliever, he prayed a prayer in which he “invited Jesus into his heart” or “turned his life over to Jesus” or “accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior”  or “made his decision for Christ” (Interestingly, Scripture uses none of these expressions). 

 Most “born-again Christians” consider it very important to be able to pinpoint the moment that this happened to them, and they willingly share their “testimony”—i.e., their personal conversion story.  Usually these stories involve an intense emotional experience.  In fact, often the intensity of the experience is what convinces the “born again Christian” that his or her conversion was real. 

 That, of course, is part of the problem.  Our emotions, or even our conversion, are an inadequate foundation for our faith.  When our faith rests on the unchangeable reality of what Jesus did for us on the cross, it rests secure.  An additional problem is that an unbeliever can’t “make a decision for Christ” (Ephesians 2:1-5 et al.).  100% of the credit for our conversion belongs to God the Holy Spirit, as Luther beautifully expressed in his explanation to the Third Article of the Apostle’s Creed. 

 Personally, when asked whether I’m a “born-again Christian,” I’ve responded, “Absolutely!  I was born again on (...).”—and then I gave the date of my baptism.  Most people have been perceptive enough to realize that either I’m a lot older than I look, or I’m talking about something that happened when I was a baby. That has led to a discussion of John 3:3 and 5, and what “born again” actually means.