Spiritual rebirth is another name for
salvation
; spiritual rebirth is what occurs when a person becomes a believer in Jesus Christ as Lord. This rebirth is frequently referred to as being
born again
.
All people are enslaved by
sin
and
spiritually dead
within their sins before spiritual rebirth (John 8:34; Colossians 2:13). By Adam and Eve's initial disobedience to God, the
fall of mankind
, all people's default condition at birth is that of a sinner. Everyone has a
sin nature
that causes them to want to live in opposition to God's will. Romans 3:23 says: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," and Romans 6:23 says that "the wages of sin is death." We are all born under the curse of sin; we need to be spiritually reborn as children of God (John 1:12; 3:3–15).
Jesus Christ is the way to our spiritual rebirth (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 16:31). God sent
Jesus
, His one and only Son, to earth so that He could make a way for our salvation (John 3:16). After living a perfect life, Jesus was crucified, bearing the punishment for our sins upon Himself. He was resurrected from the dead three days later, conquering death. When we place our
faith in Jesus
and His sacrifice, we are saved and filled with the
Holy Spirit
. The Holy Spirit within us is what enables us to live out the spiritual rebirth that has taken place: "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16).
The Holy Spirit is our direct connection to God and enables us to remain free from the power of sin. When we are spiritually reborn, we walk anew with the Holy Spirit as our guide and companion (John 6:63; Romans 8:14). The Spirit's presence in our life is the seal of our salvation (Ephesians 1:13–14). Second Corinthians 5:17 says: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." Through Christ's sacrifice and the continual presence of the Holy Spirit within us, we are able to walk with God in the freedom that comes from spiritual rebirth.