Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." (John 3: 1-3)

It is a curious, even elliptical response.

Ean tis gennao anothen ou dunatai idein basileia Theos.

Ean tis: Unless one is...

gennao anothen: becoming upwards...

ou dunatai: does not have the power or ability...

idein basileia Theos: to see, know, experience the kingdom of God.

In discussing Plato's use of gennao Paul Elmer More writes: "There is no verb in English which conveys the various meanings of gignomai "to become," "to be made," "to be created," "to exist," etc. Furthermore Greek has a whole group of words connected radically with gignoimai for which English has no corresponding group derived from a single root. The translator is forced to make what shift he can. His perplexity is increased by the fact that Greek has another group of words connected with gennao "to beget," "to generate" which in their passive forms run parallel with the group connected with gignomai and can scarcely be distinguished in English Thus connected with gignomai we have genetos meaning created, while gennetos connected with gennao, means begotten, generated, born." (The Religion of Plato)

Are we to be born again, create again, or be in a state of becoming?