What is Born Again: AndWhy Do We Need It

WHAT IS BORN AGAIN WHAT IS BORN AGAIN AND WHY DO WE NEED IT? AND WHY DO WE NEED IT? By Mary Banks

"The day you eat of it, you shall surely die."

What a powerful and foundational truth! The connection between mankind's death in sin and the necessity of the new birth is absolutely essential to understanding salvation. Before we can appreciate the cure, we must fully understand the disease. This book explores the reality of spiritual death and the glorious resurrection that is the new birth. Scriptures on Mankind Being Dead in Sin and Trespasses The Bible does not mince words regarding the natural state of humanity. We are not merely sick or in need of improvement; scripture declares we are spiritually dead.

Ephesians 2:1-2

This passage is one of the most direct statements on the subject — God had to quicken (make alive) those who were already dead in trespasses and sins.

This traces the origin of spiritual death back to Adam. When he disobeyed, death didn't just affect him — it passed upon all men.

"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins... wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air..."

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."

This is remarkable — even those who hadn't personally committed Adam's specific transgression were still under the reign of death. It was universal.

1 Corinthians 15:22

The word "all" leaves no exceptions. Every person born into Adam's lineage inherited his death.

1 Corinthians 15:56

"Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression..."

"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."

Sin is what gives death its power. This explains why mankind, born into sin, was naturally under death's dominion.

Paul describes the human condition powerfully here — mankind was trapped in a body of sin and death, desperately needing deliverance.

The Big Picture

"The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law."

"O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"

When God told Adam "the day you eat of it, you shall surely die," He wasn't only speaking of physical death. The Law of Sin and Death became effective at that moment, guaranteeing that every creature that disobeyed the Creator would come under the power and penalty of death — which is eternal separation from God. All mankind was in the loins of Adam, so when he fell, we all fell with him. That's why Christ's redemption had to be just as universal — what one man brought in death, one Man had to reverse through life!

The Need to Be Born Again: Why Death Demands a New Life

What a profound question! The connection between mankind's death in sin and the necessity of the new birth is absolutely essential to understanding salvation.

The Problem: We Were Born Into the Wrong Family

The root issue is origin and nature. When Adam fell, all souls fell with him because all souls were placed in his loins. This means every person born into this world inherited a corrupted nature, a sinful disposition, and spiritual death as their default condition. This is why Jesus told Nicodemus so plainly in John 3:3:

The word "except" is absolute. There is no alternative route, no workaround, no religious substitute. A completely new birth is required.

Why Religion and Good Works Cannot Fix the Problem

Here's where many people miss it entirely. If the problem were simply bad behavior, then better behavior could solve it. But the problem runs far deeper than behavior — it is a problem of nature and origin.

Titus 3:5

You cannot work your way out of a death condition. A dead man cannot perform his way back to life. He needs something entirely outside of himself to quicken him and bring him into a new existence.

"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost."

The Solution: Born of Incorruptible Seed

This is the beauty of what God designed through salvation. Since the problem was being born of corruptible seed through Adam, God's answer was to offer mankind a rebirth through incorruptible seed.

1 Peter 1:23

This is a complete change of origin and nature. You are no longer drawing your spiritual life from Adam's corrupted lineage. You are now born of God Himself!

2 Peter 1:4

"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever."

Born of Water AND Spirit: The Complete Rebirth

In John 3:5-6, Jesus reveals something remarkable that many have overlooked: This passage reveals that the new birth is twofold:

Born of the Spirit: The soul receives new life, the Spirit of God takes up residence, and you are transferred from Adam's family into God's family.

Born of the Water: This speaks to the washing of water by the Word of God, the circumcision of the flesh, and the resurrection of the New Man.

This means God didn't just save your soul — He addressed the whole man.

What the New Birth Actually Accomplishes

Because mankind was dead in sin, the new birth had to accomplish several critical things. "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

1. Destruction of the Body of Sin

The old nature that was enslaved to sin had to be crucified and destroyed — not reformed or improved, but completely put to death.

2. A Walk in Newness of Life

"Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin."

"Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

ROMANS 6:4

The new birth isn't just about escaping hell — it's about entering into an entirely new quality of existence right now.

3. Becoming Partakers of Divine Nature

This is extraordinary! The Seed of God remaining in the born-again believer is what makes a sinless life possible. You are no longer the same creature you were in Adam.

Jesus: The Pattern of the New Birth

Perhaps the most powerful proof of why the new birth is necessary is found in Jesus Himself. Just as a seed must be planted in the ground to produce a harvest, Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection made Him the Firstfruit of a new creation. "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."

1 JOHN 3:9

Jesus didn't just die for us — He died as the pattern of what we would experience. His resurrection was the first born-again experience, and we follow in His exact footsteps. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit."

JOHN 12:24

Our new birth is directly connected to His resurrection!

The Bottom Line

The need to be born again flows directly and logically from the reality of mankind's death in sin:

The Problem The Solution

Born of corruptible seed Born of incorruptible seed Dead in trespasses and sins Quickened and made alive in Christ Children of Adam Children of God Partakers of sinful nature Partakers of divine nature Enslaved to sin Free from sin's dominion Spiritually dead Spiritually alive forever You cannot fix a dead man — you have to raise him. That is precisely what the new birth accomplishes. It is not a renovation of the old life but a "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."

1 PETER 1:3

resurrection into an entirely new one. 🙏 To get access to the teaching slides Click this Link