Series in John's Gospel

The Necessity of New Birth!

John 3:1–21 “Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is 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.” “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.””

“In the evening I went very unwillingly to a religious meeting in Aldersgate-Street, where somebody was reading Martin Luther’s article, entitled, “preface to the Epistle to the Romans.” About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation: And an assurance was given me, that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.” (John Wesley’s conversion, May 24, 1738).

SETTING THE SCENE - There is an interesting connection between chapters 2-3.

In the last two verses of chapter 2, John tells us that as a result of Jesus performing "miraculous signs" during the seven day feast of Passover "many people...believed"(v23) but then John comments that, Jesus “would not entrust Himself to them, for He knew all men. He did not need man's testimony about man: for He knew what was in man"(vs 24,25).

This is both an intruiging statement but it’s also an indictment of mankind for it is suggesting that even humans at best are fickle. We are not to be trusted! There is a dangerous tendency within us which makes us unpredictable!

"Of all the creatures that were made he Man] is the most detestable. Of the entire brood he is the only one - the solitary one - that possesses malice. That is the basest of all instincts, passions, vices - the most hateful...He is the only creature that inflicts pain for sport, knowing it to be pain...Also - in all the list he is the only creature that has a nasty mind" (Mark Twain in vol II of his autobiography. p.7).

Now, in the context of John 2, and the newfound belief of many, John is suggesting that their claims to faith in Jesus, was suspect! It may prove fickle and short lived! After all, as the final Passover that Jesus observed whilst on earth, would reveal, those who shout “Hosanna to the King of Israel”, can quickly change their cry to “away with him, crucify, crucify…we will not have this man to rule over us!”

Anyone can believe if they see miracles, but belief based on miraculous evidence is not faith, it is just the evidence of sight. Faith, if it real is based on “the abundance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.”(Hebrews 11).

How then does this connect with chapter 3?

“Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus..'. - Nicodemus is ‘a man', a religious man, a Pharisee, a pure one; a member of the Jewish religious council so a respected member of the Jewish community; Israel’ teacher, so the best of men and yet, Jesus makes it clear that even such a man will not inherit the Kingdom of God unless he is “born again” or from ‘above'(v3,5, 31).

John tells us that he came to Jesus at 'night'(v2) - He comes to Jesus by night possibly for two reasons: (i). Some - Because he feared the Jews(see on John 9:18-22; John 12:42 (ii). Others - It was common for Rabbi's to debate into the early hours of the morning, undistracted by duties. - However, “night” here is symbolic for 'a man' in darkness. It’s a phrase used in connection with Judas’ betrayal in John 13:30, “ Judas went away and it was night.” His shift from the light that was in Jesus to the spiritual darkness that filled his soul

Charles Colson was caught up in the Watergate Scandal which led to the impeachment and removal of President Nixon.

Speaking of this he says: “before all the facts about Watergate were known to the public, in March 1973, it was becoming clear to Nixon’s closest aides that someone had tried to cover up the Watergate break-in.  There were no more than a dozen of us. Could we maintain a cover-up to save the president? Consider that we were political zealots. We enjoyed enormous political power and prestige. With all that at stake, you’d expect us to be capable of maintaining a lie to protect the president.  

But we couldn’t do it. The first to crack was John Dean. First, he told the president everything, and then just two weeks later, he went to the prosecutors and offered to testify against the president. His reason, as he candidly admits in his memoirs, was to “save his own skin.” After that, everyone started scrambling to protect himself. What we know today as the great Watergate cover-up lasted only three weeks. Some of the most powerful politicians in the world–and we couldn’t keep a lie for more than three weeks.”

This eventually came powerfully home to COlson’s soul because when in prison for his part in the cover up, and during a period of deep despair, he was reading C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity and considering Paul’s teaching about the Resurrection and the face that over 500 witnesses saw the body of Christ and beleived it and were prepared to die for it and the claim of Lewis that they would not die for a lie and he thougt about how he and his colleagues could not hold on to a lie for 3 weeks and told the truth to save their skin.

