John 3 records an amazing story of a Jewish leader, Nicodemus, coming to speak to Christ. I think it is worth noting that Nicodemus came to Christ under the cover of night. During this time, the Jewish leaders did not like Jesus. In fact, they were extremely jealous of Him. The Jewish leaders were supposed to be the most knowledgeable of the day on the subject of God and the prophets. Now, many were looking to the ordinary carpenter Christ as an authority. On top of that, He was preforming miracles that they could not. The Jewish leaders did not want to see Christ as He truly is, but they wanted to destroy Him. Nicodemus came at night because any other meeting would give the perception that the Jewish leaders were seeking counsel from Christ. This was certainly not the case.
Nicodemus does not ask Christ a question but merely makes a statement as if to give their approval of Jesus as teacher and nothing more. Christ knowing the intent of hisheart saw his refusal to believe that He was the Messiah. Jesus answers him as only One could whose stare penetrates flesh and blood and sees the true condition of the heart of man. Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” In essence, He tells Nicodemus that your refusal to believe in me (remember discussion in John 2) shows that you will not see the kingdom of God. You have not been born again. See John 3:9-13. Nicodemus then responds with a taste of sarcasm, “Can a man enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born again?” Jesus tells Nicodemus that it has nothing to do with a physical birth. Being born again means being born of the Spirit where the spiritual blinders are removed and we see Christ as Lord and Savior.
Yet, the New birth is a hard concept to grasp because we realize how totally dependent we are on God to save us. Two ways that we are completely dependent on God to save us:
i. We are dead – Spiritually.
1. Morally selfish and rebellious
2. Legally guilty before God
3. Spiritually speaking – we are dead because of our sin
ii. God is the one who initiates the new birth – 1 Peter 1:31. Refers to something that is done to us, not something that we do.
Logically, we then ask what happens when one is born again. In the book, Finally Alive, John Piper outlines 3 outcomes of the new birth.
1. NOT GETTING NEW RELIGION BUT GETTING NEW LIFE.
2. NOT JUST AFFIRMING THE SUPERNATURAL IN JESUS BUT EXPERIENCEING THE SUPERNATURAL IN YOURSELF.
3. NOT THE IMPROVEMENT OF YOUR OLD HUMAN NATURE BUT THE CREATION OF A NEW HUMAN NATURE.
(I wish I could expound upon the above results.)
This is great, but how are we born again? The ANSWER: BELIEVE (See John 1 devotion).
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
(John 3:16-18 ESV)
John speaks truth that those who are truly born again will be seen by their fruits – that which takes place in their life. To be born again means that we have put to death the old self of sin and been born anew in the grace of God.
Then we have to ask ourselves the obvious and glaring question – what do our lives show? Do we reflect a life of one who has been born again?
1 John 2:29 – “If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.”
It is my prayer that Christ abides richly in us. That we believe Christ and live each day for HIM!
