📒 Alma 38
📜 6 Now, my son, I would not that ye should think that I know these things of myself, but it is the Spirit of God which is in me which maketh these things known unto me; for if I had not been born of God I should not have known these things.
🚼 Born of God, to be Reborn
The path begins with repentance and forgiveness, followed by the gift of the Holy Ghost. This gift brings about a mighty change of heart, transforming one’s desires so that the inclination to do evil is replaced with a steadfast commitment to do good continually. Through this change, a person becomes a new creation—a son or daughter of God, spiritually reborn and empowered to rise above the world.
🌿 Alma 38:6 — The Source of Knowledge
- Alma tells his son Shiblon that the truths he teaches are not self-derived but revealed by the Spirit of God.
- He emphasizes that without being “born of God” he would not have access to this divine knowledge.
- Here, “born of God” is the condition that opens the soul to revelation, making spiritual knowledge possible.
🗝📜23 But behold, my limbs did receive their strength again, and I stood upon my feet, and did manifest unto the people that I had been born of God.
🌿 Alma 36:23 — Transformation and Witness
- Alma recalls his own conversion: after his torment and repentance, his limbs regain strength, and he stands as a living witness that he has been “born of God.”
- This shows that being born of God is not abstract—it manifests in physical renewal, courage, and the ability to testify openly.
- His rebirth is both inward (spiritual cleansing) and outward (visible strength and proclamation).
📜 26 For because of the word which he has imparted unto me, behold, many have been born of God, and have tasted as I have tasted, and have seen eye to eye as I have seen; therefore they do know of these things of which I have spoken, as I do know; and the knowledge which I have is of God.
🌿 Alma 36:26 — Shared Experience
- Alma expands the scope: many others have also been “born of God.”
- They have “tasted” what he tasted, “seen eye to eye” what he saw—meaning they share in the same experiential knowledge of God.
- Being born of God is communal, not solitary. It creates a fellowship of witnesses who know by direct experience, not hearsay.
📜 16 And behold, whosoever believeth on my words, them will I visit with the manifestation of my Spirit; and they shall be born of me, even of water and of the Spirit—
🌿 Doctrine and Covenants 5:16 — Born of Christ
- The Lord extends the same principle: those who believe His words will be visited by the Spirit.
- That visitation is not passive—it is the manifestation of His Spirit that brings about rebirth.
- The phrase “born of me, even of water and of the Spirit” ties Alma’s testimony to Christ’s own promise: rebirth is covenantal (water = baptism) and transformational (Spirit = sanctification).
✨ The Connection
- Alma 38:6: Knowledge comes only through being born of God.
- Alma 36:23: Rebirth manifests in strength and testimony.
- Alma 36:26: Rebirth is shared among many, creating a community of witnesses.
- Doctrine and Covenants 5:16: Christ Himself confirms the same principle—faith leads to Spirit’s manifestation, which leads to rebirth “of water and of the Spirit.”
Together, these passages show that being “born of God” or “born of Christ” is not metaphorical alone—it is the covenantal act of baptism, the transforming power of the Spirit, and the living witness of divine knowledge. Alma’s personal story becomes the archetype, and the Lord’s words in D&C 5 universalize it for all who believe.
🕊 Baptism of the Holy Ghost
📕 John 3
📜 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
🗝📜5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
📜 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
🌿 John 3 — The Necessity of Spirit Birth
- Jesus teaches Nicodemus that rebirth is not physical but spiritual: “born of water and of the Spirit.”
- Water signifies baptism, the covenantal act of cleansing.
- Spirit signifies transformation, the inner renewal that makes one fit for the kingdom of God.
- The Holy Ghost is the agent of this rebirth, turning flesh into spirit.
📒 Helaman 5
📜 45 And behold, the Holy Spirit of God did come down from heaven, and did enter into their hearts, and they were filled as if with fire, and they could speak forth marvelous words.
🌿 Helaman 5:45 — Fire and Words
- The descent of the Holy Spirit into the hearts of the people fills them “as if with fire.”
- This fire is not destructive but sanctifying, purifying the soul.
- It empowers speech—“marvelous words”—showing that baptism of the Holy Ghost brings both inner sanctification and outward testimony.
📘 Doctrine and Covenants 84
📜 64 Therefore, as I said unto mine apostles I say unto you again, that every soul who believeth on your words, and is baptized by water for the remission of sins, shall receive the Holy Ghost.
🌿 Doctrine and Covenants 84:64 — The Promise
- The Lord reaffirms: belief and baptism by water lead to the gift of the Holy Ghost.
- The Spirit is not optional—it is the promised companion to those who covenant.
- Baptism of the Holy Ghost is thus the seal of remission, confirming the covenant made in water.
📚 Moses 6
📜 59 That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory;
📜 64 And it came to pass, when the Lord had spoken with Adam, our father, that Adam cried unto the Lord, and he was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under the water, and was brought forth out of the water.
