In the KJV and NKJV the term “born of God” appears several times; once in the Gospel of John and seven times in five verses in the first epistle of John.  Here are those verses for reference.

Joh 1:12  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
Joh 1:13  who were born [gennao], not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

1Jn 3:9  Whoever has been born [gennao] of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born [gennao] of God.

1Jn 4:7  Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born [gennao] of God and knows God.

1Jn 5:1  Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born [gennao] of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.

1Jn 5:4  For whatever is born [gennao] of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

1Jn 5:18  We know that whoever is born [gennao] of God does not sin; but he who has been born [gennao] of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.

What does this term mean?  Indeed, is it a correct translation?  Many translations differ, and use “begotten of God”, or even “generated from God”.

We need to look at the meaning of the Greek word translated “born”, which is gennao.  According to Strong’s Concordance gennao can mean: bear, be born, beget, conceive.  Here are examples of these four different meanings.

• To bear (or give birth)

Luk 1:13  But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear [gennao] you a son, and you shall call his name John.

• To be born

Heb 11:23  By faith Moses, when he was born [gennao], was hidden three months by his parents,…

• To beget, or to father

Mat 1:1  The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
Mat 1:2  Abraham begot [gennao] Isaac, Isaac begot [gennao] Jacob, and Jacob begot [gennao] Judah and his brothers.

• To conceive

Mat 1:20  But while he [Joseph] thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived [gennao] in her is of the Holy Spirit.

We must look at the context in order to determine how gennao should be translated.  But sometimes context alone is not enough.  An understanding of the process of salvation is also required, which briefly summarised is as follows.  Upon repentance, baptism, and the laying on of hands, a true Christian receives the Holy Spirit.  After receiving the Holy Spirit, a Christian must grow spiritually, overcoming sin and becoming more like Christ by Christ living in him through the Holy Spirit.  This can be likened to the growth of a baby in the womb.  At the resurrection to life, the dead in Christ are raised to eternal life as a spirit beings.  This is a new birth, a birth as a spirit being.  For more information see, “What does ‘Born Again’ mean?”

With this understanding, “gennao of God” cannot be translated as “born of God” unless the context is being born (resurrected) as a spirit being.  And no one has been born of God yet, except the firstborn from the dead, Jesus Christ.  So, in all the verses listed at the start, (John 1:13, 1Jn 3:9, 1Jn 4:7, 1Jn 5:1, 1Jn 5:4, 1Jn 5:18), gennao should be translated begotten.

There is an additional poor translation in 1Jn 3:9 and 1Jn 5:18.  These two verses have “whoever has been (or is) gennao of God does not sin”.

1Jn 3:9  Whoever has been born [gennao] of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born [gennao] of God.

1Jn 5:18  We know that whoever is born [gennao] of God does not sin; but he who has been born [gennao] of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.

John is very clear in the same epistle that all Christians sin and need forgiveness.

1Jn 1:8  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1Jn 1:10  If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

1 John 1:8-10 clearly states that Christians (that is those who have been “gennao of God”) sin.  John is not going to contradict himself a few chapters later by writing “whoever is gennao of God does not sin”.  Therefore, the phrase “does not sin” is clearly an inaccurate translation.  It should be translated “whoever is gennao of God does not practice sin” or “whoever is gennao of God does not continue to sin”, as many translations have (NIV, NLT, ESV, NASB).

Correctly translated these two verses read:

1Jn 3:9  Whoever has been begotten of God does not practice sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot practice sin, because he has been begotten of God.

1Jn 5:18  We know that whoever is begotten of God does not practice sin; but he who has been begotten of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.

Conclusion

The term “born of God” is a mistranslation and should instead be translated “begotten of God”.  This becomes apparent when considering the process of salvation.  Salvation starts with receiving God’s Holy Spirit (being begotten) and culminates in the resurrection to eternal life (being born again).