The new birth is more than turning over a new leaf. Jesus told Nicodemus that a person must be born again. Scripture describes this new life as God’s merciful work in those who were dead in sin.
READ THE KEY PASSAGES
Begin with what
Scripture says.
John 3:3Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
John 3:6That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Titus 3:5Not 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.
01
The new birth is necessary
Ephesians 2:4–5God, who is rich in mercy... even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ.
Natural birth gives physical life, but it does not remove guilt, reconcile a sinner to God, or create spiritual life. Religious knowledge, family history, and outward respectability cannot take the place of the new birth.
Nicodemus had serious religious knowledge, yet Jesus did not tell him to accumulate more religious achievement. He told him that he must be born again. The need is deeper than better habits. The sinner needs life from God.
02
The new birth is God’s work
1 Peter 1:23Being born again... by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
Titus places regeneration beneath the mercy of God, not human righteousness. The Holy Spirit gives life according to God’s saving purpose, applying the redemption accomplished by Christ. The new birth humbles the believer because salvation begins with mercy.
That does not make the new birth mysterious in the sense of being unreal. Its source is invisible, but its effects are visible. God changes the direction of a life, gives a new relation to Christ, and creates a desire for truth that did not come from the flesh alone.
03
The Spirit works through the Word
2 Corinthians 5:17Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.
God’s sovereign work does not make the gospel unnecessary. Peter says believers are born again by the living Word of God. The gospel is preached, Christ is presented, sinners are called to repent and believe, and God gives life.
The Spirit never bypasses the Word He inspired. He does not lead a sinner to trust an undefined Christ or a message detached from Scripture. The good news of Christ’s death and resurrection is the truth through which God calls His people from darkness into life.
04
New life bears a new direction
1 John 5:1Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.
Regeneration does not make a Christian sinless in this present life. It gives a new relation to Christ, a new love for truth, and a new direction away from sin. Such fruit does not purchase the new birth; it belongs to the life God has given.
This guards against two errors. One is to measure life only by outward religious activity. The other is to claim new life while treating sin as normal and unimportant. A born-again believer grows, sometimes slowly, but he cannot regard the Savior and His Word as irrelevant.
PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
Questions for further reading.
- 01
Why does Jesus say the new birth is necessary?
- 02
What does Titus 3 exclude as its cause?
- 03
How does 1 Peter connect the new birth with the Word?
Read patiently. Let God’s Word speak.
To be born again is to receive life from God through the Holy Spirit because of His mercy in Christ. It is not a human achievement, yet it produces a real new life that cannot be reduced to a religious label.
