The New Birth

1. Man Must Be Born Again to Enter Heaven.

The Bible uses a number of terms and analogies to describe salvation. One of them is regeneration, or the new birth. John 3 is the classic chapter on the subject. Unless one is born again, He cannot see or enter Heaven. The word can be translated “again” or “from above”. Both are true. We must be born a second time, from Heaven. We enter this world by physical birth; we are made ready for the next one by spiritual rebirth. We are dead in sins and need this new life to be saved. Those who are not born again do not go to Heaven, but to Hell. Those who are born once will die twice, but those who are born twice will die once.

2. Regeneration is Not Reincarnation.

The new birth is not a physical one. We do not re-enter our mother's womb, nor that of another mother, whether human or animal. Hinduism and Buddhism both teach the error of reincarnation. But this is not to be confused with the Bible doctrine of regeneration. We are born physically once, we die physically once. See Heb. 9:27. There are no after-death experiences, as sensationally reported. Some of the Jews evidently were influenced by pagan ideas when they thought that Jesus was the reincarnation of John the Baptist, Jeremiah or other prophets (Matt. 16:14). Also, we will be resurrected in the future in new and better bodies, but not reincarnated in different bodies. Regeneration is a grand truth, while reincarnation is a dangerous heresy.

3. God Convicts a Sinner Before Conversion.

Just as a physical birth has birth pains, so does the spiritual birth. It is called conviction of sin. The Holy Spirit does this as He prepares us for the new birth. He takes the holy Law of God and burns it into our consciences in a deeper way than ever before. We do more than feel guilty; we know we are lost and doomed. The Puritans used to call this a Law-work (not to be confused with a work of the Law). It is painful and devastating. We resist it, and the more we fight it the worse it becomes. It is painful to kick against God's work (Acts 26:14). God thus breaks open the soil to plant the seed. Conviction is the needle of the Law piercing us, in order to pull the thread of salvation. No conviction, no conversion. But God turns the pain to joy in time.

4. The Holy Spirit Alone Gives the New Birth.

John 3 says that we must be born by the Spirit. Our parents gave us natural life, but they cannot give us supernatural life. Our spirits must be regenerated by the Holy Spirit. John 1:13 tells us that this new birth is not produced by parents or even our own wills. God Himself gives the new birth (James 1:18). God never says, “Regenerate yourself”. A dead man cannot give himself life. Jesus raised Lazaraus. Man is totally passive in regeneration. It is solely the work of the Spirit.

5. Baptism Does Not Produce Regeneration.

One of the most damnable and popular heresies around is baptismal regeneration. It is taught by the Catholic Church, Greek Orthodoxy, Lutheranism, Methodism, Church of Christ, Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, Episcopalianism, and others. It manufactures false Christians, whether as infants or adults. But water does not produce regeneration. Baptismal water is not magic “holy water”. Cornelius was regenerated before baptism (Acts 10). The dying thief was never baptized. Simon Magus was baptized, but died unregenerate in his sins (Acts 8).

6. The Word of God is the Means of Regeneration.

If water is not the means, what is? The Bible. God compares it to a seed (Luke 8:11). We may plant it by telling people the Gospel, and another person may water the seed by explaining the Bible to him. But it lies dormant in the sinner's dead heart unless God germinates it (I Cor. 3:6). God works on the seed by special grace, causing it to break open and produce life in the sinner's heart. The Bible is thus the means of irresistible grace producing the new birth (James 1:18, 1 Pet. 1:23). Those who never get this seed will never be saved. Nor does God work this miracle in everyone who does hear the Gospel. Nor does God produce regeneration without this seed.

7. Regeneration Precedes Faith.

A dead man cannot move, speak, walk, etc. A dead sinner cannot do anything that requires spiritual life, such as believing. He must first be given life, then he can believe. Lazarus was raised before he could walk out of the tomb. God gives the new birth and then the gift of faith. That is the order. He that believes already has eternal life (I John 5:1). There is no time lag or interval between them. It is merely a matter of which logically precedes and produces the other.

8. Regeneration Changes Our Basic Nature.

When we are regenerated, we do not become angels. We remain humans. But our nature as humans changes. Sin still dwells in us, but now so does grace. The point is that we now have spiritual life. We become a “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17). It is a spiritual resurrection. It is a radical transformation. Sin affected us totally in every part; now grace affects and changes us in every part. Our new nature is basically regenerate, good, Christlike, spiritual. We have remnants of the old, like a swimmer has seaweed clinging to him as he emerges from the sea. It is not a sinner with some good attached, nor equally good and bad, but primarily regenerate and new with remnants of sin in us till we die.

9. Regeneration is an Instantaneous Miracle.

It is a miracle of God, not an act of self-reformation or resolution by Man. God prepares the heart for it by conviction and other things, but regeneration itself occurs in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. It is not gradual or progressive, but instantaneous and sudden. Nobody is half-regenerate, nor more regenerate than someone else. If one dies before regeneration, he goes to Hell; if after, Heaven. In physical birth, there is a gestation period of 9 months following conception. This might be paralleled in the spiritual realm by the process by which God gradually prepares one for regeneration in a moment.

10. Only Born-Again People are Real Christians.

All Christians are born-again and all born-again people are Christians. There are no born-again Moslems. Nor are there any Christians who are not born again. "Born-again Christian" could be a misnomer, if it is taken to mean that some Christians are not born-again. One becomes a Christian by being born again; there is no other way. “You must be born again” (John 3:7). But, of course, not everyone who says he is a Christian really is a Christian. This is sad and tragic. Most Americans say they are Christians, but it is highly unlikely that more than 1 or 2% really are. Saying that you are doesn't make it so. It is not whether we say it, but whether we are in fact. And likewise, not everyone who says he is born again really is regenerate (Catholics and other heretics claim to be). It is vital to discern if we really are.