🗝📜65 And thus he was baptized, and the Spirit of God descended upon him, and thus he was born of the Spirit, and became quickened in the inner man.
🗝📜66 And he heard a voice out of heaven, saying: Thou art baptized with fire, and with the Holy Ghost. This is the record of the Father, and the Son, from henceforth and forever;
🌿 Moses 6:59–66 — Adam’s Archetype
- Adam’s baptism is described in full: water, Spirit, and blood.
- Water: the outward ordinance.
- Spirit: the descent of God’s presence, quickening the “inner man.”
- Blood: the cleansing power of Christ’s atonement.
- The culmination: Adam hears the voice declaring he is baptized “with fire, and with the Holy Ghost.”
- This shows baptism of the Holy Ghost is not just symbolic—it is heaven’s record, a divine acknowledgment of covenant and transformation.
✨ The Principle of Baptism by the Holy Ghost
From these passages, we see baptism by the Holy Ghost as:
- Transformative: It changes the inner man, sanctifying beyond outward ritual.
- Empowering: It fills with fire, granting strength, speech, and witness.
- Covenantal: It confirms the promise made in water baptism, binding heaven’s record to the soul.
- Communal and Eternal: It is shared among believers (Helaman 5), promised to all (D&C 84), and tied to eternal life (Moses 6).
In essence, baptism by the Holy Ghost is the living seal of rebirth—the Spirit descending, cleansing, and empowering, so that the believer is not only forgiven but sanctified, not only renewed but quickened, not only a witness but a vessel of divine fire.
👨🏽🍃 Not Spiritually Reborn Man, Natural
📗 Genesis 2
📜 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
🌿 Genesis 2:17 — The First Death
- Adam’s transgression brings mortality and separation from God.
- “Thou shalt surely die” points not only to physical death but also to spiritual death—being cut off from God’s presence.
- This is the root of the “natural man”: alive in flesh, but estranged from divine life.
📕 John 3
📜 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
📜 16 ¶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
🌿 John 3:7, 16 — The Remedy
- Jesus teaches Nicodemus: “Ye must be born again.”
- The natural man cannot inherit eternal life without rebirth by water and Spirit.
- Verse 16 reveals the motive: God’s love, expressed through His Son, makes rebirth possible.
- Thus, the natural state (death) is answered by the gift of Christ (life).
📚 JST James 2
📜 14 What profit is it, my brethren, for a man to say he hath faith, and hath not works? can faith save him?
📜 15 Yea, a man may say, I will show thee I have faith without works; but I say, Show me thy faith without works, and I will show thee my faith by my works.
📜 16 For if a brother or sister be naked and destitute, and one of you say, Depart in peace, be warmed and filled; notwithstanding he give not those things which are needful to the body; what profit is your faith unto such?
📜 17 Even so faith, if it have not works is dead, being alone.
📜 18 Therefore wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead and cannot save you?
📜 19 Thou believest there is one God; thou doest well; the devils also believe, and tremble; thou hast made thyself like unto them, not being justified.
📜 20 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
📜 21 Seest thou how works wrought with his faith, and by works was faith made perfect?
🌿 JST James 2:14–21 — Faith and Works
- James warns that mere belief, without works, leaves a man in the same state as devils who “believe and tremble.”
- Faith without works is dead, mirroring the spiritual death of the natural man.
- True rebirth requires both faith and action—a living covenant that transforms.
- Abraham’s offering of Isaac shows faith perfected by obedience, contrasting the vain man who remains natural and unreborn.
📒 Alma 41
📜 11 And now, my son, all men that are in a state of nature, or I would say, in a carnal state, are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity; they are without God in the world, and they have gone contrary to the nature of God; therefore, they are in a state contrary to the nature of happiness.
🌿 Alma 41:11 — The Carnal State
- Alma describes the natural man as “in the gall of bitterness… without God in the world.”
- This state is “contrary to the nature of happiness.”
- To remain natural is to remain bound, bitter, and alienated from divine joy.
- Rebirth is the only escape from this bondage.
📘 Doctrine and Covenants 29
📜 41 Wherefore, I, the Lord God, caused that he should be cast out from the Garden of Eden, from my presence, because of his transgression, wherein he became spiritually dead, which is the first death, even that same death which is the last death, which is spiritual, which shall be pronounced upon the wicked when I shall say: Depart, ye cursed.
🌿 Doctrine and Covenants 29:41 — Spiritual Death
- The Lord explains that Adam’s casting out was the first death: spiritual separation.
- This same death will be pronounced upon the wicked at the last judgment: “Depart, ye cursed.”
- The natural man, if unreborn, faces both the first and last death—cut off from God eternally.
- Rebirth through Christ is the only reversal of this curse.
✨ The Principle
- Natural man = spiritually dead, estranged from God, bound in sin.
- Born again = restored to life through Christ, by faith, works, water, and Spirit.
- Without rebirth, faith is dead, works are absent, and man remains in bitterness and separation.
