The questions/Trail: Our Walk with HimPrint

What does it mean to be born again?

To be born again is to receive new spiritual life from God through faith in Christ: a second birth, not of the flesh but of the Spirit, which makes you a child of God and a new creation. It is the doorway of the entire Christian life.

This question arose from studying How can I be saved? and What is faith, exactly?.

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Not a summary of these passages: the passages themselves. Read them, then come back to the study below.

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What the Scripture says

It is a second birth

Nicodemus was a religious expert, and Jesus told him he still needed to be 'born again,' born of water and the Spirit, not of the flesh. Flesh gives birth to flesh; the Spirit gives birth to spirit. The new birth is not self-improvement; it is a new beginning from above.

Jesus answered him, “Most certainly, I tell you, unless one is born anew, he can’t see the Kingdom of God.”

John 3:3 · WEB

Jesus answered, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he can’t enter into the Kingdom of God! That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Don’t marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’ The windblows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don’t know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

John 3:5-8 · WEB

It is God's work, not ours

We become children of God 'not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.' It is God who saves us according to his mercy, 'through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.' We cannot birth ourselves; we receive the birth He gives.

But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name: who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 1:12-13 · WEB

not by works of righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy, he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

Titus 3:5 · WEB

for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9 · WEB

It makes us a new creation

'If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.' The new birth is not a fresh coat of paint on the old life; it is a new life, the life of Christ in you.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.

2 Corinthians 5:17 · WEB

For in Christ Jesus neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.

Galatians 6:15 · WEB

It gives a living hope

We are born again 'to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,' and 'born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which lives and remains forever.' The life you are born to can't die.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy became our father again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1 Peter 1:3 · WEB

having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which lives and remains forever.

1 Peter 1:23 · WEB

How do you receive it? By believing the gospel

The new birth comes as you trust what God says about His Son. Having believed, you are sealed with the Spirit, and the Spirit Himself testifies with your spirit that you are God's child. It is a gift to receive, not an achievement to earn.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

John 3:16 · WEB

in whom you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation—in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

Ephesians 1:13 · WEB

For you didn’t receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God;

Romans 8:15-16 · WEB

As you read, you may wonder…

Scripture raises the next question

Studying the Word naturally opens more of it. Follow what you just read: it leads somewhere.

Continue this trail

Can I lose my salvation?→“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”What happens when I sin after I've come to Christ?→“My little children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin. If anyone sins, we have a Counselor with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. And he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.”What should I do now that I'm saved?→“Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch can’t bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me. I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”How do I fight sin in my life?→“Thus consider yourselves also to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore don’t let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. Neither present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin will not have dominion over you. For you are not under law, but under grace.”What is the difference between being born again and being baptized?→“Jesus answered, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he can’t enter into the Kingdom of God! That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”Does James contradict Paul? Is it faith or works?→“for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.”What does the new life look like day to day?→“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.”How do I know the Spirit's witness from my own feelings?→“The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God;”Does God use our failures for our good?→“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save many people alive.”Where does temptation come from?→“Let no man say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God can’t be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each one is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin; and the sin, when it is full grown, produces death.”What is the new heart that God promised?→“I will also give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my ordinances, and do them.”What does it mean to be a child of God?→“But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name:”What does it mean to be sealed with the Holy Spirit?→“in whom you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation—in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is a pledge of our inheritance, to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory.”Can God's grace really cover my worst sins?→“The saying is faithful and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”How do I share my faith with others?→“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, with humility and fear:”What is the difference between testing and temptation?→“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”What is sanctification, and how does it happen?→“For this is the will of God: your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality,”What is the difference between assurance and presumption?→“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”How do trials make us more like Christ?→“Not only this, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering works perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope: and hope doesn’t disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”Why should I keep enduring, if I can't lose my salvation?→“I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”Who can forgive sins?→“But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—”What does the Bible mean by being 'holy'?→““Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘You shall be holy; for I, Yahweh your God, am holy.”What if I keep repeating the same sin?→“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”How does God actually change me?→“I will also give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.”How does being a child of God change how I live?→“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! For this cause the world doesn’t know us, because it didn’t know him.”What role does prayer play in sharing the gospel?→“praying together for us also, that God may open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds; that I may reveal it as I ought to speak.”

Explore further

How do I receive the Holy Spirit?→The Holy Spirit trail“Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.””

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Verses to meditate on