Being Born Again in the Bible

To be born again is the sovereign work of the Spirit of God who gives new life to the one who believes. It is not a simple improvement of self, nor a renewed moral effort, but a divine regeneration: a new heart, a new spirit, a new life received from above. This truth lies at the heart of the gospel, for no one can enter the kingdom of God without this radical transformation. It is to Nicodemus, a teacher of Israel, that Jesus reveals this necessity. In John 3:3 he declares: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." And a little further on, in John 3:5-6: "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." The new birth is therefore the work of the Spirit, and not of human merit. The apostle Peter attributes this rebirth to the great mercy of God. 1 Peter 1:3 blesses God who "according to his great mercy, has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." The believer's new life has its source in the resurrection of Christ and leads to a hope that does not fade. How is one born again? Not by one's own strength, but by faith in Christ and through the regenerating work of the Spirit. This involves repentance, faith, and a transformed heart that freely receives the life God gives. 2 Corinthians 5:17 sums up this wonder: "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."