What Does it Mean to be Born Again?
April 9, 2022
Commentary
Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council (v. 1). When he came to Jesus, he said that no one could help but be impressed by the signs and wonders that Jesus did (v 2). As a Pharisee, Nicodemus lived by the strictest possible religious rules. In his response, Jesus didn’t say anything about the signs and wonders but instead replied, “I tell you for certain that you must be born from above before you can see God’s kingdom” (v. 3)! Then Nicodemus asked, “How can a grown man ever be born a second time” (v. 4)? Jesus answered, that before you can get into God’s kingdom, you must be born not only by water, but also by the Spirit (v. 5). He was simply stating that people cannot enter the kingdom by living a better life, but only by being spiritually reborn. Humans give life to their children but only God’s Spirit can change you into a child of God (v. 6). Jesus then told him not to be surprised that he would need to be “born from above” (v.7). Just as you did not control your physical birth, so you cannot control your spiritual birth (v. 8). It is a gift of God through the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:16; I Cor. 2:10-12; I Thes. 1:5-6).
The Spirit, like the wind, cannot be seen or explained (vv. 8-12). You can only see its effect which is invisible but powerful. Nicodemus came “by night,” and he was still in the dark! He could not understand the new birth even when Jesus had explained it to Him. In the religious circles in which he traveled, Nicodemus was a recognized authority (v. 10), yet he did not know Christ. This Jewish teacher of the Scriptures knew the Old Testament thoroughly, but he did not understand what it said about the Messiah (vv. 10-11). He was a man of high moral character and yet spiritually blind. Jesus explained to Nicodemus for the first time his need for rebirth. At first, he understood this as a physical rebirth which would be impossible, but then he understood how it was a second birth into spiritual life.
Application
I need to explain to my family how easy it is to know the Bible but not really understand what it says about salvation. Knowledge is not salvation. When you ask many church people in Korea (where we live now) when they became a Christian, they will tell you their parents were Christians and they became a Christian in their mother’s belly. We need to have a Nicodemus experience.
John 3:1– 12 (NET)
1 Now a certain man, a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish ruling council, 2 came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb and be born a second time, can he?”
5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must all be born from above.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it will, and you hear the sound it makes, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus replied, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you don’t understand these things? 11 I tell you the solemn truth, we speak about what we know and testify about what we have seen, but you people do not accept our testimony. 12 If I have told you people about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?