It was said of the late evangelist George Whitefield that he would repeatedly preach to his hearers, “You must be born again!”. When Whitefield was asked by a reporter, “Why do you say, ‘we must be born again’”? He answered, “Because you must be born again!” Whitefield was only following the model of the greatest evangelist, Jesus. When Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, he was shocked at the response Jesus gave him after Nicodemus tried to impress him with his knowledge and approval.

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God…Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God…Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ John 3:3,5-7

In America, our culture would divide Christians into two classes: regular Christians and born-again Christians. Those who are in name and form only and those in deed and truth only. A clear definition of what it means to be ‘born-again’ is: the great radical change of heart and nature whereby a man receives a new heart with new desires and new affections and a new will and becomes a true Christian. It is the removal of the heart of stone and the implanting of the heart of flesh. Being born again is also known as regeneration, the new man, the new heart, and the new birth. It’s a change that no man can give to himself, nor yet to another. It’s not a change of state or class, but rather a change of heart. It is death unto sin and new birth unto righteousness.

This new birth is necessary because of the exceeding sinfulness and corruption of our natural hearts. Man naturally has no sense of spiritual things – the eyes of his soul are blind and cannot see them, the ears of his soul are deaf and cannot hear them, his soul is neither hungry or thirsty for them, his soul is unconscious to them. Man is dead in his sins and trespasses. Man needs an external source to come and quicken his heart. In as much as you had nothing to contribute to your natural birth, you also have nothing to contribute to your spiritual birth. You don’t decide to be born again. God causes the new birth to happen in you apart from your involvement.

J.C. Ryle gives us six signs of the new birth evident in a believer. 1 John describes six marks from Scripture what the regenerate man is, and what the regenerate man does – his ways, his habits, his manner of life, his faith, his experience.

1. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him (John 3:9: 5:18). In other words, sin no longer pleases him, it becomes an abominable thing that he hates.
2. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God (1 John 5:1). A regenerate man believes that Jesus Christ is the only Savior by whom his soul can be pardoned and redeemed, that He is the divine person appointed and anointed by God the Father for this very purpose, and that beside Him there is no Savior at all.
3. Everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him (1 John 2:29). The regenerate man is a holy man. He endeavors to live according to God’s will, to do the things that please God, to avoid the things that God hates. The general course of his life is in one direction, toward God and for God.
4. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers (1 John 3:14). A regenerate man has a special love for all true disciples of Christ. They are his Father’s sons and daughters, so how can he not love them?
5. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world (1 John 5:4). A regenerate man does not make the world’s opinion his rule of right and wrong. He overcomes the love of the world. He overcomes the fear of the world. His first aim is to please God.
6. He who was born of God protects him (1 John 5:18). A regenerate man is very careful of his own soul. He keeps clear of sin and everything which may lead to it. He is careful over his own daily habits and behaviors. 

This is necessary to understand the new birth because it will affect your personal evangelism. Not everyone who claims to be a Christian has been born of the Spirit. To echo the message of George Whitefield and Jesus, ‘You must be born again!’ Are you born again?