The New Birth
Spiritual regeneration through the Holy Spirit creates new life and identity in Christ.
Jesus told Nicodemus, 'You must be born again.' This new birth is not physical but spiritual—regeneration by the Holy Spirit that transforms human nature from within. Being 'born of water and Spirit' creates new capacity for knowing God and living differently. This is not self-improvement but new creation: 'If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come.' The old self with its sinful patterns dies; a new self with divine life emerges. The Greek anōthen means both “again” and “from above”. Nicodemus hears the first; Jesus means the second (John 3:3-7).
Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.
Jonathan Edwards described the new birth as 'a new spiritual sense' that enables perception of divine beauty invisible to the natural mind.
Gospel of John
Written about in
- What Christianity says about starting again after a fall
Jesus tells Nicodemus he must be born anōthen, a word meaning both "again" and "from above"; Nicodemus hears the first and asks about re-entering the womb. The misunderstanding is the point. What is on offer is described as new life given, not self-improvement achieved.