NEW BIRTH

NEW BIRTH – Receipt of new life. It is how we gain entrance into God’s kingdom and His Church. Jesus said, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” ^{(John 3:5)}. From its beginning, the Church has taught that the “water” is the baptismal water and the “Spirit” is the Holy Spirit. The new birth occurs in baptism where we die with Christ, are buried with Him, and are raised with Him in the newness of His resurrection, being joined into union with Him in His glorified humanity ^{(Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3, 4)}. The idea that being “born again” is a religious experience disassociated from baptism is a recent one, and has no biblical basis whatsoever.