"Born again" is a phrase often used in today's religious world. When used it often means different things depending on the belief of the person using it. Some use the phrase to say that their life has changed; some that they have received the Holy Spirit in a miraculous sense and others that they have been baptized being raised to walk in newness of life. The way the phrase is used by men is of course not that on which we base our belief about the matter. We want to understand according to the Bible. The phrase, born again, occurs only three times in the Bible. Twice in John chapter 3 and again in I Peter 1:23.
First we will consider John 3:1-12. Nicodemus came to Jesus realizing that He came from God. When he told Jesus this, Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus wondered how this could be. He asked if one could again enter his mother's womb and be born. Jesus' answer was that a man must be born of the water and the Spirit to see the kingdom of God. Jesus continues in verses 6-8 to explain. He says, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. "Do not marvel that I said to you, `You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." In this explanation Jesus emphasizes the spiritual rather than the material. Verse 8 about the wind is very enlightening. You cannot see the wind but it is there. One cannot see from where it comes neither where it goes. Spiritual things, likewise, are there but are not something we can touch and see. Verse 6 emphasizes the difference between flesh and spirit. That is the birth of being born again. We place our thoughts, mind and efforts on spiritual things. We begin to live by the spirit rather than the flesh. Verse 12 also emphasizes the higher order of things as Jesus asked Nicodemus, "If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?"
The Jews of Jesus' day had a bad problem. Most did not serve from their heart. Jesus told them in Matthew 15:8-9, "These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me , Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." Jesus spoke about the heart often in his addresses to the people. The Jewish leaders had it down pat about what to do about every sin. But there was little effort to cease from sinning. Their hearts were just not right. It was this change of heart that was needed. They needed to be concerned about spiritual things rather than material and fleshly things.
To be born of the Spirit means to live by what the Spirit has provided us. This is God's word. The Spirit provided the teaching which Jesus wanted the world to know, all truth (John 16:13-14, I John 2:20). This Spirit was promised to the apostles who provided us with the divine record. Not only did the Spirit give the truth to the apostles, the Spirit also provided miraculous deeds to testify of the truth. Hebrews 2:4 says, "God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will." The miraculous gifts ended when the apostles died. Only they could pass on the gifts. See Acts 8:14-19. I Corinthians 13:8-10 says, "Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away." The word perfect in this passage comes from a word meaning complete or full. We now have all things, the complete word of God. We have the established church. We have the divine record to teach us all things pertaining to life and godliness (II Peter 1:2-3)
The third passage where "born again" is used bears out that living by the word which the Holy Spirit has given is being born again. I Peter 1:22-23 says, "Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever."