Born Again
In John Chapter 3 Jesus Christ speaks with Nicodemus concerning the kingdom and tells Nicodemus that a man must be “born again,” born of water and of the Spirit to enter into the kingdom of God.
John 3:3-5
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
We see in John 7:37-39 where Christ said that those who believe on Him shall out of his belly flow “rivers of living water.” These verses are referring to the Holy Spirit which would be given after Christ ascended into heaven and was glorified. On Pentecost we see the Holy Spirit being given first to the apostles and then to those 3,000 who believed and were baptized.
John 7:37-39
37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
New Creature
In II Corinthians 5:17 our Apostle Paul speaks that we who are saved by our belief of the gospel of the grace of God is a “new creation.”
II Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
In Galatians 6:15 Paul again refers to we who are saved by our belief of the gospel of the grace of God as a new creation.
Galatians 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.
When we “rightly divide the word of truth” we can easily see that those saved by their belief of the gospel of the kingdom preached by Jesus, Peter and the eleven were referred to as being “born again.”
Likewise, when we by “rightly divide the word of truth” we can also easily see that we who are saved by our belief and faith in the gospel of the grace of God preached by our Apostle Paul are called a “new creation.”