What Does "Born Again" Mean?

It means you've been regenerated — made spiritually alive by the Holy Spirit.

Before the new birth, you were spiritually dead.

"And although you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you formerly lived…"

— Ephesians 2:1–2 (NET)

Not sick. Not struggling. Dead. Separated from God. Unable to please Him. Enslaved to sin. Destined for judgment.

Then God intervened:

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you are saved!"

— Ephesians 2:4–5 (NET)

That's the new birth. God makes you alive. The Holy Spirit regenerates you. You become a new creation.

What Happens When You're Born Again?

1. Your Old Self Dies

"We know that our old man was crucified with him so that the body of sin would no longer dominate us, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin."

— Romans 6:6 (NET)

"I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me."

— Galatians 2:20 (NET)

The person you were before Christ — that person is dead. Your old identity, your old allegiances, your old master (sin) — dead.

2. You Become a New Creation

"So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away — look, what is new has come!"

— 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NET)

Not a slightly improved version of your old self. A NEW CREATION. Different nature. Different desires. Different destiny.

3. The Holy Spirit Comes to Dwell in You

"You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this person does not belong to him."

— Romans 8:9 (NET)

This is the "oil" in the Ten Virgins parable. The indwelling Holy Spirit is the mark of genuine conversion.

If you don't have the Spirit, you don't belong to Christ. It's that simple. That sobering.

4. You're Adopted as God's Child

"But to all who have received him — those who believe in his name — he has given the right to become God's children — children not born by human parents or by human desire or a husband's decision, but by God."

— John 1:12–13 (NET)

Before: you were a child of wrath (Ephesians 2:3). Now: you're a child of God. An heir. Part of His family forever.

5. You Begin the Journey of Sanctification

Being born again isn't the END of the journey — it's the BEGINNING.

Justification (being declared righteous) happens in a moment. God credits Christ's righteousness to you. You're legally right with God. This happens once, at conversion, and never needs to be repeated.

Sanctification (becoming actually righteous) is a lifelong process. The Spirit progressively transforms you to be more like Christ. You grow in holiness. You put sin to death. You bear fruit.

Glorification (being made perfectly righteous) happens when you die or when Christ returns. You'll be fully conformed to Christ's image, with no remaining sin.

"I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."

— Philippians 1:6 (NET)

This handbook is about sanctification — the slow, Spirit-empowered growth from spiritual infancy to maturity. But sanctification assumes you've been born again. If you haven't been regenerated, you can't be sanctified.