“So why didn’t they crack? Because they had come face to face with the living God. They could not deny what they had seen. The fact is that people will give their lives for what they believe is true, but they will never give their lives for what they know is a lie. The Watergate cover-up proves that 12 powerful men in modern America couldn’t keep a lie—and that 12 powerless men 2,000 years ago couldn’t have been telling anything but the truth.”

Charles Colson called that conversion experience in his memoirs “BORN AGAIN” and on his release he set up his PRISON FELLOWSHIP he founder of the Colson Center and the daily Breakpoint Ministries reaching millions for Christ!

Nicodemus was A MAN - and to use the words of Rabbie Burns “a man at best”! Such a man like all men are capabable of great good but also of great evil, and if they are going to change they “must be born again”

BUt there is hope - you may remember from John 1 that John chooses his word carefully and couples them together words such as truth and lie; flesh and spirit; life and death; light and darkness to drive home the truth that Jesus who was with God and was God, had become incarnate, to rescue us from our ruin - He is the way, the truth and the life, the way back to the Father, and He is the light of the world so that those who believe in Him shall never walk in darkness but have the light of life!

Nicodemus is 'a man' in darkness but through Jesus, he may enter into light by being born again' or from ‘above'(v3,5, 31).

Godet may not be far from the mark when he says that Nicodemus acts as a 'specimen’ of the race Jesus knew so well'

So what can we learn from this tyext by way of application to us?: I. We All Need to be Born Again!

The point John is bringing out here is that even the best of men, the most religious pure of men, a respected man, the most spiritually wise of men, need to be born of God if they are to ever enter the Kingdom of God

And the reason is simple, “flesh” can only give birth to flesh but in order to enter the Kingdom of God you must be “born of the Spirit” , “born of God”

2. Being born again is not the same as having a religious belief or conviction or experience of a religious phenomenon:

Nicodemus expresses such a belief and conviction when he says, “we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no man could do the sighs you di, unless God were with him.”

Nicodemus’ language here suggests that he came representing a small group of Pharisees who in contrast to the majority of Pharisees who believed that "this man is not from God" (9v16), actually believed that Jesus had the authority of the One who was sent from God. They believed this because of "the miraculous signs"(v2).

But this belief is not yet a saving faith - they have not yet been born again, but they are moving toward in this! They believed two things, that: (i). Jesus is a teacher - John 7:14,15;John 8:2 c/f Matt 4:23-24;Matt 7:28,29; Matt 7:46. (ii). Jesus is from God - John 7:29;John 16:27.

3. To be born again is a work of God alone, which starts with an inner regeneration that leads to an outer transformation of heart, mind and behaviour.

Jesus enunciates a non-negotiable requirement for all people. The with God life does not start with an expression of belief based on evidence any more than human life begins with a baby’s cry.

Life for a baby begins in the womb at conception and exists according to the will of a man and a woman and so life, spiritual life begins because of the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit and this is why John 1:12–13 “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”

Nicodemus is perplexed. He has already been born once, how can he be born again? He sees this statement as full of impossibilities for how can a man from below, an earthling be born from above? "How can a man be born when He is old? Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb". This is revealing of Nicodemus' ignorance of heavenly things(John 3:12). He is thinking purely on the human dimension or natural level. and the inability to think on the spiritual level reveals his blindness(c/f 2 Cor 3:14).

Jesus explains to him that it is a birth of "water and the Spirit" and Nicodemus like many others after him have struggled to understand what is meant by this:

(i). It is a birth of “water and the Spirit”:

There have been various suggestions, and you will commonly hear the claim that water refers to baptism in water which is followed later by an experience of the Holy Spirit. In Roman Catholic churches there is even the claim that baptismal water regenerates you, whilst some Protestants suggest that "water" refers to baptism and is what the Church does Whereas Spirit refers to regeneration and is what God does, reflecting the ministry of John the Baptist when he announced “I baptise you with water…but He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.” - supernatural birth!

Some also draw attention to the fact that Jesus is contrasting human birth - the flesh; and spiritual birth - the Spirit. The "water" then is a reference to the amniotic fluid surrounding the foetus in natural birth whereas reference to the Spirit explains the supernatural birth from above. So, Jesus is perhaps emphasising that whilst water is enough for human life to exist; you need the Spirit to enter into the with God life! You need to be born of water and the Spirit to enter the Kingdom of God.

