The term to be Born Again / Rebirth is very often used in Christianity, especially Protestantism. What does it really mean? Lord Jesus uses this term for the first time in John 3:1-10 while speaking to Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin.
The Holy Spirit speaks through both the apostle Paul & apostle John in their writings referring to new birth and born to eternal hope.
In John 3 Lord Jesus states that to enter the Kingdom of God one needs to be born of water and spirit. Flesh is born of flesh and spirit born of spirit. What does this imply? All humans are born in a physical body from a mother through water (amniotic fluid), yet all are guilty of sin and hence separated from God’s presence.
Therefore, we need to be cleansed and redeemed by Christ’s sacrificial death and suffering. Once we ask Him to be our Saviour and surrender our lives to Him, we receive this renewal and redemption. Following this the Holy Spirit comes to live in us (Galatians 4:6) and He calls to God the Father and we are spiritually adopted into God’s Family as His child.
Hence Born Again in the spirit as part of His spiritual family. The Greek word used for new birth is gennethe anothen which means both born again or born from above.