“Born again ka na ba?”
‘Yan na yata ang pinakanakaiintrigang tanong na naibato sa akin patungkol sa relihiyon. Sa isip-isip ko, ““born again” na nga ba ako?”
Nakakatawang isipin na ang ganitong
uri ng mga tanong na inilalako sa mga kalsada, paaralan at maging sa mga
pampublikong sasakyan tulad ng bus ay binibili ng hindi mabilang na katolikong
walang sapat na kaalaman sa pananampalataya. Nakakatawa man dahil napakababaw,
nakalulungkot isiping ito ang nagiging dahilan ng pagtalikod nila sa Simbahan.
Kaya naman, ako mismo ang naghanap
ng mapagkakatiwalaang sagot para sa tanong na ito. Nagmuni-muni ako, nagdasal,
nagrosaryo, nagbasa ng Bibliya at ng mga Apologetic Materials, hanggang sa ito
ang nalaman ko.
Una sa lahat, tanggap natin ang
katotohanang ang terminong “born again” ay aktuwal na mababasa sa Bibliya:
John 3:3
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.
Ngayon,
kataka-taka kung paano ipaliwanag ng mga “born again christians” kung ano ang ibig sabihin ng Panginoong
Jesucristo sa sitas na ito. Mabilis pa
sa alas kwatro ay sasabihin nilang:
“Tanggapin
mo si Jesus bilang Personal Lord and Savior!”
‘Yan ang pinaka-generic na
maisasagot nila bukod pa sa ilan na nagsasabing dasalin daw yung tinatawag
nilang “Sinner’s Prayer.”
Ewan ko
ba kung bakit sa tuwing naririnig ko yan ay nagpapanting ang tenga ko. Ilang
beses ko kasing sinearch sa napakaraming bible software ang mga katagang “PERSONAL
LORD AND SAVIOR” ay laging ZERO MATCHES ang lumalabas. Kaya malinaw na imbento
lang ito ng mga bagong sulpot na sekta.
Ang
totoo, hindi lang wala kundi labag pa nga ito sa turo ng Bibliya. Ayon kay San Juan:
John 4:42
And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy
saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
1 John 4:14
And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the
Saviour of the world.
Kaya si
Jesus ay hindi pala “PERSONAL” kundi “UNIVERSAL SAVIOR.”
Ngayon,
balik tayo sa terminong “Born Again,” paano ba ipinaliwanag ni Jesus kung paano
maging “Born Again?” Sabi niya kay Nicodemo:
John 3:5
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.
Medyo malabo
ang sagot ng Panginoon, aniya para
maging “BORN AGAIN” ay dapat maging “BORN OF WATER AND OF THE SPIRIT.” Ang
malaking tanong: BAKIT? ANONG MERON SA “WATER
AND SPIRIT?”
Sa
kasaysayan ng Bibliya, ang TUBIG AT ESPIRITU ay laging tumutukoy sa BAGONG
SIMULA. Halimbawa, sa PAGLALANG o CREATION, naroon na ang dalawang ito:
Genesis 1:2
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Gayundin
sa Bahang Gunaw sa panahon ni Noe ay naroon din ang tubig at espiritu (Genesis
8:1ff) na ayon mismo kay San Pedro ay anino ng Kristyanong BAUTISMO o BINYAG:
1 Peter 3:20-21
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
Halos
ganito din ang mga elemento—TUBIG at ESPIRITU—sa panahon ng PAGTAKAS o EXODUS:
Exodus 14:19-21
And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night. And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night. And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
Muli, ang PAGTAKAS o EXODUS
na ito ay anino ng BAUTISMO o BINYAG base na rin sa pahayag ni Apostol San Pablo:
1 Corinthians 10:1-2
Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
Bukod
pa dito, sa panahon ni Propeta Ezekiel nangako ang Diyos na babaguhin niya ang
kanyang Bayang Israel sa bisa ng TUBIG at ESPIRITU:
Ezekiel 36:25-27
Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
Ang mga eksenang tulad na ito kung
saan naroon ang TUBIG at ESPIRITU bilang tanda ng BAGONG SIMULA ay nakita sa
BAUTISMO mismo ng Panginoong Jesus sa ilog Jordan:
Matthew 3:16-17
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.
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.
Ang lahat ng nabanggit ay pawang
tumutukoy sa BAUTISMO o BINYAG na noon pa man ay inihanda na ng Diyos upang
maging paraan ng PAGBABAGO ng kanyang bayan tungo sa kaligtasan. Ngayon, si
Jesus ba mismo ay nagbautismo o nagbinyag?
Isang
malaking OO ang sagot sa tanong na yan. Ang tanging naiulat na pagbabautismo o
pagbibinyag ni Jesus ay mababasa sa mismong KABANATA o KAPITULO kung saan
binanggit nya ang tungkol sa pagiging "BORN AGAIN!”
John 3:22
After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.
After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.
Walang
kaduda-duda, ang tinutukoy ni Jesus na pagiging “BORN AGAIN” at “BORN OF WATER
AND SPIRIT” ay BAUTISMO o BINYAG, hindi ang simpleng pagtanggap
kay Jesus bilang personal Lord and Savior o kahit ‘yung Sinner’s Prayer.
Kaya yung kadalasang nagsasabing “BORN AGAIN” daw sila ay malamang assuming
lang. Tayong mga BINYAGANG KATOLIKO ang mga tunay na “BORN AGAIN CHRISTIANS”
dahil malinaw na tayo ay sumusunod sa “requirement” para maging “BORN AGAIN.”
Kaya sa susunod na may magtanong sa’yo kung “BORN AGAIN” ka na, magalang mong sabihin:
“OPO, Born again na ako—the biblical way.”
*Ang lahat ng sitas ng Bibliya ay mula sa King James Version
