In some Christian movements (especially
Fundamentalism and
Evangelicalism), to be
born again is to undergo a "spiritual rebirth", or a
regeneration of the human spirit from the
Holy Spirit. This is contrasted with the physical birth everyone experiences. The term "born again" is derived from an event in the
New Testament in which the words of
Jesus are misunderstood by his conversation partner,
Nicodemus: "Jesus answered him, 'Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.' Nicodemus said to him, 'How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?'" The Greek phrase in the text is in itself ambiguous, resulting in a
wordplay in which Jesus' meaning, "born from above," is misunderstood by Nicodemus as "born again." In contemporary Christian usage, the term is distinct from sometimes similar terms used in mainstream
Christianity to refer to being or becoming Christian, which is linked to
baptism. Individuals who profess to be "born again" often state that they have a personal relationship with
Jesus Christ. The phrase "born again" is also used as an adjective to describe individual members of the movement who espouse this belief, as well as the movement itself ("born-again Christian" and the "born-again movement").