- With rebirth, faith is alive, works are perfected, and man is reconciled to God, entering into the nature of happiness.
In essence, this section shows the contrast between two states:
- Natural man: death, bondage, bitterness, separation.
- Spiritually reborn man: life, covenant, joy, reconciliation.
🧘🏽♂️✨️ Spiritually Reborn New Man
📗 Ezekiel 11
📜 19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:
📗 Ezekiel 18
📜 31 ¶ Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
📗 Ezekiel 36
📜 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
🌿 Ezekiel — Promise of Renewal
- Ezekiel 11:19; 18:31; 36:26: God promises to replace the “stony heart” with a “heart of flesh” and to give His people a “new spirit.”
- This is the prophetic foundation: rebirth begins with God’s act of softening, cleansing, and renewing the inner man.
- The natural man (hard heart) becomes the new man (living heart) through divine intervention.
📕 John 3
📜 1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
📜 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
🗝📜3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
🌿 John 3 — Necessity of Rebirth
- Jesus tells Nicodemus: “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
- Rebirth is not optional—it is the gateway to divine vision and eternal life.
- The new man is born of water and Spirit, transcending mere flesh to enter the kingdom.
📒 Mosiah 5
🗝📜2 And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.
📜 3 And we, ourselves, also, through the infinite goodness of God, and the manifestations of his Spirit, have great views of that which is to come; and were it expedient, we could prophesy of all things.
📜 4 And it is the faith which we have had on the things which our king has spoken unto us that has brought us to this great knowledge, whereby we do rejoice with such exceedingly great joy.
📜 5 And we are willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days, that we may not bring upon ourselves a never-ending torment, as has been spoken by the angel, that we may not drink out of the cup of the wrath of God.
📜 6 And now, these are the words which king Benjamin desired of them; and therefore he said unto them: Ye have spoken the words that I desired; and the covenant which ye have made is a righteous covenant.
🗝📜7 And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters.
🌿 Mosiah 5 — Covenant Transformation
- King Benjamin’s people testify of a “mighty change in [their] hearts” wrought by the Spirit.
- They no longer desire evil but good continually.
- Through covenant, they become children of Christ, spiritually begotten, reborn as His sons and daughters.
- The new man is defined by changed desires, covenant obedience, and joyful anticipation of eternal promises.
📘 Doctrine and Covenants 76
📜 50 And again we bear record—for we saw and heard, and this is the testimony of the gospel of Christ concerning them who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just—
📜 51 They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given—
📜 52 That by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who is ordained and sealed unto this power;
📜 53 And who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true.
📜 54 They are they who are the church of the Firstborn.
📜 55 They are they into whose hands the Father has given all things—
📜 56 They are they who are priests and kings, who have received of his fulness, and of his glory;
📜 57 And are priests of the Most High, after the order of Melchizedek, which was after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the Only Begotten Son.
📜 58 Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons of God—
📜 59 Wherefore, all things are theirs, whether life or death, or things present, or things to come, all are theirs and they are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
📜 60 And they shall overcome all things.
📜 61 Wherefore, let no man glory in man, but rather let him glory in God, who shall subdue all enemies under his feet.
📜 62 These shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ forever and ever.
📜 63 These are they whom he shall bring with him, when he shall come in the clouds of heaven to reign on the earth over his people.
📜 64 These are they who shall have part in the first resurrection.
📜 65 These are they who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just.
📜 66 These are they who are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly place, the holiest of all.
📜 67 These are they who have come to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of Enoch, and of the Firstborn.
📜 68 These are they whose names are written in heaven, where God and Christ are the judge of all.
🗝📜69 These are they who are just men made perfect through Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through the shedding of his own blood.
📜 70 These are they whose bodies are celestial, whose glory is that of the sun, even the glory of God, the highest of all, whose glory the sun of the firmament is written of as being typical.
🌿 Doctrine and Covenants 76 — Fulfillment in Glory
- Those who receive testimony, are baptized, keep commandments, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise become the church of the Firstborn.
- They are described as priests and kings, sons of God, inheritors of all things.
- Their bodies are celestial, their glory like the sun.
- The spiritually reborn new man reaches its fullest expression in the resurrection of the just, perfected through Christ’s atonement.
- This is the consummation: the new man not only lives in covenant but dwells eternally in God’s presence, glorified and exalted.
✨ The Principle of the Spiritually Reborn New Man
- Promise (Ezekiel): God initiates renewal with a new heart and spirit.
- Necessity (John 3): Rebirth is required to enter the kingdom.
- Transformation (Mosiah 5): The Spirit changes desires, covenant seals identity as children of Christ.
- Fulfillment (D&C 76): The new man becomes celestial, inheriting all things, perfected through Christ.
In essence, the Spiritually Reborn New Man is the journey from hardness to softness, blindness to vision, bondage to covenant, mortality to celestial glory. It is the full arc of divine renewal—promised by prophets, taught by Christ, experienced by covenant people, and fulfilled in eternal exaltation.
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