The concept of the New Birth, often referred to as being "born again," is a fundamental doctrine in Christian theology, signifying a spiritual resurrection and transformation. This transformative experience is essential for entering the Kingdom of God and is characterized by a profound change in the believer's heart and life.

Biblical Foundation

The New Birth is most explicitly discussed in the Gospel of John, where Jesus explains its necessity to Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the Jewish ruling council. In John 3:3, Jesus declares, "Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." This statement underscores the indispensability of spiritual rebirth for salvation and eternal life.

Further elaboration is provided in John 3:5-6, where Jesus states, "Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit." Here, Jesus distinguishes between physical birth and spiritual birth, emphasizing that the latter is a work of the Holy Spirit.

The Role of the Holy Spirit

The New Birth is a divine act initiated by the Holy Spirit. In Titus 3:5, the Apostle Paul writes, "He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit." This passage highlights that the New Birth is not achieved through human effort but is a gracious act of God, cleansing and renewing the believer.

The Holy Spirit's role is further emphasized in 1 Peter 1:23, which states, "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God." The Word of God, empowered by the Spirit, is instrumental in bringing about this new life.

Transformation and New Life

The New Birth results in a radical transformation of the believer's life. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul proclaims, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come!" This transformation involves a departure from the old sinful nature and the adoption of a new nature characterized by righteousness and holiness.

The Apostle John also speaks to the evidence of the New Birth in 1 John 3:9, stating, "No one born of God practices sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God." This indicates that the New Birth results in a life that increasingly reflects the character of Christ, marked by a growing aversion to sin and a desire for godliness.

Faith and Repentance

The New Birth is closely associated with faith and repentance. In Acts 2:38, Peter instructs, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Repentance, a turning away from sin, and faith in Jesus Christ are integral to experiencing the New Birth.

Ephesians 2:8-9 further clarifies that this experience is a gift from God: "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast." The New Birth is thus a manifestation of God's grace, received through faith in Jesus Christ.

Eternal Implications

The New Birth has eternal implications, securing the believer's place in the Kingdom of God. In John 1:12-13, it is written, "But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God." This new identity as children of God assures believers of their eternal inheritance and relationship with the Father.

In summary, the New Birth is a spiritual resurrection that transforms the believer's life, initiated by the Holy Spirit, and received through faith and repentance. It is a foundational aspect of Christian salvation, marking the beginning of a new life in Christ and securing eternal fellowship with God.Romans 6:4-6
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Ephesians 2:1,5
And you has he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Colossians 2:12
Buried with him in baptism, wherein also you are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who has raised him from the dead.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Colossians 3:1
If you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Because There is not a Single Scripture in the Church Epistles ...
... and spiritual resurrection""passed from death unto life." By nature we are spiritually
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Something Different from the New Birth.
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/.../macneil/the spirit-filled life/chapter iv something different from.htm

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not the ... At the same time the virgin birth is a New Testament doctrine ...
/.../whiton/miracles and supernatural religion/vii synopsis account to be made.htm

Christ's Resurrection and Our Newness of Life
... new creation, and to the resurrection; and therefore ... again cannot understand what
the new birth means ... Spiritual things are spiritually discerned, and the carnal ...
/.../spurgeons sermons volume 37 1891/christs resurrection and our newness.htm

"But if the Spirit of Him that Raised up Jesus from the Dead Dwell ...
... As the first death is that which is spiritual, then that ... they who have part in the
first resurrection, for on ... for our conversion to God is a new birth, a new ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xxxi but if the.htm

The New Nature
... If that does not teach that the spiritual nature which is given us by the new birth
never dies ... again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Christ ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 7 1861/the new nature.htm

The New-Birth
... [Reg-159] The seed of the new birth, is the inward and new man, which is to grow
up into that spiritual and holy man, which was first created in ...
/.../law/the grounds and reasons of christian regeneration/the new-birth.htm

The Marks of the New Birth
... it is not possible for even the spiritual man to ... in this world, but only in the
resurrection of the ... I plainly laid down those marks of the new birth which I ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 18 the marks of.htm

Concerning the Holy and Immaculate Mysteries of the Lord.
... birth and likewise the food should be spiritual too, but ... We were therefore given
a birth by water and Spirit ... is My blood, the blood of the New Testament which ...
/.../john/exposition of the orthodox faith/chapter xiii concerning the holy and.htm

Regeneration.
... (3.) The thing which the agency of God brings about, is a new or spiritual birth,
a resurrection from spiritual death, the inducing of a new and holy life. ...
/.../finney/systematic theology/lecture xxvii regeneration.htm

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