Spiritual initiation or consecration is perceived as being “born again” because it symbolizes a radical renewal of the individual—a transition from a life based on carnal, earthly principles to a new life filled with spiritual values and grace.

Spiritual Rebirth and Transformation

Spiritual initiation or consecration is perceived as being “born again” because it symbolizes a radical renewal of the individual—a transition from a life based on carnal, earthly principles to a new life filled with spiritual values and grace. This process can be compared to the act of the old self dying and then being resurrected in a new, gracious form.

As noted in one of the sources, “Being born from above is merely the first breath of a new, grace-filled life, the beginning of a tearful, repentant existence. Without this holy moment of birth, there is no repentant, grace-filled life. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and remains in spiritual death; whereas, that which is born of the Spirit is spirit and remains in spiritual life. That which is born of the flesh lives a carnal, material, flesh-loving life; that which is born of the Spirit lives a spiritual, heavenly, divine life. The spirit of the one born of the flesh is earthly, inclined toward materiality, mortal, and therefore his life is earthly, inclined toward materiality, mortal” (source: link txt, page: 3).

This quote illustrates that spiritual initiation involves a change in the state of the soul: the old, material principles recede, making way for a new existence characterized by inner renewal, transformed desires, and an orientation toward spiritual ideals. In this sense, being born again signifies not just the beginning of a new phase, but also the reception of a new life from God—a life accessible to all believers, granting the opportunity to become members of an eternal spiritual family (source: link txt, page: 24).

Moreover, the term “being born again” emphasizes an emanative aspect, where the new development of human nature—“being born of God”—occurs almost as a supernaturally granted action, distinct from ordinary natural birth (source: link txt, page: 1).

Thus, spiritual initiation is seen as being born again because it marks the transformation of a person, the passage into a new, spiritually enriched state of existence, in which the old, carnal nature is replaced by new, divine qualities and life.

Supporting citation(s):
“Being born from above is merely the first breath of a new, grace-filled life, the beginning of a tearful, repentant existence. Without this holy moment of birth, there is no repentant, grace-filled life. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and remains in spiritual death; whereas, that which is born of the Spirit is spirit and remains in spiritual life. That which is born of the flesh lives a carnal, material, flesh-loving life; that which is born of the Spirit lives a spiritual, heavenly, divine life. The spirit of the one born of the flesh is earthly, inclined toward materiality, mortal, and therefore his life is earthly, inclined toward materiality, mortal” (source: link txt, page: 3).

“These, sanctified by scripture, are the terms that express precisely the ‘emanative’ moment in the essence of man—his ‘origin’ or ‘being born of God’ (being born ‘from above,’ ‘from the Spirit,’ as opposed to birth from the womb of a mother, as Christ himself explained to Nicodemus)… (source: link txt, page: 1).

“The possibility of being born again is not given only to the chosen class of 144,000 ‘anointed.’ It is open to all who believe in Christ... ‘Being born again’ is the act of receiving eternal life from God by everyone who believes in Jesus Christ…” (source: link txt, page: 24).