And we know from the New Testament that while water baptism is important as a sign of our regeneration, it is not enough to guarantee salvation. The criminal on the Cross next to Jesus went to be with Him in Paradise whilst SImon Magus “beleived and was baptised” but as it turned out he was not a true beleiver(see Acts 8). Baptism is but a sign which is of no benefit unless it is accompanied by the new- birth which it signifies.

However, for myself, I think Titus 3:4–5 give us a commentary on what Jesus is referring to here. Titus says, “But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,” Water them stands for “the washing of rebirth” that is the need for cleansing from sin and the reference to the Spirit signifies our “renewal” or new birth otherwise described as regenration!

So to be born of water and the Spirit involves these two things, being first washed and cleanesd from sin and renewed, empowered and energised by the Holy Spirit. (c/f Ezek 36:25-27;Isa 1:18)

Now Nicodemus really should have known this - Israel’s teacher! - and he seemed to not have grasped the teaching of Ezekiel 36 and 37 and all that the Prophet taught about God replacing our heart of stone with a heart of flesh and the dry bones living again:

"How can this be?"(v9) and yet Jesus gently says to him, "You are Israel's teacher and do you not understand these things?"(v10).

It is a mild rebuke - you really ought to know this but here goes, let me explain to you what the Scriptures teach about this "How then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things"

If you cannot understand spiritual truth when I use common everyday illustrations how will you grasp the truth when I unfold its full extent - when I speak of that which is a stumbling block to the Jew (1 Cor 1:28) “Christ crucified' - the redemptive action of God through His Son on the Cross being made a curse for us’(Gal 3v13).

So, Jesus makes it clear what new birth is:

(ii). It is a supernatural birth:

Man can only bring forth natural children. God alone can bring forth children of new-birth(c/f Jn 1:13).

This is a critical problem for mankind because "flesh"cannot inherit the Kingdom of Heaven (Rom 8:8).

(iii). It is a sovereign work of God:

Jesus likens the work of the Spirit to the blowing of the wind. Just as the wind comes and goes as it pleases and blows wherever it pleases, so the Spirit acts in a way which He Himself determines.

We cannot dictate to the Holy Spirit anymore than we can dictate to the wind. We cannot demand that He works nor can we possess His power to confer it on anyone else.

Furthermore just as we cannot see the wind but only its effect on the objects in its way so we cannot see the Spirit but can see the effects of the Spirit on the lives of the people He touches "by their fruits you recognise them"(Mtt 7v20)

We know that the Spirit has cleansed a person and given them life when we see the effects of His operations on the lives of individuals.

(iv). It is a radical work of God

"born again" - The wind is sometimes gentle, while at other times it is forceful and catastrophic. The working of the Spirit is similar. Upon some there has been a gentle working in bringing them under conviction and then regenerating them. In others there has been a great and mighty move of the Spirit, like a tornado, breaking down sinful practices and barriers, and removing wicked obstacles.

It is not for us to determine the manner in which someone is converted. Some indeed have known great anguish of soul - weeping and groaning, crying out to God for mercy. Others, have quietly acknowledged their sinful state and in the quiet hour of the night have repented by their bedside, confessing Christ as Lord and Saviour.

Perhaps you are not a believer. Here is the remedy for your need. You must be born again. This is not the statement of a particular denomination. This is the statement of the Son of God!

You must be born again, and there is nothing you can do in and of yourself to produce this new birth; the Spirit must effectually work it within you.

Pray for Him to do so. Ask Him to make you a "new creation in Christ”(2 Cor 5v20).

5. New birth is possible because of the Incarantional work of Jesus Christ on the Cross!

Jesus has come down from Heaven to make it possible for man to change!

He invites men to change:

a. Look and live! (John 3:14-15)

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert(Num 21) "So the Son of man must be lifted up that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life"(John 3:15).

