What Does It Mean to Be Born Again?

Official answer 2026-07-13

"Born again" is a central truth Jesus taught with His own lips. In John 3, a respected religious leader named Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, and Jesus said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). Nicodemus was puzzled: "How can a man be born when he is old?" Jesus explained that being born again is not a second physical birth, but being "born of water and the Spirit" (John 3:5), a spiritual new birth that the Holy Spirit works within the heart. Why does a person need to be born again? Because Scripture says we are by nature "dead in the trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1), separated from God, unable to save ourselves or to please God by our own effort. Being born again is not self-improvement or trying harder to be good; it is God granting an entirely new life. This is God's work, not a human achievement. John 1:13 says the children of God are born "not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." What change does the new birth bring? 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." The one who is born again has a new life, a new heart, and new desires. God had long promised in Ezekiel 36:26, "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." So how can I be born again? Though the new birth is the Spirit's work, God calls us to respond. First, acknowledge that you are a sinner, truly repent, and turn away from sin (Acts 3:19). Second, believe in and receive the Lord Jesus Christ, trusting that He died for our sins and rose again on the third day (Romans 10:9). John 1:12 says, "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." If you are unsure whether you have been born again, do not despair or presume. The evidence of new life is not sinless perfection but a new direction: a new love for God, a genuine grief over sin, a hunger for His word, and a growing love for His people (1 John 3:14). Where the Spirit has given life, these signs begin to appear and slowly grow, however faint they may seem at first. New birth is the start of a lifelong relationship in which God patiently grows His child to maturity. The new birth is God's free gift of grace, the beginning of new life for every true believer. You cannot earn it, but you can receive it. You can come to the Lord today, confess your sin to Him, and receive Him as your Savior and the Lord of your life. This is not the end of a journey but the start of walking with God as His beloved child. Open the free BiblePro 主内圣经 app and read John 3, Ephesians 2, and 2 Corinthians 5, and let God's word lead you into this new birth from above.