Definition
As Revealed in the Gospel of John
The Greek word rendered “regeneration,” palingenesia, is composed of palin (“again”) and genesis (“birth”). Thus, its participial form “regenerated” literally means “born again.” Although a significant New Testament term, according to Strong’s Concordance it appears only rarely (Titus 3:5; Matt. 19:28). As Wycliffe explains in his Bible Dictionary, “Other New Testament expressions are used for the same truth, but all have in common the idea of a dramatic change likened to and called a new birth, hence, to be born again or born from above (John 3:3; 1 Peter 1:23), born of God (John 1:13).” Although this definition is not doctrinally complex, in its significance and reality it is profound. Witness Lee elaborates:
Regeneration is a rebirth which brings in a new life. It is absolutely a matter of life, not a matter of doing. Regeneration is simply to have life other than the life we already have. We have already received the human life from our parents; now we need to receive the divine life from God. Hence, regeneration means to have the divine life of God in addition to the human life which we already possess. Therefore, regeneration requires another birth in order to possess another life. To be regenerated, to be born again, does not mean to adjust or correct ourselves. It means to have the life of God, just as to be born of our parents means to have the life of our parents. To be regenerated is to be born of God (John 1:13), and to be born of God is to have the life of God, that is, the eternal life (3:15-16). (Witness Lee, LS of John, 98)
As Revealed in the Gospel of John
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According to the Biblical usage of the word, to be regenerated is to be born of God.
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The Gospel of John in particular sheds much light on the truth concerning regeneration. In it, John reveals that to be regenerated is to be “born of God” (1:13), to be “born again” (3:3), and to be “born of water and the Spirit” (3:5-6). A closer examination of these three phrases will enhance our understanding of regeneration in its deepest significance.
To be born of God
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Just as a son has the life of his father, so also we who are born of God possess the life of God.
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John 1:12-13 reveals that to be regenerated is to be “born of God.” According to these verses, a child of God is one who is “begotten not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” To be begotten, or born, implies a life relationship, as between a father and child. Just as a son has the life of his father, so also we who are born of God possess the life of God. Similarly, these verses clearly emphasize the fact that regeneration can occur by no means other than by our being born of God. Taken just as written, in their entirety, these verses will help us to understand and to experience the miracle of regeneration. For humans to be born of God, to be His children, is indeed the “greatest wonder in the entire universe” (Witness Lee, Footnotes, 1189).
To be born again
The book of John reveals that to be regenerated is also to be “born again” (3:3). Speaking to Nicodemus in this passage, the Lord proclaims, “Unless one is born anew (born again), he cannot see the kingdom of God.” The words “born anew” have tremendous spiritual significance. John Nelson Darby, in his translation of the Bible, notes that to be born again is more than a new beginning in time. He interprets the word “anew” to signify “not only 'again,' but 'entirely afresh,' as from a new source of life and point of departure. It is a new source and a new beginning of life” (1268).
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Regeneration is indeed a "new beginning"—not merely in conduct or in time, but, more significantly a "new beginning of life"
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This “new source” of life, the source of our new birth, is God Himself. Here the Lord indicates to Nicodemus that in order to see the kingdom of God, he needed to be born anew. The Lord seems to be saying, “Nicodemus, you possess the human life; therefore you are able to see only the physical things. If you would like to realize the things related to the kingdom of God, you must receive another life. You need the life of God.” This corresponds to the apostle Paul’s word in 1 Corinthians 2: “The things of God also no one has known except the Spirit of God. But we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is from God” (vv. 11-12). These portions of the Bible make it clear that regeneration is indeed a “new beginning”—not merely in conduct or in time, but, more significantly, a “new beginning of life” that allows us to see and understand the things of God.
To be born of water and the Spirit
In John 3:5 the Lord went on to explain to Nicodemus, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” The Lord’s meaning must have been apparent to Nicodemus, a Pharisee, since John the Baptist had already spoken these very words to the Pharisees in Matthew 3:11. [See Footnote 3:52] In speaking of these two births, the Lord was making reference to two distinct ministries:
To be born of water refers to the ministry of John the Baptist, a ministry of “termination.” John the Baptist prepared the way for the Lord to bring His salvation to man by calling people to first repent of their sinful condition and to be baptized, signifying their spiritual death and burial (Matt. 3:11).
To be born of the Spirit, on the other hand, refers to Jesus’ ministry of life, or “germination” (John 3:6, 12:24), which followed and was based on John’s ministry. In verse 6 the Lord revealed that to be regenerated is to be born of the Holy Spirit in our human spirit (the deepest and innermost part of man, created by God to contain Him). At the moment of regeneration, the Holy Spirit enters into our human spirit with the divine life of God to become one spirit with us, witnessing within us that we are children of God (1 Cor. 6:17; Rom. 8:16).
In his booklet, What is Regeneration?, Witness Lee helps to clarify this portion of the Scriptures:
Regeneration, then, is to terminate people of the old creation with all their deeds and to germinate them in the new creation with the divine life. Whenever a person repents, confessing that he is a sinner who is good for nothing except burial, he is accepting John’s ministry. After repenting, he must believe in the Lord Jesus and accept His ministry of life in order to be germinated. For salvation, we need both repentance and faith. This is what it means to be born of water and of the Spirit, and this is regeneration. (2-3)
For more on the human spirit, click here
For more on Nicodemus, click here