This saying draws on the account of Numbers 21 in which Israel had rebelled, the people slandered Moses and doubted God. The Lord responded by sending "venomous snakes among them"(v6) and many died. They then acknowledged their sins and Moses interceded being instructed by God to make a bronze serpent and mount it on a pole, setting it in the midst of the camp so that the people bitten by the snakes could "look and live"

Christ is likened to that bronze snake, lifted up on the Cross so that we could look and live forever!

Just as the person bitten and feeling the dreadful pain of the snake bite would cry for mercy so the sinner who feels the dreadful pangs of a guilty conscience for sin may look to Christ and cry for mercy and be saved!

Just as the person bitten saw in the serpent the only remedy for his sad condition so Christ is the only remedy for our sin! He is the only One given for our salvation:

b. Believe and Receive! (John 3:16-17)

The incident with the snake in the wilderness was an act of grace on God's part. Grace in the midst of judgement, having mercy on anyone who would look and live!

The sending of Christ is a revelation of the love of God for sinners all that he requires of us is that we "believe in" Christ!

John 3:16 has been called by Martin Luther, "the Bible in miniature.” It is a lesson as to God's love, its

(i). magnitude--he gave his only begotten Son

(ii). Its reach--he gave it to a sinful world (Rom 5:8).

(iii). Its impartiality--he gives it to whoever, that is, to all alike (Mt 5:45 Rev 22:17).

(iv). Its beneficial richness - it blesses with life eternal. BUT…

(v) Its limitations- God loves the world and everyone in the world it is nowhere said that God so loves that he will save unbelievers. Love is the mutual and binding grace between God and man; it may also be said that in Christ is made God human and man

v17. God's Son was sent with the task of saving the world.

He completed that task at the Cross when he cried out "it is finished"(19v30 see 17v4). What we see ever afterwards is the outpouring of that finished work rippling down through the channel of the years and bringing to new birth all those for whom He died!

Does mean to imply that Christ will never judge the World? No!(John 12:48). When He returns the second time He is coming as Judge. His word will act as a touchstone of judgement.

The question then will be did we receive it? Did we act upon it? The Word of God cannot be ignored if it is it will be at the expense of our souls!(Rev 20:15).

C. Hear and Heed! (John 3:18-21).

So we need to hear and take heed, for judgment Day shall seprate off those who beleive from those who do not and those who beleived will be saved whilst those who reject will be “condemned”

When God sits in judgment, this is the verdict’ and the reason for it is that “light has come into the world but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil"

John's description of Jesus is that He was "the true light"(John 1:9). But his judgment on human kind is this - men hate the only thing that could save them and prefer to follow their own base instincts and as a result destroy themselves!

Jesus Himself said "I am the light of the World"(Joh 8:12 c/f 12:46,35,36). The gospel light still shines. We must beware of lingering however for the light of the gospel may soon give way to the darkness of winter and you may be left to cry - The harvest is past, the summer has ended and we are not saved"(Jer 8v20).

Everyone of us will “appear in the Courtroom where God sits , on the Day of Judgement and we are the accused and our sins are stacked up against us.

We have a bad record and a bad heart and we are told clearly that we "stand condemned"(v18) because our "deeds are evil"(v19).

We need to change - unbelief bars the way of God's mercy because “man loved darkness instead of light"(v19) and so rejected God's remedy for salvation.

Only God can change us and when we move from unbelief to belief; from darkness to light; from living in sin to living by truth "it may be seen plainly that what he had done has been done through God"(v21). It is evidence that God has made Him anew. We are “born again"

The Bible then speaks plainly and simply on this most important matter. The person with an abiding faith in Jesus will not be condemned but the person without such an abiding faith “stands condemned already.” He is as it were waiting on death-row and the only hope for him is a pardon from the Judge!

Notes:

"Jesus would not entrust himself to them" - Grk: "autos de sous ouk episteuen hauton autois" Lit: "But Jesus himself kept on refusing (negative imperfect) to trust himself to them." The double use of pisteo here is shown again in Acts 8:13 where Simon Magus "believed" (Grk: ”episteusen" and was baptized, but was unsaved. He merely believed that he wanted what Philip had.

