You Must Be Born Again

THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM

For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the
dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing
upon thine offspring.
Isaiah 44, 3

He saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness,
but in virtue of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and
renewal in the Holy Spirit, which he poured out upon us richly through
Jesus Christ our Savior.
Titus 3, 5-6

From ancient times, Catholics have understood that “born again” refers to baptism with water. When Catholics talk about being born again, they refer to the spiritual transformation that takes place during baptism in water and the Holy Spirit. It means much more than acknowledging that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior who died for our sins and choosing to follow Him. Being born again means much more than simply believing in who Jesus is and what He has done for those who believe in Him. In fact, this phrase is equivalent to the term “regeneration.”

“Conversion to Christ, the new birth of Baptism, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the Body and Blood of Christ received as food have made us ‘holy and without blemish,’ just as the Church herself, the Bride of Christ, is ‘holy and without blemish.’ Nevertheless, the new life received in Christian initiation has not abolished the frailty and weakness of human nature, nor the inclination to sin that tradition calls concupiscence, which remains in the baptized such that with the help of the grace of Christ they may prove themselves in the struggle of the Christian life. This is the struggle of conversion directed toward holiness and eternal life, to which the Lord never ceases to call us.” – Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1426

Regeneration, also known as being “born again,” is the process of transformation from being spiritually dead to being alive in our souls. This transformation occurs when we come to God and are justified through the sacrament. Our sins are washed away, and we are given a new nature in Christ, breaking sin’s power over us. We are no longer slaves to sin but enemies who must fight against it as part of our Christian life and baptismal commitment. This is evident in the scriptures such as Romans 6:1-22 and Ephesians 6:11-17.
.

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…
Truly, truly, I say to you, Except a man be born of water and
of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
John 3, 3- 5

In a conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (Jn 3:3). The Greek phrase “γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν” (gennatha anothen) is often translated as “born again” and also occurs in verse 7 where Jesus says, “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” The Greek word “anothen” can sometimes be translated as “again,” but in the New Testament, it most often means “from above” or “from heaven.” In the King James Version, the only two times it is translated as “again” are in John 3:3 and 3:7. Every other time, it is given a different rendering. However, we have our mental equivalent in verses 5-6, in which Jesus says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

In John 3, Jesus talks about being “born again” as necessary to enter the kingdom of God. He further clarifies in verse 5 that being “born of water and spirit” is the requirement for entering into the kingdom of God. This means being “born again” refers to the Sacrament of Baptism in water and Spirit. It is through this sacrament that one can be saved. Being “born of Spirit” means being born “from above” or “from heaven.” On another occasion, Jesus said that “he who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mk 16:16). Therefore, it is not possible to enter the kingdom of heaven without being saved through belief in Jesus and the sacrament of initiation, which washes away the stain of original sin and marks a new life in the Spirit.

St. Paul refers to the Sacrament of Baptism as a “washing of regeneration” in which water is poured to cleanse the soul. The Greek verb for “washing” is “loutron” (λουτρόν), which means a ritual washing of purification (Titus 3:5-6). Paul also states, “All of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death.” Therefore, through baptism, we die to sin and are reborn with new life. We are united with Christ’s death and resurrection to walk in the newness of life.

The passage in Colossians 2:11-13 speaks about how, in Christ, we experience a spiritual circumcision, which is not performed by human hands. It involves putting off our sinful nature and being buried with Christ in baptism, only to be raised again through faith in God’s power. These New Testament verses are reminiscent of Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, in which he explained that being born again means shifting from being a child of Adam to becoming a child of God. As Jesus said, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

After Paul’s conversion, he was instructed, “Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name” (Acts 22:16). The term “wash away” refers to the act of water baptism. Ananias used the Greek word “apolouo” (ἀπολούω), which signifies actual cleansing that removes sin. It is not a symbolic covering up of sin. Therefore, Paul’s faith in Jesus alone was not enough to save him. Baptism was essential for Paul to have his sins forgiven or “blotted out” and to receive the Holy Spirit, who justifies us in our collaboration with Him. The Catholic Church has always affirmed that baptism is not just a symbolic ritual that serves as a testimony of faith, but it is actually necessary for our salvation. The Apostle Paul, in referring to water baptism, says that we are “washed, sanctified, and justified” in the name of the Lord Jesus. This means that the “washing” of baptism gives birth to sanctification and justification, which proves that baptism is not just a symbolic act (1 Cor 6:11).

In Acts 2:38, Peter instructs us to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. This act of baptism is necessary for the forgiveness of our sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is not enough to simply believe in Jesus and accept him as our Lord and Savior. We need to undergo baptism to receive the graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit, which will help us lead a new life with God. Although we are saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8), we must understand that we are not saved by faith alone. Jesus died to expiate sin and also earned divine grace for us. Therefore, we must repent, be baptized, and receive the Holy Spirit to gain salvation.

The Old Testament contains many passages that predict the regenerative power of baptism by water and the Holy Spirit. For example, Naaman was healed of his disease after he dipped himself in the Jordan River seven times (2 Kings 5:14). Being born again is a spiritual renewal of the heart and mind of the human soul through the power of the Holy Spirit. The prophet Isaiah foretold that the Lord would pour out His water and His Spirit, which refers to Christ’s establishment of the Sacrament of Baptism. Water and Spirit are always mentioned together in the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit cleanses and regenerates us as we are baptized with water. Ezekiel (36: 25-27) also confirms that the Lord will cleanse us from our sins by sprinkling us with water and giving us a new heart of flesh and spirit. To be saved, we must be born again or born from above.
.

