What does "rebirth" mean in the Bible?

[Lauren Harris]

The Bible records a conversation between the Lord Jesus and Nicodemus: "Jesus answered and said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.' Nicodemus said to him, 'How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother's womb a second time and be born?'" (John 3:3-4). Those who are not born of water and the Spirit cannot enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:5).
Paul said, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away; behold, the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17).
But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name—who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12-13).
Without holiness, no one can see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Based on these verses, how can one be born again? What is the path to rebirth?

 

[cjab]

The Bible records a conversation between the Lord Jesus and Nicodemus: "Jesus answered and said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.' Nicodemus said to him, 'How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother's womb a second time and be born?'" (John 3:3-4). Those who are not born of water and the Spirit cannot enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:5).
Paul said, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away; behold, the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17).
But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name—who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12-13).
Without holiness, no one can see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Based on these verses, how can one be born again? What is the path to rebirth?

John 3:3 is subject to a fair amount of commentary. These are my thoughts.

The Greek phrase γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν is often translated "be born again" in John 3:3, but this might not be the correct emphasis. γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν presents two distinguishable nuances (a) of place - be born from above - (cf. ἄνωθεν in Jam 1:17; Jam 3:15), (b) of time - be born from the first - (cf. ἄνωθεν in Luke 1:3; Acts 26:5; Galatians 4:9; Wis 19:6) .

Many Calvinists have emphasized that "born again" is the primary sense of John 3:3, but I have my doubts. Subsequent comments of Jesus about receiving the kingdom of God as a child in Mark 10:15, and Peter's use of ἀναγεννάω in 1 Pet 1:23, similarly translated "born again," may suggest it, but the latter word may be better given by the English verb "regenerate," which finds in noun counterpart in the Greek word παλιγγενεσία (paliggenesia) "regeneration" as used in Titus. Tit 3:5 in the gospel context (viz. Mt 19:28 for its use at the second coming). The idea of (spiritual) regeneration is certainly connected with John 3:3, but it may be a secondary sense.

For had it been the primary sense of John 3:3, there is a more explicit Greek adverb, πάλιν, as is clear from Gal 4:9, where Paul, in describing the backsliding of the Galatians, conjoins the adverb ἄνωθεν with πάλιν in the phrase "from the first, again" = "anew."

I conclude that if Jesus has wanted to stress "again", or "anew", he would have used the adverb πάλιν ("again"), or like Paul, conjoned it to ἄνωθεν.

The question of Nicodemus assuming the time sense ("from the first") was not readily intelligible as Nicodemus himself points out: "birth from the beginning" is somewhat tautological, as Meyer insinuates. Jesus therefore corrects Nicodemus to explain that he is referring to spiritual birth ("from above" - by Water and Spirit). Later on, in John 3:31, Jesus explicitly asserts that he himself is also "from above" using an unambiguous Greek preposition.