Read John 2:23-3:13.

Introduction⤒🔗

Throughout her teenage years Ann had always had a deep sense of emptiness. She married, thinking that marriage would make her happy and fill the void. Three children came and filled her life, but the void inside still remained. She testifies, “We did all the right moral things, and attended Sunday School and church. When the children became teenagers, they attended membership classes and had their names added to the church roll. But there was no peace in our home.”

As the children grew, the problems increased; but Ann had no answers. By the time she was thirty-eight, her world had fallen apart. Her oldest daughter had left home to live with relatives. Ann and her husband were on the verge of a divorce. Then they learned that their fifteen-year-old son, John, was using drugs.

In desperation, they took John for counseling to a pastor who was working with young people. At first John wanted no part of it. Each day as Ann sat waiting for his counseling session to end, she wondered if it would really help; and she dreaded the long, sullen ride home.

But one day she watched John coming down the hallway after his counseling session and she knew something had happened to him. She could not remember the last time John had laughed or smiled or seemed happy. But today John’s face was radiant, as if somebody had turned on a light.

As they got into the car, Ann found herself staring at John, almost unable to believe the change in him. Ann was about to learn that John had been born again; he had received Christ as his Savior and had turned his life over to Him.

John’s question, “Mom, are you saved?” began to haunt Ann as she observed the changes in her son over the next few weeks. One day he made the statement that if he were to die he knew that he would go to heaven. Ann wondered how anyone could be so sure.

A few weeks later Ann found herself talking about spiritual things with her pastor’s wife. Ann relates the result of those conversations:

Ever since I could remember, I had believed that a man named Jesus had died on a cross a long time ago, had been buried, rose from the dead and had gone to heaven. This is what I’d been taught. Suddenly, I realized that it was for my sins He died, and that I had never approached the cross to ask for forgiveness and cleansing.

[My pastor’s wife] took my hand and invited me to pray. And I surrendered. We knelt on the floor, and I asked the Lord Jesus Christ to wash away my sin and come into my heart as my personal Savior and Lord. Even before the prayer was finished, I felt as if someone had laid a blanket of peace over my entire being. As we rose to our feet, I knew that, if I had never done anything right in my life, that day I had made the right decision. I knew also that Christ had filled the void in my life with His peace, His love, and His joy.¹

In that moment Ann, too, was born again and entered into the kingdom of God.

Jesus declares that if you would enter into the kingdom of God and go to heaven when you die, it is necessary for you to be spiritually reborn. You must be born again.

You Must Be Born Again, because by Nature You Have No Place in the Kingdom of God←⤒🔗

In this third chapter of John’s Gospel we find a sincere and devoutly religious man approach Jesus in order to speak with Him about spiritual things.

What is the first thing Jesus says to this man? “I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God’” (Jn. 3:3). Jesus immediately forces this man, Nicodemus, to come to grips with the necessity of the spiritual new birth. It is as though Jesus is saying, “You cannot even hold a meaningful conversation about spiritual things unless you have first been born again.” By way of illustration: You would be completely out of place and at a loss in a foreign country unless you knew the language and something of the culture of that particular country.

Three times in this passage the Lord Jesus solemnly repeats the necessity of experiencing the new birth if one would enter into the kingdom of God:

Jesus replied to him by saying, I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Jn. 3:3

Jesus answered, I tell you the truth, unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God!Jn. 3:5

Do not be amazed because I tell you, You must be born again. Jn. 3:7

The Lord Jesus teaches that unless a person is born again, he or she is not able to enter into the kingdom of God (vs. 5). Jesus is telling us that by nature, as we are born into this world, we are outside the kingdom of God and have no place in it. Consider the Apostle Paul's analysis of the spiritual state and condition of the human race:

...you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ²in which you once walked in accord with the course of this world, [which is] in accord with the ruling prince of the air, [that is], the spirit who is now working in the sons of disobedience. ³Indeed, we all formerly lived among them for the lusts of our sinful nature, doing the will of the flesh and of the mind, and we were by nature children of wrath just like the rest [of mankind]. Eph. 2:1-3

