What Does It Mean to Be Born Again?

How Does it Happen?

Jul 23, 2025

It’s one of the most famous phrases in Christianity … and one of the most misunderstood.

“Are you born again?”

That question has sparked confusion and even controversy. But it didn’t originate with any church tradition or denomination. It came directly from Jesus.

“Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
— John 3:3 (CSB)

So what does it really mean to be born again? And how does it happen?

Born Again Means a Spiritual Rebirth

When Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again,” Nicodemus was baffled. “How can someone enter his mother’s womb a second time?” (John 3:4). But Jesus wasn’t talking about a physical rebirth; He was pointing to a spiritual transformation.

To be born again is to be made new by the power of God. It means receiving a new identity, a new nature, and a new destiny, not through human effort, but through God’s gracious work.

“Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
— John 3:6

This isn’t about cleaning up your life. It’s about God re-creating you through His Spirit.

Born Again Happens Through Water and Spirit

Jesus made this connection unmistakable:

“Unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
— John 3:5

This language isn’t vague, it’s deliberate. Jesus is pointing to the same event the early church proclaimed again and again: baptism.

At Pentecost, when the people asked, “What must we do?” Peter responded:
“Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
— Acts 2:38
Paul described salvation this way:
“He saved us… through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
— Titus 3:5
He also wrote:
“We were buried with Him by baptism into death, in order that… we too may walk in newness of life.”
— Romans 6:4

To be born again is to die to sin and be raised to new life, and that happens in baptism.

Baptism Is Not a Human Work, It’s God’s Work

Some object to baptism by saying, “Isn’t that a work? Aren’t we saved by grace?”

Yes. We are absolutely saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9). But we must understand: baptism is not a meritorious work of man, it is the appointed moment of surrender.

In fact, submitting to God’s conditions, repentance, confession, and baptism, is the very act of admitting we cannot save ourselves. It is the death of self-reliance. It is the cry of faith that says, “God, I need You to do what I cannot do.”

“He saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
— Titus 3:5

Paul says we are:

“Buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.”
— Colossians 2:12

Notice: it is God who is working in baptism, not the one being baptized.

We don’t save ourselves in baptism … God saves us there.
We don’t earn grace … we receive it.
We don’t perform a ritual … we die with Christ and rise with Him into new life (Romans 6:4–5).

Baptism is not about showing how good we are. It’s about confessing how helpless we are without Jesus. It is a moment of surrender, not self-righteousness.

“And now, why are you delaying? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.”
— Acts 22:16

Born Again Results in a New Life

To be born again is not just a change of label—it’s a change of life.

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!”
— 2 Corinthians 5:17

The born-again person is:

Forgiven and made clean (Acts 22:16)
Filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38)
Adopted into God’s family (Romans 8:15–17)
Called to walk in holiness and purpose (Ephesians 4:22–24)

New birth isn’t a feeling, it’s a fact based on God’s promise. And it results in a transformed heart and a new direction in life.

Born Again Is the Only Way Into God’s Kingdom

This is not optional. Jesus didn’t say some people need to be born again. He said everyone must be born again.

“Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
— John 3:3

Religious heritage won’t save you. Morality won’t save you. Only spiritual rebirth will.

That’s why baptism is not merely a symbol. It’s not a later “next step.” It is the God-ordained moment of transformation, when by faith, through surrender, you pass from death to life.

Final Invitation: Have You Been Born Again?

Have you repented of your sins?

Have you confessed your faith in Jesus as Lord?

Have you been buried with Him in baptism, trusting not in your works, but in the power of God to save?

If not, why wait?