Rebirth
Typological treatment in the corpus
Nee-Lee distinguish rebirth not as moral improvement, but as anthropological transformation: God’s Spirit enters human spirit and plants God’s life there. Type = old created life; antitype = new creation wherein God’s life indwells.
Biblical Grounding
| Reference | Context |
|---|---|
| John 3:3-6 | ”Unless someone is born again, they cannot see the kingdom of God” |
| John 1:12-13 | ”Yet to all who did receive him… gave the right to become children of God… born not of blood” |
| 2 Cor. 5:17 | ”Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come” |
| 1 John 5:1 | ”Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah is born of God” |
| 1 Cor. 6:17 | ”But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit” |
Typological Interpretation by Author
Watchman Nee & Witness Lee
For Nee-Lee, rebirth is not juridical (debt-forgiveness) but vital (divine-life-implantation). There are two reasons for rebirth:
First, from the lower aspect, rebirth is necessary because our life has become corrupt and evil (Jer. 17:9; Rom. 7:18)… Suppose our life had not become corrupt and evil—would we still need to be born again? Yes; we would still need to be born again, because our human life is merely created life, not God’s uncreated life.1
Rebirth is the moment God’s Spirit enters human spirit:
According to Scripture, to be born again means to be born of the Spirit (John 3:3-6). Originally our spirit was dead, but the moment we believed, God’s Spirit touched our spirit; thus our spirit obtained God’s life and was made alive.2
This produces three fundamental transformations. First:
Rebirth causes men to be one spirit-unit with God. God’s Spirit enters the human spirit, so that man becomes one spirit with Him (1 Corinthians 6:17).3
Type (old life) dies; antitype (God’s life) begins working.
Related Types
- Zoë-Life: zoe-life (God’s life being planted)
- Spirit-Soul-Body: spirit-soul-body (spirit made alive; soul made subject)
- Union with God: union-with-god (resulting one-spirit-being with God)