What Is Born Again?
A spiritual rebirth by the Holy Spirit that begins new life in Christ, described by Jesus as necessary to enter God's Kingdom.
Meaning
The phrase comes from Jesus' night conversation with Nicodemus, recorded in John 3, where Jesus tells him that no one can see God's Kingdom without being born anew. The underlying Greek word, anothen, carries a deliberate double meaning, it can mean again or from above, and Nicodemus, taking it only literally, asks how a grown man could re-enter his mother's womb. Jesus clarifies he means a spiritual birth, by water and the Spirit, not a physical one.
The image describes a decisive, God-initiated new beginning, not self-improvement or moral reform, but new spiritual life given by the Holy Spirit. Paul uses related language elsewhere, describing anyone in Christ as a new creation, the old having passed away.
The term became especially associated with American Evangelical Christianity in the twentieth century, where being born again describes a definite, often datable, personal conversion experience, frequently used as a self-identifying label. Catholic, Orthodox, and many mainline Protestant traditions affirm the same underlying reality of spiritual rebirth but tend to connect it more closely to baptism, understood as the moment new birth is sacramentally given, rather than to a separate emotional or decisional experience. Evangelicals typically distinguish the inward new birth from baptism, treating baptism instead as a public testimony that follows it.
In Scripture
John 3:3“Jesus answered him, "Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born anew, he can't see God's Kingdom."”
Explore more terms in the Christian glossary, see how the traditions understand it on the denominations guide, or read related verses explained.
Born Again: Frequently Asked
What does it mean to be born again?
It describes a spiritual rebirth, a new beginning given by the Holy Spirit, distinct from physical birth. Jesus used the phrase in John 3, telling Nicodemus this rebirth is necessary to enter God's Kingdom, describing something God initiates rather than something a person achieves through effort.
Why does 'born again' sound different from 'born anew'?
The underlying Greek word, anothen, can mean either again or from above, a deliberate double meaning in Jesus' original statement. Different English translations render it differently. The World English Bible uses born anew, while born again has become the more familiar traditional English phrase.
Do Catholics and Orthodox Christians use the term born again?
Less often as a personal label, though they affirm the underlying reality. These traditions generally connect spiritual rebirth closely to baptism itself. Evangelical Protestant traditions more commonly use born again to describe a distinct, often datable, personal conversion experience separate from baptism.