What does it mean to be “born again”?

In John 3:1-17, a respected religious leader named Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night and hears words that puzzle him: “You must be born again.” In this study, Dr. Toby Holt explains the new birth — and why we cannot do without it.

Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews, yet Jesus tells even him that he must be “born again.” Dr. Holt explains that we are born spiritually dead and cannot give ourselves new life any more than we chose our first birth — the new birth is God’s own work in the heart. Out of this conversation comes the most famous verse in the Bible: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” Later, Nicodemus would help bury Jesus, a quiet sign that the new birth had taken hold.

Questions this study answers:

1. Who was Nicodemus? A Pharisee and respected member of the ruling council, who came to Jesus by night with sincere questions.

2. What does it mean to be “born again”? It is a new spiritual birth that only God can give — a heart made alive, not a self-improvement project.

3. Why can’t we save ourselves? Because we are born spiritually dead and cannot give ourselves new life. Salvation is God’s gift, received by faith in Christ.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” — John 3:16 (NKJV)

Speaker: Dr. Toby Holt is the President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, a Reformed seminary in Colorado Springs. He is known for clear, down-to-earth Bible teaching, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio.

Listen and go deeper: This sermon is part of the John Explained study from New Geneva Theological Seminary. Find more verse-by-verse teaching across the Bible at newgeneva.org. To support this teaching ministry, visit newgeneva.org/give.