Ye must be born again: what did Jesus tell Nicodemus in John 3?
The phrase comes from a conversation at night. Nicodemus was a Pharisee and “a ruler of the Jews” (John 3:1, KJV), a teacher who had seen Jesus' miracles and wanted to understand Him. Before he could ask much, Jesus told him what he needed most.
“There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of 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. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”
Nicodemus took Jesus literally. He pictured a grown man going back into his mother's womb. Jesus meant a different kind of birth: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6, KJV). Our first birth gives us human life. The second gives us life with God.
Learning and devotion were not enough. Nicodemus was devout, educated and admired, “a master of Israel” (John 3:10, KJV). Jesus did not tell him to try harder or learn more. He told him he needed to be made new. That is good news for anyone who feels they have failed God, and a humbling word for anyone who feels they have done rather well.
The Spirit is like the wind. In Greek, one word (pneuma) means both wind and spirit, and verse 8 plays on both meanings. You cannot see the wind or steer it, but you can see what it does to the trees. The new birth is like that. You may not be able to name the moment it happened, but you can see its effects.
Nicodemus' story goes on. He left that night still asking, “How can these things be?” (John 3:9, KJV). Later he spoke up for Jesus in front of the other Pharisees (John 7:50-51), and after the crucifixion he brought “a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight” (John 19:39, KJV) for Jesus' burial. For some people new life arrives in a moment. For others, it seems to unfold over time.
What is the new birth?
The New Testament describes the new birth in several ways. Put together, they show what God actually does.
It makes you a new creation. The old life does not just get a fresh coat of paint. Something new begins, and it begins with being joined to Christ.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
It is a washing and a renewal, given by mercy. “Regeneration” is the older word for new birth. Paul is clear that it comes from God's mercy and the work of the Holy Spirit, not from our record.
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost”
It is planted by God's word. Peter ties the new birth to the message of Christ. God's word is the seed, and the life it produces does not die.
“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”
James says the same thing in a single line: “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth” (James 1:18, KJV).
It makes you God's child. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12, KJV). New birth and adoption are two pictures of one gift: you belong to God's family.
It brings a living hope. Peter blesses God, who “hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3, KJV). The new birth is tied to Easter. The life God gives is the risen life of Christ.
What does being born again not mean?
Because the phrase is so familiar, it has picked up meanings Jesus never gave it. A few to set aside:
It is not turning over a new leaf. Resolutions and self-discipline are good, but they are things we do. The new birth is something God does (Titus 3:5). A person can tidy up their habits without being born again, and a person who is born again may still have a long way to grow.
It is not a label for one kind of Christian. In the news, “born again” can sound like the name of a particular group. In the Bible it describes every believer. Jesus said that without it no one can see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). Churches use different words for it, but the Bible does not treat it as optional.
It is not a feeling you have to reproduce. Some people remember a dramatic turning point and a date they wrote in the margin of their Bible. Others grew up trusting Christ and cannot remember a time they did not. The wind is real whether it roars or whispers (John 3:8). What matters is that the life is there, not how loudly it arrived.
It is not instant perfection. Born again people still sin and still struggle. John, who wrote so much about the new birth, also wrote, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8, KJV). A newborn is fully alive but not yet grown. New birth is the start of growth, not the end of it.
How do Christian traditions understand being born again?
All Christians believe that the new birth is real, that it is God's work, and that it comes through Christ by the Holy Spirit. Where they differ is on how and when God gives it, and above all on the place of baptism. Here are the two main views, described the way each church describes itself.
New birth through personal conversion (evangelical churches). Evangelical Christianity puts strong weight on personal conversion: a person hears the gospel, repents and trusts Christ, and in that turning God gives new life. Southern Baptists, for example, describe regeneration, or the new birth, as a change of heart worked by the Holy Spirit, to which a person responds with repentance and faith. Baptism then follows as an act of obedience that pictures the believer's death to the old life and rising to new life (Baptist Faith and Message 2000, Articles IV and VII).
New birth in baptism (Catholic, Orthodox and Lutheran teaching). These churches teach that God gives the new birth in baptism, which is why they speak of baptismal regeneration. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that through baptism “we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God,” and calls it “the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit,” with Titus 3:5 and John 3:5 as its texts (CCC 1213, 1215). The Orthodox Church in America describes baptism as “a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit” into the kingdom of God, followed by chrismation, the gift of the Spirit. Luther's Small Catechism teaches that baptism “works forgiveness of sins” and gives salvation “to all who believe this,” and calls it “a washing of regeneration in the Holy Ghost,” citing Titus 3. All three baptize infants. None of them treats baptism as the end of the matter: the Catholic Catechism says faith “must grow after Baptism” (CCC 1254), and Luther wrote that the old self is to be drowned “by daily contrition and repentance” so that a new person can daily arise.
| Tradition | When God gives the new birth | What baptism is |
|---|---|---|
| Evangelical (for example, Baptist) | When a person repents and believes the gospel | An act of obedience that pictures new life already given |
| Catholic | In baptism | The washing of regeneration: freed from sin and reborn as a child of God |
| Orthodox | In baptism, sealed by chrismation | A new birth by water and the Holy Spirit |
| Lutheran | In baptism, received by faith | A washing of regeneration that gives forgiveness and salvation to all who believe |
Sources: Baptist Faith and Message 2000; Catechism of the Catholic Church 1213, 1215, 1254; Orthodox Church in America, The Orthodox Faith; Luther's Small Catechism, Part IV.
Where they meet. The difference is real, and it matters. But the shared ground is wide. Each of these churches teaches that the new birth is God's gift and not our achievement, that it joins a person to Christ, and that it should show itself in faith, repentance and love. If you want to look at the baptism question more closely, see Christian Baptism.
