Bible Dictionaries
New Birth

Holman Bible Dictionary

A term evangelicals use to describe the unique spiritual experience of beginning a changed life in Christ. The origins of the term lie in John 3:3 , “Except a man be born again”; John 3:6 , “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit”; John 3:7 “Ye must be born again”; and 1 Peter 1:23 , “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.” New birth, like the earlier physical birth, is an initiation to a new experience of life. The new birth comes from hearing the word of God (James 1:21; 1 Peter 1:23 ). It is not a human accomplishment but an act of God (John 1:13; Ephesians 2:8; James 1:18 ). Individuals, however, cooperate with God's saving work through their repentance (break with a life of sin, Luke 13:3 ) and their commitment of life to Christ (John 1:12; John 3:16 ). New birth makes one God's child forever. Rededication and renewal may come often in one's lifetime, but the new birth never reoccurs. See Regeneration; Salvation .

James L. Sullivan