The Scriptures teach that by nature, we are dead towards God: living in a state of enmity against God, hating and resisting the righteous and rightful claims and demands of God upon our lives. In Romans 8:7, the Apostle Paul describes sinful man's attitude towards God in these terms: “the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.” The natural expression of the sinful heart is a life that is contrary to the very character of God in His holiness, righteousness, and self-giving love: “we also once were foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving diverse lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another” (Titus 3:3).

By nature, we are under the influence and dominion of the devil, rather than willingly living under the dominion of the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 2:2, referring to the operation of the devil upon and in the lives of sinful mankind, the Apostle Paul declares, “you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.”

By nature, we are “children of wrath:” provoking God to righteous anger and subject to His just condemnation.

John 2:25 tells us that Jesus “knew what was in the man;” and He describes the condition of the human heart in the following terms: “out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false testimony, slander; ²⁰ these are the things that defile the man” (Matt. 15:19­ 20).

The Lord Jesus teaches that if we desire to go to heaven and not be cast into hell, we must be born again. In John 3:3,5 Jesus speaks in universal terms, using such words as “anyone” and “everyone.” Now in verse seven Jesus speaks to Nicodemus, and to each of us, in personal terms: “You (in Greek it is the plural pronoun) must be born again.” Even a person like Nicodemus, one who was devoutly religious: he was a Pharisee; one who had attained a high level of religious respectability and prestige: he was a ruler of the Jews; one who displayed no small degree of humility: he came to Jesus and acknowledged Him to be a teacher sent from God, he came to learn from Jesus; one who possessed some degree of spiritual perception: he recognized Jesus’ works to be signs from God; even Nicodemus needed to be born again.

You must be born again, because by nature you have no place in the kingdom of God.

You Must Be Born Again, because You Cannot Naturally Evolve into the Kingdom of God←⤒🔗

In John 3:6 Jesus teaches that there is no such thing as “spiritual evolution.” He declares, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” That is to say, a man cannot transform himself; he cannot change his own nature; he cannot cease being a sinner and convert himself into a saint. A man cannot undergo a self-induced metamorphosis, transforming himself from being “a caterpillar of sin” into “a butterfly of godliness.” If we are to enter into the kingdom of God, what is required is nothing less radical than a spiritual rebirth.

When men think about God and the fact that they must stand before Him on the day of Final Judgment, one natural response is for a man to seek to reform himself, to embark upon a self-improvement program. But all such programs, although they may produce limited results, are doomed to failure. Self-reformation and religion can never change your basic nature; they can never change your heart. Consider the case of a man named Duane:

At the age of 36, Duane was foreman and superintendent with a construction firm in Rock Island, IL. He was nearing his lifetime goal to be Number One in his company. His farming background and heritage of hard work and perseverance were finally paying off.

But there were troubling things about his life he seemed powerless to change. Duane didn’t think he had a problem with alcohol until one night he came home late and overheard his ten-year-old daughter tell her younger brother, “Dad’s drunk.”

Her words deeply affected Duane and he decided it was time to turn his life around. He determined to do it through better church attendance, reading the Bible, and seeking God.

Several months later, during a church seminar on personal witnessing, Duane realized that he had been futilely trying to straighten himself out. He still had no inner power, no sense of God’s presence in his life.

When the seminar leader spoke about all people being sinners, and related the need for inner cleansing to Christ’s death on the cross, it became to clear to Duane that he had never been born again.² It was the Holy Spirit who had enlightened Duane and who was working in his heart.

In John 1:12-13, the Apostle John declares,

But to all who did receive him, to those who are believing on his name, to them he gave the right to become children of God; ¹³they were born, not by natural descent, nor by human will, nor by a husband’s desire, but by God.