How do I know I am born again?
The New Testament does not ask you to find a date or recreate a feeling. The First Letter of John was written for this very question: “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life” (1 John 5:13, KJV). Its signs of new life are simple and searching.
- You trust Jesus as the Christ. "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God" (1 John 5:1, KJV). Not a perfect faith, but a real one.
- You love other people, especially other believers. "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren" (1 John 3:14, KJV).
- You want to do what is right, and it grieves you when you do not. John says that "every one that doeth righteousness is born of him" (1 John 2:29, KJV). The direction of your life matters more than any one day.
- The Spirit tells you that you belong to God. "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God" (Romans 8:16, KJV).
- The fruit of the Spirit is growing, even slowly. Love, joy, peace and patience do not appear overnight, but they do appear (Galatians 5:22-23). See The Fruit of the Spirit.
If you read that list and feel unsure, you are in good company; many sincere Christians go through seasons of doubt. Bring it to God honestly, like the father who said, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief” (Mark 9:24, KJV), and talk with a pastor or priest who knows you. Christians also differ on how much certainty a believer can have about the future, and Can I Lose My Salvation? sets out those views fairly.
And if you know you have never turned to Christ, the door is open. A few verses after the talk with Nicodemus, John 3 gives the reason it is possible: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16, KJV). How Can I Be Saved? explains what it means to respond, and What Is the Gospel? sets out the good news itself.
If you want this new life, where do you start?
Read John 3 slowly
Read the whole chapter, not only verse 3. Notice how it moves from the new birth to the cross (John 3:14-15) and to the love of God (John 3:16). In Faithero you can read it in the King James Version or the Douay-Rheims, have it read aloud, and tap any verse to have it explained in plain words.
Tell God the truth
Admit what you cannot fix on your own and ask Him for a new heart, in your own words. You can borrow David's prayer: "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10, KJV).
Turn and trust
The New Testament joins repentance and faith: turning away from sin and trusting Jesus as Lord, raised from the dead (Acts 2:38; Romans 10:9).
Talk to a church
Find a pastor or priest and tell them what is happening. Ask about baptism and about belonging to a church. Christian traditions practice baptism differently, and a good church will explain why it does what it does.
Feed the new life
Newborns need feeding: "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby" (1 Peter 2:2, KJV). Read a little of the Gospels each day, pray, and spend time with other Christians.
Frequently asked
What does born again mean in the Bible?
It means receiving new spiritual life from God. Jesus told Nicodemus, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3, KJV). The Greek word for "again" can also mean "from above," so the new birth is both a fresh start and a life that comes from God. It is His work in us by the Holy Spirit, not a change we make by trying harder.
What is a born again Christian?
In everyday speech, a born again Christian is someone who can point to a time when they personally turned to Christ in repentance and faith. The phrase is most at home in evangelical churches, which put strong weight on personal conversion. In the Bible, though, it is not a special class of believer. Jesus said no one sees the kingdom of God without being born again, so every Christian is meant to be born again, whatever words their church uses for it.
Where does the Bible say "Ye must be born again"?
In John 3:7: "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again" (John 3:7, KJV). Jesus said it to Nicodemus, a Pharisee and respected teacher who came to Him by night. He had already told him that without this new birth no one can see the kingdom of God (John 3:3).
What does "born of water and of the Spirit" mean?
Jesus said, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:5, KJV). Catholic and Orthodox teaching read the water as baptism, and Lutherans also teach that baptism is a washing of new birth. Other Christians read the water as the cleansing God promised in Ezekiel 36:25-27, where clean water and a new spirit come together, or as natural birth. All agree that the Spirit is the One who gives the new life.
Do you have to be baptized to be born again?
Christians answer this differently. Catholic, Orthodox and Lutheran teaching holds that God gives the new birth in baptism; the Catechism of the Catholic Church adds that God himself "is not bound by his sacraments" (CCC 1257). Baptists and many other evangelicals teach that the Spirit gives the new birth when a person repents and believes, and that baptism follows as a public sign of it. All of these churches baptize, and all call believers to be baptized (Acts 2:38).
Is being born again the same as being saved?
They belong together, but the words describe different sides of one gift. Salvation is the whole rescue God gives in Christ: forgiveness, peace with God, adoption into His family and, at the end, the resurrection. Being born again describes the new life that starts inside a person. Titus 3:5 joins the two: God "saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost" (Titus 3:5, KJV).
Life you receive, not life you achieve
Jesus could have described salvation as a ladder to climb or an exam to pass. He chose birth. No one is born by trying hard. Life is given first, and then it grows. That is why the new birth is good news for tired people: it does not wait for you to become impressive. It begins with God.
Nicodemus came at night with his learning, his reputation and his questions. Jesus did not send him away. He told him the truth and left the door open, and later Nicodemus came with spices for Jesus' burial. If you have questions tonight, bring them the same way. The chapter that says “Ye must be born again” (John 3:7, KJV) also says that God sent His Son “that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17, KJV).
What does born again mean?
To be born again is to be given a new beginning by God: a new life that starts on the inside. Jesus chose the picture of birth on purpose. Nobody gives birth to themselves. A baby does not earn being born or arrange it; life is received. In the same way, the new birth is something God does in a person by His Holy Spirit.
The Greek word John records for “again” (anōthen) can also mean “from above.” John uses the same word later in the chapter: “He that cometh from above is above all” (John 3:31, KJV). Both senses fit. The new birth is a second beginning, and its source is heaven, not human effort.
In plain terms, being born again means that God gives you a new heart, makes you His child and begins to change you from the inside out. The prophets saw it coming. Through Ezekiel God promised, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you” (Ezekiel 36:26, KJV). John's Gospel opens with the same idea: those who receive Christ are “born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13, KJV).