A born-again Christian is someone who has put their faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. They have received the new birth through the Holy Spirit as described by Jesus in John 3:1-21. The phrase “born again” goes back to Jesus Himself (John 3:3, 7). Another Greek term which also translates as “born again,” was afterward used by the Apostle Peter (1 Peter 1:3, 23). Thus, the term “born-again Christian” as a description of a true believer in Jesus is, at its root, biblical. Historically, it became especially popular among American evangelicals in the twentieth century as a way of distinguishing between faithful, believing Christians and those who were merely culturally or nominally Christian.

“Born again” in the dictionary

At the root of our question is the term “born again”? If we are to define what it means to modify “Christian” with that phrase, we must first define the phrase itself. Unfortunately, the definitions offered by secular dictionaries are typically generic and unhelpful, if not misleading:

 “a person who is characterized by a newfound faith or enthusiasm” https://www.dictionary.com/browse/born-again (Accessed 04/22/2021)

“of, relating to, or being a usually Christian person who has made a renewed or confirmed commitment of faith especially after an intense religious experience,” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/born-again (Accessed 04/22/2021)

These definitions miss the distinctively biblical origins of the phrase. What’s more, they limit the term to those with “newfound faith” or a “renewed commitment,” as if the term only applies for a short time after one’s conversion. Yet, evangelicals who use this term do so throughout their lives, not only as new converts. As we will see, the biblical data likewise supports the term as a permanent description of genuine Christians. Thus, such dictionary entries point us in the wrong direction. For the true, relevant meaning, we must look to Scripture itself.

Biblical usage

The term “born again” is primarily derived from Jesus’ conversation with a pharisee named Nicodemus, where we read:

“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit,” (John 3:3-8).

The language here is obviously not meant to convey a physical rebirth (such as one might find in eastern religious traditions of reincarnation). Instead, it envisions a remaking from within, wherein the Holy Spirit gives a man a new inner nature and a new beginning. It is what the prophet Ezekiel described as God giving us a new heart:

“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances,” (Ezekiel 36:25-27).

Jesus and Ezekiel both even utilize the imagery of water and spirit to describe this cleansing and remaking of our inner self. And how does this new birth express itself in a person? Jesus does not leave this ambiguous, as John 3 continues to explain:

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so, must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God,” (John 3:14-18).

Thus, those who are born again are those who look to Jesus in faith, and this new birth is the way to eternal life and the kingdom of God. John elsewhere uses the similar terminology of “born of God,” explaining that:

“Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him,” (1 John 5:1).

And:

“He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God,” (John 1:11-13).

Peter likewise connects this new birth with the guarantee of eternal life:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time,” (1 Peter 1:3-5).

“for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. For, ‘All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off.  But the word of the Lord endures forever.’ And this is the word which was preached to you,” (1 Peter 1:23-25).

Thus, “born again” basically means “made new by the Holy Spirit, producing enduring faith in Christ unto eternal life.”

Born again Christians

So, what then is a born-again Christian? It is a follower of Jesus Christ who, through faith in Him, has received this new birth from the Spirit. In other words, a born-again Christian is a true Christian. It is a person who actually trusts in the gospel and in the person of Jesus Christ. It is not someone merely affiliated with a particular church or denomination. It is someone who believes in the finished work of Jesus Christ and who has been made new through His Spirit.