In John 3:3, Jesus mentioned the kingdom of God, and in verses 5-8 He explains certain requirements for someone to enter that kingdom.
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 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.”
John 3:5-8 NIV
Jesus describes this new birth as being “of water and the Spirit”. To me, water here sounds like baptism, and the Holy Spirit dwells in us after we choose to follow Jesus. Unlike Nicodemus’s misunderstanding (see John 3:4), these two things aren’t being re-born as a physical infant again. They are a new birth for our soul: a new creation (see 2 Corinthians 6:17, Galatians 6:15). And, this should result in the renewing of our minds (see Romans 12:1-2).
As we find elsewhere in the Bible how our flesh continues to fight against our desire to do good, it seems that part of ourselves remains somehow tied to the corrupted and cursed world that we were physically born into. However, because we are more than just physical bodies, we have hope in the fact that our soul (or our spirit) can be reborn. While our physical selves can’t be born a second time, as Nicodemus correctly stated, our eternal, spiritual selves can indeed be made new (even as we look forward to receiving new bodies later).
If our spiritual selves are to be re-born, though, we need someone else to do that for us. No baby decides to be conceived. They can’t cause themselves to exist. In the same way, we cannot create a new spirit in ourselves. Consider the conception of Jesus: The Holy Spirit caused Jesus to be conceived in Mary’s womb, and the Holy Spirit is who makes our spirits to be born again.
While Nicodemus incorrectly interpreted Jesus’ earlier statement as existing in the physical world, Jesus differentiates this new birth as being something that we can’t see with our eyes.
However, like the wind, we can observe the evidence of a new birth in those who choose to follow Jesus and accept Him as their Lord and as their Savior. The same can be said of our own conversions [ref. Strack and Billerbeck, p.92, quoted in Bryant & Krause]. We may not understand the Holy Spirit completely (since we’re finite and He is God), but we can experience and know the results of His work in us.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for December 10, 2023
References:
- The Lookout, December 10, 2023, © 2023 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – John, by Beauford H. Bryant and Mark S. Krause. © 1998 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 