Born Again Christian – The Meaning

By HA Media
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Updated: August 27, 2018

Born Again Christian – The Meaning
The term “born again Christian” is an often misunderstood. If we look to its original reference, we see that the meaning is not about a physical birth, but about receiving a spiritual renewal. Since the original sin in the garden by Adam (Genesis 3), all mankind is born in a corrupted state by inheritance. It is by that our soul needs to be reborn—made pure and righteous again—the way God created us to be. He provided the way for this to happen, but because God gave us free will, we have a choice to accept it or not.

The term in the original Greek text is genna?? (born) meaning “to regenerate” and an??then (again) meaning “from above, anew.” Both meanings are consistent with the redeeming purpose. The label of Christian (Christianos) means “follower of Christ.” The born again Christian has accepted this supernatural transformation from sin to righteousness, evil to good.

Born Again Christian – Who Can Be Born Again
Our first given example of becoming a born again Christian was a man named Nicodemus. It was a radical declaration when “born again” was first spoken by Jesus to this man. His story is in John 3:1-23where Jesus told Nicodemus, “…no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” In verse 6 Jesus explains “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to the spirit.”

Like with Nicodemus, being born again is not based on your nationality or ethnicity; it is personal. God’s gift of rebirth is not through our human effort or merit, but comes through God’s mercy alone. Titus 3:5 tells us, “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”

The new birth is an illustration of God’s Spirit and is not performed or achieved by religious ceremony or traditional rite. The Bible states that God is not a respecter of persons; being old or young, rich or poor, male or female makes no difference (Acts 10:34). Becoming born again is a personal choice, open for everyone to receive.

The way to become a born again Christian is clearly presented in God’s Word:

We recognize we are sinners

Romans 3:23

and that the penalty for that sin is death

Romans 6:23

Because of our sin, we can’t know and experience God’s love and we are spiritually separated from Him. To remedy our situation, God sent His only Son to die in our place—to take the penalty for our sin

Romans 5:8

After Jesus’ death, He rose from the dead

1 Corinthians 15:3-6

Jesus is our only way to God

John 14:6

and He gives us the gift of salvation. We can receive God’s gift through faith (

Ephesians 2:8-9

and experience new birth

John 3:1-8

Receiving Jesus means trusting Him to come into our lives to forgive our sins and make us what He desires.

If you want to receive Jesus now, and accept His gift of salvation, you can express this in a prayer to God. This is not a ritual based on specific words, but rather, a prayerful guideline for your sincere step of faith.

“Father, I know I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.”