The New Birth

John 3:1–15 ESV

1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to 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?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

Introduction

Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night. He is not an ordinary man. He is a Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews, a teacher of Israel. He knows the Scriptures, observes the law, and likely lives an outwardly moral life. If anyone could be considered religious enough for God’s kingdom, surely Nicodemus would be the man.

And yet, when he greets Jesus with respect—“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God”—Jesus cuts through his words with an arresting declaration: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

This passage strikes at the heart of the gospel, and it was one of John Wesley’s most powerful themes: The New Birth. Wesley insisted that Christianity is not just another religion or a moral code but a supernatural transformation—God’s own Spirit making us alive in Christ.

1. The New Birth Is Necessary (vs. 1-7)

Like so many of the religious teachers of Jesus’ day, Nicodemus understood salvation as something that was found through human efforts of understanding and applying the accumulated teaching about God. Everything operated on the human plane. Many of the Pharisees believed that all Jewish people must follow the law exactly if God was to bring the Messiah. Religion was about living a moral life. It was about doing the right things all the time and upholding all of the intricacies of the law to please God and remain holy.

Paul was a Pharisee and saw the problem when he said in Ephesians 2:1, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins.” Morality is not the same as salvation. Doing the right things does not appease God’s wrath against sin. The reason the Pharisees did what they did was to get a result from God. If we are holy, God will do something about these pesky Romans.

Nicodemus was shocked at Jesus’ words when he says, “You must be born again.” How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time? His literal question shows his spiritual blindness. He assumes Jesus is talking about physical birth, but Christ speaks of something deeper—spiritual rebirth by the Spirit.

For us to have the kind of heart change that is necessary for us to be in relationship with God, there has to be a radical restart. We have to become like a newborn baby. What used to be is gone. We were dead in our trespasses, but we are made alive in Christ. Jesus says in verse 6, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Any hope of salvation or entering into God’s kingdom rests entirely upon God’s actions from outside the human realm through the Spirit to transform us. Everything else we try to do will fall short. Our Christian ethic and way of life flow directly from the transforming power of the Spirit, not human effort. Therefore, the new birth or being born again is necessary for us to be in true relationship with God. There is a radical restart that has to take place. No amount of good works, moral striving, or outward religion can repair this condition. Nicodemus had all the right credentials—yet Jesus still said: “You must be born again.”

Wesley preached that all people must be born again, not only the openly sinful but also the religious and respectable. Why? Because our first birth brings us into a fallen world as fallen creatures. We inherit not only flesh and blood but also a sinful nature. In his sermon, “The New Birth,” Wesley clarifies that the new birth follows justification. They are almost instantaneous with one another. However, in rational order, we are made right with God first and born of the Spirit second. He puts it this way, “We first conceive his wrath to be turned away (justification), and then his Spirit to work in our hearts (new birth).

Illustration: Imagine a corpse. You can dress it in fine clothes, teach it manners, or place it in a pew, but it remains lifeless. What is needed is not improvement but resurrection. So it is with the human heart apart from God.

Application: Do not rest on baptism alone, or church membership, or family heritage, or personal morality. All of these may be good, but they are not sufficient. The kingdom of God is entered only through new birth.

2. The New Birth Makes Us a New Creation (vs. 8-12)

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Jesus explains the mystery further. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” He likens the Spirit’s work to the wind. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.

For Wesley, the new birth is not mere reformation. It is not simply becoming a better person. It is the imparting of spiritual life where there was death. It is the awakening of the soul to God, the giving of new spiritual senses. With this new birth we can perceive the kingdom, love holiness, and hate sin.

Illustration: Think of someone born blind. He can hear descriptions of a sunrise, but he cannot see it. When his eyes are opened, he suddenly beholds colors and beauty he never knew existed. So it is when God opens the eyes of the heart—we see His glory for the first time.

Application: The Spirit’s work is sovereign, yet we are not helpless. Jesus calls us to ask, seek, and knock. While we cannot control the wind, we can raise our sails. We can place ourselves in the way of God’s grace—hearing the Word, praying for mercy, receiving the sacraments, and trusting Christ’s promise.

3. The New Birth Bears Fruit (vs. 13-15)

Galatians 5:22–23 ESV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Jesus finally points Nicodemus to the heart of salvation: “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

In Numbers 21, the Israelites were bitten by fiery serpents. God instructed Moses to raise up a bronze serpent; those who looked upon it in faith were healed. In the same way, Christ would be lifted up on the cross, bearing our sin, so that whoever looks to Him in faith will live.

For Wesley, faith in the crucified Christ is the means of the new birth. By faith we receive pardon, assurance, and adoption as God’s children. Faith is not mere intellectual assent but a living trust that Christ died for me.

And this faith bears fruit. The new birth produces a holy life. As Wesley said, it plants in us “love, joy, peace, and all the mind that was in Christ.” The one born of God cannot remain the same. The change may be gradual or sudden, but it will be real.

Application: Are you looking to Christ daily? The new birth is not a one-time religious excitement but an ongoing life of faith. The Spirit enables us to walk in obedience, to love God and neighbor, to overcome sin, and to anticipate eternal life.

Conclusion

Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, but light was dawning. Later in John’s Gospel we find him defending Jesus before the council (John 7:50–51) and helping to bury Jesus with costly spices (John 19:39). The one who came in secret eventually stepped into the light.

Jesus’ words remain urgent for us today: “You must be born again.” This is not optional, not merely for a select few, but for every soul. The necessity is absolute, the nature is supernatural, and the means is faith in Christ crucified.

Have you been born again? Has the Spirit awakened your soul? The wind of God still blows. The Son of Man has been lifted up. Eternal life is offered to all who believe.

Today, let us look to Christ, trust His grace, and walk as new creations in Him.