The term born-again is synonymous with saved, redeemed, regenerated, justified, and reborn. Each of these terms refers to the spiritual birth that occurs when a person stops pursuing sin and trusts Jesus for forgiveness and salvation. Without being born-again, a person cannot enter heaven when they die but will spend eternity apart from God in the Lake of Fire.
Many people struggle to understand what “born-again” means or how to achieve it. Jesus addressed this issue in John 3:1-21 by telling a man named Nicodemus he must be born-again to go to heaven. Nicodemus was perplexed by Jesus’ statement since re-entering his mother’s womb was an impossibility. In response to Nicodemus’ confusion, Jesus spoke the following words in John 3:5-7 to distinctly differentiate a person’s human birth from the born-again spiritual rebirth He referenced: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into 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 be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”
In keeping with the context, Jesus’ use of the phrase “born of water” referenced the human birthing process that occurs in and through the womb when “flesh gives birth to flesh.” In this birth, a human being gives birth to another human being. In contrast, Jesus used the phrase “that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” to teach Nicodemus that the born-again spiritual birth is not a human achievement but a supernatural work of God’s Spirit giving life to a human spirit.
Individuals must be born-again to redeem them from the sins that otherwise render them spiritually dead and eternally lost. Having fallen short of God’s perfect, holy standards because of sin, people will reap the full measure of God’s wrath unless the Holy Spirit regenerates their dead spirit. This regeneration is what being born-again means and why Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born-again.”
God does not desire anyone to perish eternally, but everyone to repent and be saved (2 Peter 3:9). Therefore, despite Him requiring sinless perfection to dwell in heaven and all sins punished, God's unconditional love for sinners sent Jesus to the cross to make forgiveness and salvation possible.
When Jesus left heaven to be born on the earth, He lived a perfect, sinless life of obedience to His Father. His perfect obedience satisfied all God's righteous requirements for holy living. When Jesus was on the cross, He took the sins of the entire world upon Himself and suffered the punishment for each one by shedding His blood. His sacrificial death satisfied God's justice for sin's penalty. All of this was done willingly by Jesus on behalf of all sinners. Therefore, those who recognize their sinfulness and place their faith in Him for salvation will be forgiven and redeemed. Aside from this supernatural, spiritual rebirth through faith, there is no way for sinners to be saved.
When a person accepts God’s gift of salvation through faith in Jesus, several things transpire. First, God immediately sends the Holy Spirit to live inside of them. The Spirit of God renews their dead spirit, making it alive or reborn. Second, God forgives their sins and cleanses them from all ungodliness by exchanging their sinfulness for Jesus’ righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:8-9; Romans 4:3-11, 22-25; Galatians 2:19-21). Third, God makes them a new creation in Christ. Fourth, God grafts them into His family as His son or daughter. Fifth, God grants them eternal life in heaven with Him when they die.
Once a person is born-again, their heart and mind begin transforming in various ways. They become fruitful disciples of Christ with the help of God’s Word and the inner working of the Holy Spirit as they submit themselves to Jesus. They also grow spiritually mature throughout their life until Jesus takes them home to heaven. Once in heaven, born-again believers are made perfect forever.
On the contrary, a person claiming to be born-again without any evidence of God’s presence and regeneration in their life, lifestyle, attitude, demeanor, heart, or mind indicates they were never spiritually reborn (James 2). Much like the impossibility of having the United States President move into someone’s home without any resulting property modifications or visible signs of him occupying that residence – so it is with the Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit cannot indwell a person without any observable or measurable evidence of His holy presence.
(See the Scripture References link at the top of the page.)
