📖 Biblical Definition
Jesus declared to Nicodemus: "Unless one is born again [from above], he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). The new birth is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit, giving spiritual life to those who are dead in sin. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6). Regeneration is not self-improvement, moral reform, or religious education — it is a divine act of new creation. "If anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17). The new birth is monergistic — God alone does it, just as a baby does not birth itself.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
REGENERATION: New birth; the spiritual change wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit.
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REGENERA'TION, n. In theology, new birth; the work of the Holy Spirit, converting the soul from its love of sin and the world, to the love of God and holiness. Note: Webster attributed the new birth entirely to the work of the Holy Spirit — not to human decision, ritual, or moral effort.
📖 Key Scripture
• John 3:3-7 — "Unless one is born again, He cannot see the kingdom of God... You must be born again."
• 2 Corinthians 5:17 — "If anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation."
• 1 Peter 1:23 — "You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable."
• Ezekiel 36:26 — "I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
"Born again" has been reduced to a moment of decision rather than a sovereign act of divine re-creation.
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In popular evangelicalism, "born again" has been reduced to a human decision — walking an aisle, praying a prayer, raising a hand. But Jesus described the new birth as a sovereign act of the Spirit: "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). The new birth is not something you do — it is something that is done to you by God. This does not negate human responsibility to repent and believe, but it insists that the ability to repent and believe is itself a gift of grace, not a work of the human will.
Usage
• "Being born from above is not a decision you make — it is a miracle God performs. You cannot birth yourself any more than you chose your first birth."
• "Jesus told Nicodemus — the most religious man in Israel — that religion was not enough. He needed to be born from above by the Spirit of God."