Being “born again” is a term used in the Christian faith to describe a spiritual birth that occurs when someone accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, it means turning from self-reliance to rely on Him.

The concept of being “born again” originates from Jesus Himself & His conversation with Nicodemus in John 3:3, where He says “Truly, truly I say to you, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Jesus is showing the importance of being born again as a prerequisite for entering the kingdom of God, to be save.

The New Birth

3 :1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again (G509), he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:1-8

As a Jew, Nicodemus believed that he should automatically enter into the kingdom of God by obeying the Law. Jesus is correcting him that entering the kingdom cannot be accomplished by fleshly means but rather by spiritual means.

Jesus vs. 5 explains that to be born again involves first a physical birth (“born of water”) and then a spiritual birth (“born of the Spirit”). This new birth signifies a change from a life governed by the sinful flesh to a life guided by the Holy Spirit.

“ Yet to all who received Him, He gave the power to become sons of God, to those who believed in His name, 13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12.

I heard many times people saying that we ALL are sons & daughters of God, but according with the Bible we all are creation of God, but only those who receive & believe in Jesus become sons & daughters of God. Jesus is the only way to the Father (John 14:6), the only mediator between God & men ( Acts 4:12, 1 Timothy 2:5).

Also in 1 John, a book by same apostle says: “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ (G5547=messiah) is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. ” 1 John 5:1.

 

We find more insight in the Bible New Testament about how to be born again:

Peter’s sermon
29 “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, [i]according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.

34 “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand,
35Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ’

36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”  Acts 2:14-42

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord”. Acts 3:19

“and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:15

” But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”  Romans 10: 8-11

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.1 John 1:9

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. ” 2 Corinthians 5:17

Having all of the Scriptures above into consideration, we can say that to be born again:

1/ The first step is acknowledging that you have fallen short of God’s standard and are unable to save yourself. Confess your wrongdoings & repent of them. According to the Bible, being born again involves repentance.

2/ To be born again, you must believe in Jesus Christ the Son of God, that He died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins, & also that He was raised from the dead, 1 Cor. 15: 1-4 & 13-17. He isn’t dead anymore, He resurrected, Jesus is alive!! He resurrected bodily. Trust the Jesus that the Word of God talks about, not a different Jesus sects or other people made up.

3/ Have a  commitment to follow Jesus as your Lord & Savior. It’s not just about going to church or following a set of rules, but a heart change that leads to a new way of living. This spiritual transformation is often referred to as a conversion, where one turns away from their old ways and commits to following Christ. “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” Luke 6:46, – If Jesus is really your Lord, you will obey His teachings.

4/ Invite Jesus to your life, and develop a relationship with Him through prayer, reading the Bible, and fellowship with other believers. He & the Holy Spirit that He sends to you (another gift) will help you bring spiritual transformation to your life.