“Born again” is a term that our Lord Jesus Christ used in John 3:3, referring to a person who has received revelation from God, and is therefore made able to see his holy kingdom.
“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John 3:3
When the Lord Jesus asked his disciples, saying, “Whom do ye say that I am?”…Peter replied, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
(Matthew 16:16)
And Jesus replied with these words:
“Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”
Jesus said this to Peter because he knew that he could only have known this by revelation from God, just like he knew that Nicodemus could have only known what he said about Jesus (John 3:2) by revelation from God.
And so, Peter wrote.
“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”
(1 Peter 1:23)
And James wrote,
“Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”
(James 1:18)
And David wrote,
“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.”
Psalm 19:7
So, we know from the scripture that God’s word is God himself (John 1:1); and that the word of God is that holy seed that causes a man to be born again, so that he can see the kingdom of God.
Jesus said, when explaining the parable of the sower,
“Now the parable is this, the seed is the word of God.”
(Luke 8:11)
It is when the word of God enters into the depth of a man’s heart and brings forth life there, that the man is born again.
Now, he can see the kingdom of God.
John wrote (1 John 5:1) that whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God (IMPORTANT NOTE: whosoever believeth that Jesus is the CHRIST – not a deity called “God the Son” – which doesn’t exist – but the very Christ of God); and that man now has a desire to turn from his sinful life and live according to God’s word, because God’s word is now in him.
And at this point, that man is ready to hear and obey the gospel of Jesus Christ, so that he can be saved from his sins:
“Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
(Acts 2:38)
This is why Jesus said in John 3:5,
“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.”
Water baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ = water
Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost = Spirit
And so John wrote,
“And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.”
(1 John 5:8)
…meaning, of course, that when a man has the Spirit, and the water, THEN he has the blood.
And so we conclude that a man is born again by the entrance of the word of God into his heart.
“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”
Psalm 119:130
And, if he will receive it in an honest and good heart, then he will be able to see the kingdom of God, and hear and obey the gospel so that he can become a Christian.
According to the Bible, all Christians have been born again, but not all who have been born again are Christians; for only those who obey the gospel of Jesus Christ are Christians.
We hope this article helps you, the reader, and may God Almighty bless you as you abide in his word daily, and grow in his grace.
Remember that in English, God’s word is preserved for us in the KJV Bible.
Amen.