Biblical Meaning of Born Again
Being born again (anothen/gennao) is Jesus's description of the new birth from above — the divine action of the Spirit that gives a person new life, the necessary entry point to the kingdom of God.
Unless You Are Born Again
"Born again" (Greek: gennao anothen — "born from above, born anew") enters the gospel vocabulary in Jesus's conversation with Nicodemus (John 3). Nicodemus was a Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin — religiously educated, morally serious, socially prominent — who came to Jesus at night with the acknowledgment that Jesus was a teacher from God. Jesus's response seems disconnected: "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again." Nicodemus's literal reading — "How can someone be born when they are old? Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother's womb!" — is both confused and correct: the second birth is as impossible by natural means as re-entering the womb. But Jesus is describing a birth from above, not from below.
Born of Water and Spirit
"Born of water and the Spirit" (John 3:5) — the two elements of the new birth, variously interpreted as baptism + Spirit, natural birth (water) + Spirit birth, or the cleansing + renewing action of the Spirit described in Ezekiel 36:25-26: "I will sprinkle clean water on you... I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you." The Spirit's movement is like the wind — heard but not seen, origin and destination unknown, going where it will. "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing." The new birth is not a human achievement or decision; it is a divine action that human beings receive and recognize. 1 Peter 1:23 calls it being "born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God."
Key spiritual meanings of Biblical Meaning of Born Again
- Anothen
- from above — the birth that comes from the source above, not from below
- The impossibility that is required
- as impossible as re-entering the womb — divinely done
- Born of water and Spirit
- the double element of the divine new birth
- The wind analogy
- the Spirit moves as it will — received and recognized, not produced
- New heart, new spirit
- the Ezekiel prophecy Jesus was invoking
- Not of human will or decision
- the new birth as divine initiative and divine action
- The life the flesh cannot produce
- what is born of flesh is flesh; what is born of Spirit is spirit
- Name frequency
- beginning, re-origin, the impossible divine action that makes all things new
Frequently asked questions
What does Biblical Meaning of Born Again mean spiritually?
Being born again (anothen/gennao) is Jesus's description of the new birth from above — the divine action of the Spirit that gives a person new life, the necessary entry point to the kingdom of God.
Unless You Are Born Again
"Born again" (Greek: gennao anothen — "born from above, born anew") enters the gospel vocabulary in Jesus's conversation with Nicodemus (John 3). Nicodemus was a Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin — religiously educated, morally serious, socially prominent — who came to Jesus at night with the acknowledgment that Jesus was a teacher from God. Jesus's response seems disconnected: "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again." Nicodemus's literal reading…
Born of Water and Spirit
"Born of water and the Spirit" (John 3:5) — the two elements of the new birth, variously interpreted as baptism + Spirit, natural birth (water) + Spirit birth, or the cleansing + renewing action of the Spirit described in Ezekiel 36:25-26: "I will sprinkle clean water on you... I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you." The Spirit's movement is like the wind — heard but not seen, origin and destination unknown, going where it will. "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for…
What are the 8 spiritual meanings of Biblical Meaning of Born Again?
1. Anothen: from above — the birth that comes from the source above, not from below 2. The impossibility that is required: as impossible as re-entering the womb — divinely done 3. Born of water and Spirit: the double element of the divine new birth 4. The wind analogy: the Spirit moves as it will — received and recognized, not produced 5. New heart, new spirit: the Ezekiel prophecy Jesus was invoking 6. Not of human will or decision: the new birth as divine initiative and divine action 7. The life the flesh cannot produce: what is born of flesh is flesh; what is born of Spirit is spirit 8. Name frequency: beginning, re-origin, the impossible divine action that makes all things new