Daily Devotions
John
The concept of a "spiritual birth"
Text: John 3:1-21
THE CONCEPT OF A “SPIRITUAL BIRTH”
Nicodemus was stumped by the way Jesus began his dialogue with him! The topic chosen for discussion was “spiritual birth”. It was a truly novel approach! All his years of learning did not prepare him to discuss the subject of salvation from this standpoint!
Ask the average Jew concerning how a person may obtain salvation from God, and he would probably say that one must keep the law of Moses. If he were to keep the law of God faithfully, then surely he would merit salvation! What did Jesus mean when He spoke of being “born again”?
Nicodemus did not know how to discuss the topic of spiritual birth with Jesus. Should he agree? Then he must be able to respond by being able to share his understanding and experience of “spiritual birth”. He couldn’t do that. After all these years of being trained as a teacher of the law, and he couldn’t even discuss this topic with Jesus! Nicodemus could only ask what seemed a very simple question.
“How can a man be born when he is old?
Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb
And be born?”
John 3:4
Nicodemus was not being sarcastic when he said these words. If anything at all, there was a tinge of despair and incredulity in his question. He knew that he could not speak of having experienced a “spiritual birth”. What did Jesus really mean? If he were to rightly understand what Jesus said, then he was not born again, and therefore he could not see the kingdom of God! And he was already old! How could he experience this spiritual birth? Surely Jesus could not mean that one needed to be born again literally!
AN EXPLANATION OF WHAT IT MEANT TO BE BORN AGAIN
Jesus of course knew that Nicodemus was not born again! He would very much like Nicodemus to be born again. Thus He took the query of Nicodemus as an indication that he would like to learn what Jesus taught concerning spiritual birth! Was He teaching His disciples these wonderful spiritual truths? How privileged they must be to be taught such deep truths. He had been trained in the traditional way as a Pharisee. All these years of learning, and he was still no nearer to the Kingdom of God!
Nicodemus must have pricked up his ears to hear what Jesus had to say concerning what it really mean to be born again.
“Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless one is born of water and the spirit,
he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
John 3:5
There was no mistaking the tremendous sense of authority in Jesus’ voice as He uttered these words. He did not cite any Rabbinic writings as authority. He did not even cite the Scriptures as authority. He was His own authority when He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you”.
Nicodemus had already conceded the fact that Jesus was a Teacher sent from God (John 3:2)! What tremendous authority Jesus wielded even as he explained Himself.
There was that statement again. One cannot enter into the kingdom of God except through “spiritual birth”. All along, Nicodemus and all of Israel had assumed that they were greatly privileged people. After all were they not called “the children of Israel”? Did not their history and their Scriptures teach them that they had a covenant with God? Wasn’t that the same as belonging to the Kingdom of God? Nicodemus wasn’t sure what to believe next!
Would Jesus explain further? He listened hard as Jesus continued.
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh,
but that which is born of the spirit is spirit.
Do not marvel that I said to you,
‘You must be born again.’ “
John 3:6-7
The second birth was not a physical one. The first birth is “of the flesh” and therefore a physical one. There was indeed a second birth. It was a spiritual birth. Jesus wasn’t picking on Nicodemus when He said what He did, for the personal pronoun He used was in the plural. “You” wasn’t just a reference to Nicodemus. It was a general statement to everyone! Were there people who heard this dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus? They too needed to be born again if they had not experienced what it means to have the second “spiritual birth”.
Jesus had caught Nicodemus flatfooted! He was indeed puzzled and astonished at what he was hearing. He marveled, he wondered at what Jesus said! He could not refute or deny the truth of what Jesus said! He needed to be born again too! That much he understood!
Jesus went on to illustrate what He meant by being born of the spirit.
“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it,
but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.
So is everyone born of the Spirit.”
John 3:8
Was Nicodemus puzzled when Jesus said, “That which is born of the spirit is spirit?” What did the word “spirit” actually mean? Was this word to be used in contrast to the word “flesh”?
Jesus was doing more than make a contrast between the spirit and the flesh. He was introducing Nicodemus to the Holy Spirit of God! He was like the wind. He was invisible, but His presence like the wind could be felt!
To be born again involved a special working of the Spirit of God in the life of the individual. Did Nicodemus ever experience this special grace of God where the Spirit of God would create a new birth in him?
It is pertinent and important that we check whether we are truly “born again”.