It is by receiving Christ, acknowledging Him and accepting Him as your Lord and Savior, that you enter into the kingdom of God and become a child of God. Furthermore, it is not by your own willpower that you receive Christ, it is the result of the gracious working of the Holy Spirit. By way of example, we read of a certain woman named Lydia, “the Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul” (Acts 16:14).

You must be born again, because you cannot naturally evolve into the kingdom of God; it takes the gracious work of the Holy Spirit: confronting you with Christ the Savior, convicting you of your sinfulness and your need of the Savior, and graciously compelling you to receive Christ and surrender yourself unto Him.

You Must Be Born Again, by an Act of God←⤒🔗

We have just considered John 1:12-13,

But to all who did receive him, to those who believe on his name, to them he gave the right to become children of God; ¹³they were born, not by natural descent, nor by human will, nor by a husband’s desire, but by God.

Here we merely reiterate the fact that the Bible speaks of the new birth as being an act of God; the one who has experienced the new birth is said to have been born, or begotten, by God.

The Bible speaks of the new birth as being a sovereign act of God: “By his own volition he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we may be a kind of first fruits of what he created.” (Jas. 1:18) God was in no way compelled to regenerate us with spiritual life because of anything He saw in us: He saw neither goodness, nor potential, nor willingness in us; what He saw was one who was spiritually dead in their sins and worthy of His righteous condemnation.

So it follows, that the Bible speaks of the new birth as being a gracious act of God: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy gave us new birth for a living hope.” (1 Pet. 1:3) The one who has been born again has come to possess “a living hope;” that is to say, a sure and certain hope, one that shall not disappoint. It is the hope of being received into the kingdom of God when he departs this life, and even now possessing within his heart the presence of the Holy Spirit who serves as a guarantee that he now belongs to God as one of His redeemed children, and, as such, has a share in the heavenly Father’s kingdom.

As noted, the Bible speaks of the new birth as an act of God performed by His Holy Spirit. Jesus elaborates on this in verse five, where He brings together the elements of new birth and cleansing and the operation of the Holy Spirit: “I tell you the truth, Unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God!’” The “water” refers to the spiritual cleansing from the pollution and defilement of sin. The reference to “the Spirit” is speaking of the Holy Spirit’s work of regeneration: generating new spiritual life into the man, causing him to share in the resurrection life of Christ, a life that is lived “unto God” (Rom. 6:10); i.e. a life that is God-centered, offered unto God and devoted to God.

In his Epistle to Titus, the Apostle Paul elaborates on what it means to be “born of water and the Spirit.” In Titus 3:5 he writes of God, “he saved us, (not by works that we ourselves performed in righteousness, but by his mercy), through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”

Paul speaks of “the washing of rebirth and renewal;” a washing that results in renewal. Just as you take a bath to wash your body and make it clean, so the Bible here is speaking of a spiritual “bath” that will not only wash your soul, but will also make you a new person. When you “step out” of this “bath” you are not only made morally clean, you are made a new creation: it is a washing that regenerates you, a washing that causes you to be spiritually renewed. This great washing and renewing is the work of the Holy Spirit: He drags the sinner out of the “mire” of sin, He plunges him into this holy “bath,” and He presents him to God, clean and new. That is to say, the Holy Spirit causes the sinner to come to Jesus Christ and believe in Him; by so doing, the man is cleansed from his sins by the atoning blood of the Lord Jesus, shed on the cross of Calvary, and he enters into Christ’s resurrection life.

Conclusion←⤒🔗

Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Have you been born again?

Have you come to recognize that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who saves sinners. Have you come to recognize that you are a sinner who needs Christ to be your Savior. Have you come to put your trust in Jesus, completely surrendering yourself to Him as He graciously offers Himself to you? If so, you have been born again!

If you find yourself examining your spiritual condition and seriously considering these things, be assured that the Holy Spirit is working in your heart. Take His hand and let Him immerse you in that cleansing bath of Jesus’ shed blood and lift you out into new spiritual life.