"For He knew all men" (Grk: “dia to auton gin skein pantas" - Causal use of dia and the accusative case of the articular infinitive "to gin skein" "because of the knowing" with the object of the infinitive “pantas” all men and the accusative of general reference - "auton" as to himself. This supernatural knowledge of man is a mark of deity.

Nicodemus was a Pharisee - The Pharisees were an exclusively religious group, very popular among the common people. He was a prominent teacher and ruler of the people in the Sanhedrin. As a Pharisee "he belonged to that party which with all its bigotry contained a salt of true patriotism and could rear such cultured and high-toned men as Gamaliel and Paul" (Marcus Dods).

Nicodemus is mentioned only by John. His character is marked by prudence amounting almost to timidity. At Joh 7:50-52 he defends Jesus, but without committing himself as a believer in Him. Then in Joh 19:38,39 he brought spices for the body of Jesus, but only after Joseph of Arimathea had secured the body.

"Rabbi we know that you are a teacher sent from God" - We learn from Joh 12:42,43 that late in the ministry of Christ, when hostility towards him was most bitter, many of the rulers still believed in him. No doubt, when Nicodemus said "we", he used the word advisedly and conscientiously. Those Nicodemus represents are convinced of two things:

(i). Jesus is a teacher - John 7v14,15;8v2 c/f Mtt 4v23,24;7v28,29;7v46.

(ii). Jesus is from God - John 7v29;16v27.

"Signs" is the word John uses to speak of those miracles which point to Christ's Messianic Sonship. That Nicodemus recognised these things was evidence that a grain of faith was to be found in his heart. The general consensus among the Pharisees was that "by the prince of darkness He casts out demons"(Mk 3v22). The hardness of their hearts is comparable to that of Pharaoh who alone stood unconvinced in the face of the plagues being poured out upon Egypt. Even his magicians acknowledged that "this is the finger of God" but unfortunately "Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he would not listen"(Ex 8v19). What an indictment this is against the Pharisees in general who far from showing the faith of their father Abraham were actually exhibiting the unbelief of Pharoah. (see Jn 8v39f).

v3. "unless a man is born again” - "from above" - anothen). he cannot see the Kingdom of God"(c/f Lk 9v27) - It would appear at first sight that Jesus ignored Nicodemus' question and cut him off in mid sentence. However, Jesus wanted Nicodemus to think of the implications of what he had just said - "If you believe that I am truly a teacher sent from God that means my origins are from above(John 8:23). I have come from above to tell you that unless you are born from above you will never enter the Kingdom of God!. It is not enough to merely recognise that I have come from above you must be born from above"!

Luther comments on the import of the passage with these words: “My doctrine is not of doing, and of leaving undone, but of being and becoming; so that it is not a new work to be done, but the being new created--not the living otherwise, but the being “new-born.'

“Born of water and the Spirit” - Nicodemus' misunderstanding is obvious therefore Jesus reaffirms his statement by adding a more familiar metaphor to help Nicodemus' understanding.By far the vast majority of scholars consider the word "Water" in this verse as a reference to Christian baptism. The Cambridge Bible says, ‘The outward sign and inward grace of Christian baptism are clearly given, and an unbiased mind can scarcely avoid seeing this plain fact. This becomes clearer when we compare Joh 1:26,33,where the Baptist declares, the Messiah “baptizeth in the Holy Spirit." The fathers, both Greek and Latin, thus interpret the passage with singular unanimity.' However I agree with Calvin who makes water and Spirit refer to the one act - the cleansing work of the Spirit. The necessity of the Spirit-birth is shown in that it is not possible for flesh to give birth to anything other than flesh and flesh cannot inherit the Kingdom of God(Rom 8:8).

"You are Israel's teacher and do you not understand these things?" He was THE TEACHER and interpreter of the Torah and yet he was unable to understand. (Robertson). "The well-known or the authorised (the accepted) teacher of the Israel of God. Note both articles understandest not these things? After being told by Jesus and after so propitious a start. His Pharisaic theology had made him almost proof against spiritual apprehension. It was outside of his groove (rote, rut, rot, the three terrible R's of mere traditionalism".