What does it mean to be born again?
You’ve heard people call themselves “born-again Christians.” But what does it actually mean, and is it something that has happened to you?
To be born again means God gives you a new spiritual life when you turn from your sin and put your faith in Jesus. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3). The first time, you were born physically. The second time, the Holy Spirit makes your spirit alive to God. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). In plain words: you don’t become a Christian by trying harder or going to church. God makes you new on the inside.
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Nicodemus came at night
Nicodemus was a respected religious teacher. He came to Jesus at night and started with a compliment. Jesus went straight to the point: you must be born again. Nicodemus was confused: “How can a man be born when he is old?” Jesus explained that it is a birth of the Spirit, then said the most famous words in the Bible: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:1–16). Years later, Nicodemus helped bury Jesus’ body (John 19:39). Something had changed.
Why you need it
Without God, we are “dead in your trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). Dead people can’t improve themselves; they need new life. Religion can’t do it. Only God can.
How it happens
You turn from your sin (repent), believe that Jesus died for you and rose again, and receive Him as your Lord (John 1:12; Romans 10:9). The Holy Spirit does the rest.
How you can tell it happened
New desires: you want God, and sin starts to bother you. New love for other believers (1 John 3:14). A growing hunger for God’s Word. You won’t be perfect overnight, but you’ll be different.
What the Bible says
- 01
Nicodemus.
“Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him.” Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. ” “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time to be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit. Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, and yet you people do not accept our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:1–16 - 02
A new creation.
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!”
2 Corinthians 5:17 - 03
Born of God.
“But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God— children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God.”
John 1:12–13 - 04
Made alive.
“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and of the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience. All of us also lived among them at one time, fulfilling the cravings of our flesh and indulging its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath. But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved!”
Ephesians 2:1–5 - 05
Born again through the Word.
“For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”
1 Peter 1:23 - 06
Renewal by the Spirit.
“He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
Titus 3:5
Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.
Read John 3:1–21. If you’ve never given your life to Jesus, tell Him today: “I turn from my sin and I trust You. Make me new.”
Common questions
Is “born-again Christian” different from “Christian”?
No. In the Bible, every true Christian has been born again.
Can you be born again more than once?
No. Like your first birth, it happens once. But you can recommit your life to God anytime.
Does being baptized make you born again?
Water baptism is an outward sign of the new birth. The new birth happens when you repent and believe.
Take your first step with us.
If you prayed today, or you’re close, Become will walk with you: your first days with Jesus, step by step, with people praying for you.