John 3:1-8 – You must be born again!

John 3:1-8 tell of a definitive dialogue that Jesus had with Nicodemus on the subject of being born again. Through this conversation we will discover what ‘born again’ truly means. Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish council, known as the Sanhedrin. This was a council made up of 70 men, some were laymen and others were clergies. This council had jurisdiction over every Jew on earth. In John 3:10, Jesus called Nicodemus Israel’s teacher, in other words, he was the greatest teacher known in Jerusalem. Being a Pharisee, Nicodemus was known for his seriousness. He was also an educated aristocrat. All these things concerning him, his personality, his position, his education, his sincerity and his ultimate response to Christ, made him a very good case study on the subject of salvation. In the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus, we find lots of emblematic representations that would be difficult for an ordinary man in the street to understand. We can be sure that if Jesus was talking to anyone less qualified than Nicodemus, He would have put it in another way.

In these verses, we see Nicodemus coming to Jesus in Jerusalem. Here he was seeking to know the source of Jesus’ authority in bringing about the miracles. He respectfully addressed Jesus as “Rabbi”, and acknowledged that He must have been sent from God. Through observing the signs Jesus did, he came to the conclusion that if God was not behind those signs, they would never have come about. Jesus by-passed his query and went straight into the heart of the matter. Aware of the reason Nicodemus came seeking Him, Jesus told him in no uncertain term that he must be born again, or it would be impossible to see the Kingdom of God. Logically speaking, it is impossible for a man to be born again. Nicodemus’ question indicates his struggle to know how to be radically and fundamentally changed. He acknowledged Jesus’ proposition that one must be born again, his struggle is how could it be done? This is the cry of all human being. In us all, there is an innate desire to change. There is a need to be different. We want to be renewed. How can this take place?  

Jesus response is this, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.” Nicodemus knew real well what Jesus meant. In John’s baptism one showed repentance, accepting Jesus’ baptism with the Spirit would bring about regeneration. What Jesus said here tells us clearly that the born again experience has two components – repentance and regeneration.  When one repents from his sin and allows the Spirit of God to work in his life, he experiences what is born again. There can never be a new birth without repentance and regeneration. One needs to have a radical change of mind and heart, allowing the Holy Spirit to bring a new nature into one’s life.

Jesus explained further that the radical change cannot be brought about by human energy. It cannot be changed by mere will power. Our best effort without the Spirit is never sufficient. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to provide the necessary strength for change. What is flesh can only produce fleshly result. Only with the transforming power of the Holy Spirit can we be changed. It could well be that as Nicodemus was trying to make sense of what Jesus said, he heard the rustling of the leaves as the wind blew pass. Picking up that teaching moment, Jesus said to him, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” Being born of the Spirit is like your experience with the wind. One cannot see the wind but can see its effect in the bending of the branches and the rustling of the leaves.  Similarly, the work of the Spirit in one’s life can be seen in the changes that take place, although one may not see the Spirit with one’s naked eye.

We thank God that through His Spirit, we now can experience not only repentance but also regeneration. We are set on a path of divine transformation. Let us allow the renewing work of the Holy Spirit to bring them about, so that we will be changed from one degree of glory to another. Praise the Lord!