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. How is Nicodemus described? See Jn. 3:1-2. Why does he come to Jesus at night? Note Jn. 9:22b. Despite his coming to Jesus at night, does this act not show some degree of courage? Note Judg. 6:27. Is not even a weak display of courage better than none at all?

Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. ²This man 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 can do these signs that you are doing, unless God is with him. Jn. 3:1-2

...the Jews had already decided that if anyone should confess [Jesus] to be the Christ, he should be expelled from the synagogue. Jn. 9:22

So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and did as the LORD had said to him. But because he feared his father's household and the men of the city too much to do it by day, he did it by night. Judg. 6:27

2. What is Nicodemus’ view of Jesus? See Jn. 3:2. To what extent does he show a measure of spiritual discernment compared to many of the Pharisees? Note Jn. 9:16a. In what way is his view of Jesus inadequate? Who is it that enlightens us to a comprehension of Jesus’ true and full identity? See Matt. 16:16-17,

This man 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 can do these signs that you are doing, unless God is with him. Jn. 3: 2

Some of the Pharisees said, 'This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.' Jn. 9:16

Simon Peter answered and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' ¹⁷Jesus answered and said to him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.' Matt. 16:16-17

3. What does Jesus immediately say to Nicodemus? How does Nicodemus respond to this startling declaration? See Jn. 3:3-4. Nicodemus understood Jesus to be speaking in a literal sense, but what does Jesus go on to explain? See Jn. 3:12; note, too, Jn. 6:63. By speaking in terms of a physical impossibility, what does Jesus want Nicodemus, and us, to understand? Who alone can give us spiritual re-birth, or, spiritual regeneration? See Jn. 1:12-13. As a Christian, do you appreciate the fact that your reception of Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is the result of the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit in your heart and soul?

Jesus replied to him by saying, I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. ⁴Nicodemus asked him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jn. 3:3-4

If I have spoken to you [about] earthly things, but you do not believe, how can you believe if I speak to you [about] heavenly things? Jn. 3:12

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. Jn. 6:63

But to all who did receive him, to those who believe on his name, to them he gave the right to become children of God; ¹³[they] were born, not by natural descent, nor by human will, nor by a husband’s desire, but by God. Jn. 1:12-13

5. What does Jesus tell Nicodemus in verse six? What does He mean? Can “flesh,” (a biblical term for man’s fallen sinful nature), ever transform itself or evolve into that which is spiritual, (i.e. that which is characteristic of God: His perfect moral purity and self-giving love)? Note Mk. 7:21-23. What does Jesus go on to say in verse seven? How is this spiritually regenerating work of the Holy Spirit described in Tit. 3:5-6?

That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Jn. 3:6

From within [men], out of the heart of men, come forth evil thoughts, [such as] fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, ²²[all types of] greed and malice, deceit, wantonness, envy, slander, arrogance, folly. ²³All these evil things come from within [the man] and defile [him]. Mk. 7:21­-23

Do not be amazed because I tell you, You must be born again. Jn. 3:7

...according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, ⁶whom he abundantly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Tit. 3:5­-6

5. What is a characteristic of a man, woman, or child who has been born again? See Jn. 3:8; cp. 1 Cor. 2:12, 14-15. As a Christian, do the people of the world find you to be different from themselves, in your conduct, your lifestyle, your worldview, your focus on God and His transcendent kingdom? Are you a spiritual enigma to the world?

The wind blows wherever it pleases, you hear the sound of it, but do not know from where it came or where it is going; the same is true with regard to everyone who is born by the Spirit. Jn. 3:8

¹²Now we did not receive the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God; so that we might know the things that have been graciously given to us by God...¹⁴Now the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, because they are foolishness to him; indeed, he cannot know them, because they require spiritual comprehension. ¹⁵But he who is spiritual comprehends all things, yet he himself is not comprehended by anyone. 1 Cor. 2:12, 14-15