Born again became an overused term when I was a kid. Oswald Chambers said it is to be fresh with everything, never stale. I believe it also means that I can't rely on my heritage for the basis of my salvation. The faith of my family and church I grew up in has always been important, and it would foolish to ignore their influence. But my relationship with my Master must be based on His activity in my life. He saved me and I respond to Him from that act of grace. For me to be born again means that my identity comes primarily from God's work in my life, and only secondarily from my family history. This is the lesson that Nicodemus was supposed to learn, that being born a Hebrew did not automatically save him from hell. He had to be born from God, base his salvation and relationship with God on God, not his heritage. Being Hebrew was a huge benefit, but not the basis. A dim light only able to set off the objects around in silhouette is not enough to save. Only the light of the Son saves.
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