What does it mean to be “born again” and why does it matter? (Part 2)

Most English Bibles contain three uses of the phrase “born again.” The Gospel of John, Chapter 3 records Jesus using that phrase twice while speaking to Nicodemus. The third use of that phrase is recorded in the First Letter of Peter Chapter 1, verse 23. In this post, we will focus our attention on the words of Jesus.

So, what did Jesus mean when he used the phrase “born again” in his conversation with Nicodemus? Jesus was responding to Nicodemus' inability to recognize Jesus' true identity (John 3:2). Jesus told Nicodemus that because Jesus' kingdom is “not of this world” (18:36), the world cannot understand it, except for those who are born again of the Spirit (3:8). Although Nicodemus was a leader of the Jews (3:1) and acknowledged that Jesus was from God, in his present condition Nicodemus was incapable of truly comprehending the kingdom of God. Only a spiritual rebirth could enable Nicodemus truly comprehend or enter (3:5) the kingdom of God.

Jesus contrasts the two births: “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” (3:6) Everyone is born in the flesh, that is – a physical body born from natural birth, so let's begin with a description of what life offers in our purely mortal state. Next, we will describe how our life changes when we are “born again” by the Spirit.

Craig Keener (The Gospel of John: A Commentary Volume One, Hendrickson Publishers, LLC, 2003, 552) writes that the Judaism of John's date, followed by early Christianity, did not think of the physical body as evil in-and-of-itself, but by virtue of its mortality and finiteness, the body lacked moral perfection and, hence, became susceptible to sin. This human frailty is inadequate for the true worship of God or for understanding God's heavenly ways (John 3:12). Moreover, the person cannot be saved from the realm of sin and judgement (3:16-20). John Wesley described the matter this way: “except [you] be born again, none can be happy even in this world. For it is not possible, in the nature of things, that a man should be happy who is not holy.” (Sermon The New Birth)

In contrast to the fleshly existence, the Apostle Paul describes the born again person as a “new creation.” (2 Cor 5:17). This new creation is made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus. (John 3:16) The person born of the Spirit is no longer under the dominion of sin, condemned to judgement, but instead is under the dominion of God. God loves us (3:16) and sent Jesus into the world to save us. In Jesus, we will not be judged; we will have eternal life. (3:16-17).

The born again person receives God's Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit works in the heart of the faithful believer to transform him or her into the likeness of Jesus. This transformation enables us to love God, ourselves and one another as God intended. This transformation brings wisdom and peace, and gives us the power to resist sin. We will have more to say about God's gift of the Holy Spirit in a future post on why it matters that a person be born again.

In the next post, we will examine how a person can be “born again.”