Born Again is the language Jesus used to describe the new birth
—
the sovereign work of the Spirit
by which a person is given spiritual life
and enters the kingdom of God.
Unless one is born again,
he cannot see or enter the kingdom of God.
This birth is not of blood,
nor of the will of the flesh,
nor of the will of man,
but of God.
Those who are born again
become children of God,
receive a new heart,
and begin a new life of faith and obedience.
When Nicodemus, a Pharisee and ruler of the Jews, came to Jesus by night, Jesus met him with the uncompromising declaration: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus thought in physical terms, but Jesus spoke of a birth from above — a birth of water and the Spirit. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. The wind blows where it wishes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. The new birth is therefore a divine, supernatural, and necessary work. It is the same reality as regeneration: the dead are made alive, the heart of stone is replaced with a heart of flesh, and the one who was once darkness becomes light in the Lord. Those who receive Christ and believe in His name are given the right to become children of God — born, not of human decision, but of God. The new birth is the beginning of the Christian life and the entrance into the kingdom.
- Being born again is essential; without it no one can see or enter the kingdom of God.
- It is a birth from above, accomplished by the Holy Spirit, not by human will or effort.
- The new birth produces a new nature, new desires, and the capacity to believe and obey.
- It is closely linked with faith in Christ and the gift of the right to become children of God.
- The Spirit’s work in the new birth is sovereign and mysterious, like the wind.
- Those who are born of God do not continue in a life of habitual sin and overcome the world by faith.
- The new birth is the foundation of all Christian experience and the guarantee of final salvation.
- Necessity – Without the new birth no one can see or enter the kingdom of God.
- Divine Origin – Born of the Spirit, born of God, born from above — not of human will.
- Spiritual Transformation – A new heart, new affections, and new spiritual life are given.
- Entrance into the Kingdom – The new birth is the doorway into the realm of God’s saving rule.
- Relationship to Faith – Those who are born of God believe that Jesus is the Christ and receive Him.
- Ongoing Evidence – The one born of God practices righteousness, loves the brothers, and overcomes the world.
- Living Hope – The new birth is unto a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
- John 3:3-8 – “Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.” The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’”
- John 1:12-13 – “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
- 1 Peter 1:3 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…”
- 1 Peter 1:23 – “…since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God…”
- Titus 3:5 – “…he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit…”
- 2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
- Ezekiel 36:26-27 – “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes…”
- James 1:18 – “Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”
- 1 John 3:9 – “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.”
- 1 John 5:1, 4 – “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him… For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”
- 1 John 2:29 – “If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.”
- 1 John 4:7 – “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”
- Ephesians 2:4-5 – “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved…”
- John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
- Galatians 6:15 – “For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.”
- Colossians 2:13 – “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses…”
You must be born again. Jesus’ words to Nicodemus remain the unchanging requirement for entrance into the kingdom of God. Physical birth is not enough. Religious status is not enough. Moral effort is not enough. There must be a birth from above — the sovereign work of the Spirit that gives new life to the dead. Those who are born again receive the right to become children of God, a new heart, and a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The wind of the Spirit still blows where it wishes. The same God who caused you to be born again will keep you and bring you to glory. Therefore examine yourself. Have you been born of God? If so, live as a child of God. Love the brothers. Practice righteousness. Overcome the world by faith. And give thanks for the great mercy that caused you to be born again to a living hope.
Entry compiled for the JESUSaves.com Bible Glossary. Optimized for wiki.js Visual Editor.