What Does Born Again Mean?

Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that being born again is the birth that prepares a limited number, the 144,000, to rule with Christ in heaven, and that other Christians are saved without that birth and will live on the earth. John 3:3John 3:3 · King James VersionJesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.John 3:3 · King James VersionOpen source says that except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 1 John 5:11 John 5:1 · King James VersionWhosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.1 John 5:1 · King James VersionOpen source says whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. Jesus is God. Who they say the 144,000 are is Who Are the 144,000?.

Key Points

• What Does It Mean to Be Born Again? (1) says the term is a new beginning in the relationship between God and the person, and that being born again prepares a person to rule with Christ.
• Reasoning From the Scriptures (2) says Jesus had this experience, “as do the 144,000 who are heirs with him of the heavenly Kingdom.”
• The same Bible-questions page calls it a misconception that a person must be born again to gain salvation or to be a Christian. It says a second group will live forever in Paradise on earth.
• It says a person cannot choose the birth. “God chooses those who will be born again, or anointed with holy spirit.”
• John 3:3John 3:3 · King James VersionJesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.John 3:3 · King James VersionOpen source (3) and John 3:7John 3:7 · King James VersionMarvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.John 3:7 · King James VersionOpen source say “Ye must be born again.” John 3:5John 3:5 · King James VersionJesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.John 3:5 · King James VersionOpen source (4) says born of water and of the Spirit.
• 1 Peter 1:31 Peter 1:3 · King James VersionBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,1 Peter 1:3 · King James VersionOpen source (6) and 1 Peter 1:231 Peter 1:23 · King James VersionBeing born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.1 Peter 1:23 · King James VersionOpen source (7) speak of being begotten again and born again by the word of God. The letters do not attach a number.

Who Must Be Born Again?

Their book states the limit in the definition:

Being born again involves being baptized in water (“born from water”) and begotten by God’s spirit (“born from . . . spirit”), thus becoming a son of God with the prospect of sharing in the Kingdom of God. (John 3:3-5) Jesus had this experience, as do the 144,000 who are heirs with him of the heavenly Kingdom.

Reasoning From the Scriptures (2) says God purposed to associate a limited number of faithful humans with Jesus in the heavenly Kingdom, and it cites the little flock of Luke 12:32 and the 144,000 of Revelation 14:1–3. It says only persons who have been born again can share in that heavenly Kingdom. On John 1:12 it says “as many as did receive him” does not mean all who put faith in Christ. The privilege, it says, extends “only to a ‘little flock.’” Who Are the 144,000? is that number in Revelation 7 and 14. Who May Take the Lord’s Supper? is who they say may partake.

What Their Public Page Says

What Does It Mean to Be Born Again? (1) answers in shorter form. “The term ‘born again’ refers to a new beginning in the relationship between God and the person who is born again.” Jesus’ line, “Unless anyone is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God,” means, on their page, that the birth prepares a person to rule with Christ. The inheritance is “reserved in the heavens.” Those born again have the conviction that they will “rule together as kings” with Christ.

The page says “born from water and spirit” is baptism in water followed by baptism with holy spirit. It says Jesus was the first person to be born again: baptized in the Jordan, anointed with holy spirit, with the hope of returning to life in heaven, and that God fulfilled this hope by resurrecting Jesus as a spirit creature. That last clause is their account of the resurrection. The bodily resurrection is Was Jesus Raised Bodily?.

Salvation Without That Birth

The same page states the claim as a correction of a misconception:

Misconception: A person must be born again to gain salvation or to be a Christian. Fact: Christ’s sacrifice provides salvation not only for those who are born again as the ones who will rule with Christ in heaven but also for the earthly subjects of God’s Kingdom. That second group of Christians have the opportunity to live forever in Paradise on earth.

A second misconception on the page is that a person can choose to be born again. The fact they print is that the opportunity of a relationship with God is open to all, and that “God chooses those who will be born again, or anointed with holy spirit.” They quote Romans 9:16 as “depends, not on a person’s desire or on his effort, but on God,” and they note that “born again” can also be rendered “born from above.”

John 3:3John 3:3 · King James VersionJesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.John 3:3 · King James VersionOpen source (3) is spoken to Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, not to a class labeled 144,000: “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:5John 3:5 · King James VersionJesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.John 3:5 · King James VersionOpen source (4) says, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” John 3:7John 3:7 · King James VersionMarvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.John 3:7 · King James VersionOpen source says, “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” The “must” is in the sentence.

What the Letters Say

1 John 5:11 John 5:1 · King James VersionWhosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.1 John 5:1 · King James VersionOpen source (5) says, “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.” The subject is whoever believes, not a numbered remainder. 1 Peter 1:31 Peter 1:3 · King James VersionBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,1 Peter 1:3 · King James VersionOpen source (6) blesses the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, “which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 1 Peter 1:231 Peter 1:23 · King James VersionBeing born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.1 Peter 1:23 · King James VersionOpen source (7) says, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” Peter is writing to the strangers he has just addressed, and he includes them in “us.”

Their reading can grant the words “born again” and still park most Christians outside them. The Christian claim is that the birth John requires is the birth those letters attach to believing, and that the kingdom a person must be born to see is not a roster of 144,000 kings over an earthly crowd. Jesus is God. To see his kingdom is to see God’s kingdom. What Does the Bible Say About Salvation?

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Know You Are Born Again?

Their page says God chooses, and that the person does not. 1 John 5:11 John 5:1 · King James VersionWhosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.1 John 5:1 · King James VersionOpen source (5) names the mark in the sentence: whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.

What Did Jesus Mean by Born Again?

In John 3:3–7John 3:3–7 · King James Version^3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. ^3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? ^3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. ^3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ^3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.John 3:3–7 · King James VersionOpen source he tells Nicodemus that the birth is required to see and to enter the kingdom, and that what is born of the flesh is flesh and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Their pages take that as the heavenly class. The text is a condition on seeing the kingdom.

What Do Christians Mean by Born Again?

Christians who confess the Trinity use the phrase for the birth John 3:3John 3:3 · King James VersionJesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.John 3:3 · King James VersionOpen source (3) requires and 1 Peter 1:231 Peter 1:23 · King James VersionBeing born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.1 Peter 1:23 · King James VersionOpen source (7) ties to the word of God. They do not limit it to 144,000. The confession is The Trinity.

Can You Go to Heaven Without Being Born Again?

Their fact line says yes: salvation covers earthly subjects who are not born again. John 3:3John 3:3 · King James VersionJesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.John 3:3 · King James VersionOpen source (3) says that without the birth a man cannot see the kingdom of God. Where they say the dead go is Do the Dead Cease to Exist?.

What Happens to the Spirit?

John 3:6John 3:6 · King James VersionThat which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.John 3:6 · King James VersionOpen source says what is born of the Spirit is spirit. The verse does not describe a second creature leaving the body. Their page’s hope for the born-again ones is life in heaven as kings with Christ. The hope in 1 Peter 1:31 Peter 1:3 · King James VersionBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,1 Peter 1:3 · King James VersionOpen source (6) is a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Keep Reading

• Who Are the 144,000?
• Who May Take the Lord’s Supper?
• Do the Dead Cease to Exist?
• What Does the Bible Say About Salvation?