As It Was Written: The Meaning of To Be Born Again
What did Jews of the early first century CE understand the phrase “born again” to mean? Many evangelical Christians today believe that being “born again” refers to a one-time moment when a person accepts Jesus as their savior. But is this how the phrase would have been understood in its Jewish context? Let’s answer this question first.
This phrase puzzled even a senior Pharisee like Nicodemus, leader of the Sanhedrin and a well-known and respected Pharisee. It was late at night when he approached Jesus privately to inquire about his teachings.
“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who comes from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him,” Nicodemus said.
Jesus answered,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:2–3).
Nicodemus had misunderstood Jesus’ teaching to mean a physical rebirth. So, Jesus clarified, saying,
“Do not marvel that I said, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or goes. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:7-8).
In John 3:3, Jesus’ use of anōthen (ἄνωθεν), as an aorist passive subjunctive suggests in so many words, that to be born again is a singular, decisive event. Were it otherwise, the author probably would have used a tense that suggested continuing or on-going action (see, for example, discussion of repent in the next paragraph).
So far so good.
This understanding is not yet complete as verbal usage in Matthew 3:2 reveals. Note the translation of metanoeo (repent). The grammar of metanoeo is conclusive. In verse 3:2 metanoeo appears as a present imperative. In Greek, a present imperative verb is to be translated as an ongoing or continuous action. Thus, my view in Matthew 3:2 John (the Baptist) assumes one as having been born from above. If so, then the following applies:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one continuously repents, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:2–3).
Being born from above is like being granted a visa to enter a new kingdom — a one-time, irreversible act of the King. But once entered, to remain in the kingdom, you must continually renew your visa through repentance — a lifelong submission to the King’s rule. Thus, the one-time event of being born-again is a necessary but insufficient requirement for salvation. The key to salvation, in Jesus’ soteriology is to continuously repent.
Here’s another analogy: Being born from above is like receiving a heart transplant. But to live, one must take anti-rejection medicine (repentance). Skip the meds, and the body rejects the heart.
Jesus makes this explicit elsewhere: “Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). Children forgive quickly and receive love freely, embodying a humility open to correction and communal responsibility—the essence of teshuvah. While being born from above (or “born again”) is a one-time event it is not enough. Jesus requires a lifetime journey of humbling oneself, repenting, and returning to God, rejecting the evangelical notion of a “one-and-done” theology for a transformative path of covenantal fidelity.
Now, go and study.