Few phrases are as central to the gospel as Jesus’ words: “You must be ain/”>born again.” (John 3:7). Those words were spoken to Nicodemus, a teacher of Israel. This command revealed that salvation is not gained by lineage, learning, or law-keeping, but by a radical work of God’s Spirit. To be born again is to enter into new life, to pass from death to life, and to become a child of God. In this study we will explore what being born again means, why it is necessary, whether we see it foreshadowed in the Old Testament, how one becomes born again, and when the Holy Spirit is received.
The Necessity of New Birth
“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’” (John 3:3)
Nicodemus, a Pharisee and ruler of the Jews, came to Jesus by night, acknowledging Him as a teacher from God. But Jesus cut to the heart: entrance into God’s kingdom requires more than religious status. It requires new birth. Nicodemus misunderstood, thinking Jesus spoke of re-entering his mother’s womb. But Jesus clarified:
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” (John 3:5–7)
Physical birth brings forth flesh; spiritual birth brings forth spirit. Being born again is not moral reform or religious zeal; it is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit imparting new life.
Old Testament Foreshadowings of New Birth
Jesus rebuked Nicodemus, saying, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?” (John 3:10). In other words, Jesus was saying the Old Testament already pointed to the need for a spiritual renewal.
If we look closer, we see the promises of a new heart and new spirit, both in the Old Testament:
“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean… I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes.” (Ezekiel 36:25–27)
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)
These passages show that God’s people needed more than external law. They needed inner transformation. Circumcision of the heart was always God’s goal:
“And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:6)
Thus, while Old Testament believers trusted God and were justified by faith (Genesis 15:6; Habakkuk 2:4), the promise of new birth awaited the fuller outpouring of the Spirit through Christ. The imagery was present, the promises were spoken, but the accomplishment came with the cross and resurrection.
So, How Does One Become Born Again?
Jesus goes on to link new birth with believing in Him:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
To be born again is to receive Jesus by faith as we already read in John 1:
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12–13)
Faith is the human response, but regeneration is the divine act. We believe the gospel, and God by His Spirit causes us to be born anew. Peter echoes this:
“Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.” (1 Peter 1:23)
The Word of God and the Spirit of God together bring about new birth as the gospel is believed.
The Work of the Spirit in New Birth
Jesus explained:
“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 3:8)
The Spirit’s work in regeneration is supernatural and mysterious. Just as we cannot control the wind, we cannot control the Spirit. New birth is not a human achievement but a divine gift.
Paul likewise emphasizes this:
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:5)
Regeneration (new birth) and renewal come by the Spirit’s work of mercy, not human merit.
When Do You Receive the Holy Spirit?
New birth and receiving the Spirit go hand in hand. At the moment of faith in Christ, the believer is both regenerated and indwelt by the Spirit.
“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.” (Ephesians 1:13)
“Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’” (Galatians 4:6)
If we do not have the Spirit, we are not saved. Romans 8:9 says it plainly: “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” The gift of the Spirit is not a second stage of salvation; it is the very seal of belonging to Christ. The Spirit gives life, indwells, and empowers the believer from the moment of new birth.
Born Again Unto a Living Hope
After we are born again, we now have a new hope:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3)
To be born again is to enter into a living hope, a hope grounded in Christ’s resurrection. The new birth unites us to the risen Christ, giving us a new identity, a new family, and a new destiny.
Summary of What It Means to Be Born Again
It is necessary for entrance into the kingdom of God (John 3:3).
It is the work of the Spirit through the Word, not by human effort (John 3:5–8; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:23).
It was anticipated in the Old Testament by promises of a new heart and Spirit (Ezekiel 36; Deuteronomy 30).
It happens at the moment of faith in Christ, when the Spirit regenerates and indwells (John 1:12–13; Ephesians 1:13).
It unites us to Christ’s resurrection and gives us living hope (1 Peter 1:3).
My Final Thoughts
When Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again,” He was not offering a suggestion but declaring a necessity. Religion, morality, and human effort cannot bring us into God’s kingdom. We need new birth… a work of God’s Spirit that makes us alive to Him, washes us from sin, and seals us as His children. The Old Testament foreshadowed it, the prophets longed for it, and in Christ it has been made possible.
By believing in Him, we are born of God, indwelt by His Spirit, and given a living hope. This is not an optional “second blessing”; it is the very heart of salvation. Have you been born again? If so, live in the reality of that new life, bearing the fruit of the Spirit. If not, hear the words of Jesus: “You must be born again.”
