Learn
Back to all questions
What does "born again" actually mean?
The Straight Answer
It comes directly from Jesus's conversation with Nicodemus in John 3, describing a spiritual rebirth by the Holy Spirit, not a literal second physical birth.
The Actual Conversation
Nicodemus initially takes the phrase literally, asking how a grown man can enter his mother's womb a second time. Jesus clarifies he's describing a birth of the Spirit, not the flesh.
Word Study
ἄνωθενanothen
Say it: AH-no-then
Can mean either again or from above, a deliberate double meaning in the Greek that Nicodemus misses, hearing only again.
Keep going with Sundi School
Start a free trial to ask your own questions, read the Bible with plain English notes, and work through guided tracks at your own pace.
Start your free trial