Early Sacred Tradition

“For Christ also said, ‘Except ye be born again, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of
heaven.’ Now, that it is impossible for those who have once been born to enter into
their mothers’ wombs, is manifest to all. And how those who have sinned and repent
shall escape their sins, is declared by Esaias the prophet, as I wrote above; he thus
speaks: ‘Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from your
souls; learn to do well…And though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white
like wool; and though they be as crimson, I will make them white as snow…And for
this [rite] we have learned from the apostles this reason. Since at our birth we were
born without our own knowledge or choice, by our parents coming together, and
were brought up in bad habits and wicked training; in order that we may not remain
the children of necessity and of ignorance, but may become the children of choice
and knowledge, and may obtain in the water the remission of sins formerly
committed, there is pronounced over him who chooses to be born again, and has
repented of his sins, the name of God the Father and Lord of the universe; he who
leads to the layer the person that is to be washed calling him by this name alone
And this washing is called illumination because those who learn these things are
illuminated in their understandings. And in the name of Jesus Christ, who was
crucified under Pontius Pilate, and in the name of the Holy Ghost, who through the
prophets foretold all things about Jesus, he who is illuminated is washed.”
St. Justin Martyr, First Apology, 61
(A.D. 155)

“‘And dipped himself,’ says [the Scripture], ‘seven times in Jordan.’ It was not for
nothing that Naaman of old, when suffering from leprosy, was purified upon his
being baptized, but it served as an indication to us. For as we are lepers in sin, we are
made clean, by means of the sacred water and the invocation of the Lord, from our
old transgressions; being spiritually regenerated as new-born babes, even as the
Lord has declared: ‘Except a man be born again through water and the Spirit, he
shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.’”
St. Irenaeus, Fragment, 34
(A.D. 190)

“But give me now your best attention, I pray you, for I wish to go back to the
fountain of life, and to view the fountain that gushes with healing. The Father of
immortality sent the immortal Son and Word into the world, who came to man in
order to wash him with water and the Spirit; and He, begetting us again to
incorruption of soul and body, breathed into us the breath (spirit) of life, and
endued us with an incorruptible panoply. If, therefore, man has become immortal,
he will also be God. And if he is made God by water and the Holy Spirit after the
regeneration of the layer he is found to be also joint-heir with Christ after the
resurrection from the dead. Wherefore I preach to this effect: Come, all ye kindreds
of the nations, to the immortality of the baptism.”
St. Hippolytus, Discourse on the Holy Theophany, 8
(A.D. 217)

“When they come to us and to the Church which is one, ought to be baptized, for
the reason that it is a small matter to ‘lay hands on them that they may receive the
Holy Ghost,’ unless they receive also the baptism of the Church. For then finally, can
they be fully sanctified, and be the sons of God, if they be born of each sacrament;
since it is written, ‘Except a man be born again of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot
enter into the kingdom of God.’…[O]nly baptism of the Holy Church, by divine
regeneration, for the kingdom of God, may be born of both sacraments, because it is
written, ‘Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God.’”
St. Cyprian of Carthage, To Stephen, 71:72
(A.D. 253)

“We are circumcised not with a fleshly circumcision but with the circumcision of
Christ, that is, we are born again into a new man; for, being buried with Him in His
baptism, we must die to the old man, because the regeneration of baptism has the
force of resurrection.”
St. Hilary of Poitiers, Trinity, 9:9
(A.D. 359)

“And with reason; for as we are all from earth and die in Adam, so being regenerated
from above of water and Spirit, in the Christ we are all quickened.”
St. Athanasius, Discourse Against the Arians, III:33
(A.D. 360)

“The birth by water and the Spirit, Himself led the way in this birth, drawing
down upon the water, by His own baptism, the Holy Spirit; so that in all things He
became the first-born of those who are spiritually born again, and gave the name of
brethren to those who partook in a birth like to His own by water and the Spirit.”
St. Gregory of Nyssa, Against Eunomius, 2:8
(A.D. 382)

“The Word recognizes three Births for us; namely, the natural birth,
that of Baptism, and that of the Resurrection…”
St. Gregory of Nazianzen, Oration on Holy Baptism, I
(A.D. 388)

“Therefore, read that the three witnesses in baptism, the water, the blood, and the
Spirit, are one, for if you take away one of these, the Sacrament of Baptism does not
exist. For what is water without the cross of Christ? A common element, without
any sacramental effect. Nor, again, is there the Sacrament of Regeneration without
water: ‘For except a man be born again of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter
into the kingdom of God.’”
St. Ambrose, On the Mysteries, 4:20
(A.D. 391)

“It is this one Spirit who makes it possible for an infant to be regenerated through
the agency of another’s will when that infant is brought to Baptism; and it is through
this one Spirit that the infant so presented is reborn…’Unless a man be born again of
water and the Holy Spirit.’ The water, therefore, manifesting exteriorly the
sacrament of grace, and the Spirit effecting interiorly the benefit of grace, both
regenerate in one Christ that man who was in one Adam.”
St. Augustine, To Boniface, Epistle 98:2
(A.D. 408)

Truly, truly, I say to you, Except a man be born of water
and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
John 3, 5
.

Pax vobiscum