You must be born again

MPS: To enter the kingdom of God a person must be born by the Spirit. The new birth brings about undeniable effects in a person's life. We can clearly identify three main evidences:

1) Hatred of sin or aversion towards sin

2) Love for God and his word

3) The fruits of the Spirit

Intro: In this passage today, we are going to examine the implications of the new birth and its effects in the believer’s life. This text teaches us that the new birth is the passport into the kingdom of God.

Explanation: In my last preaching in the book of John back in November we talked about signs, miracles. I said that miracles are clear evidences of the power of God that points people to Christ and strengthen the faith of the brethren.

John 2:23

“Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing”

Among those who believed in Jesus was Nicodemus, a respect member of the Sanhedrin (the Jewish religious council). Nicodemus he was a man of a high standing among the Jewish people.

Look of what he said in verse 2… read

The miracles that Jesus performed aligned with his teaching led Nicodemus to the Lord.

This is the same man that stood among the Sanhedrin when they were planning to arrest Jesus, and said: John 7:51 “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?”

This is the same man that after Jesus’ death brought a large quantity of fragrances (myrrh and aloes) to his burial.

Based on these texts it is fair to say that Nicodemus became a follower of Christ, he became a disciple.

What happened in this encounter between Jesus and this Pharisee?

The whole scope of their conversation is around the nature and the necessity of a person to be born again through the Spirit in order to see and enter the Kingdom of God.

After the initial approach Jesus says verse 3… and then verse 5…and verse 7…

Trans: What is the new birth? What it looks like?

In verse 3 Jesus points to the necessity to be born again, and then on verses 5-8 he explains the implications, the nature of the new birth.

1) The new birth

a. It is the Spiritual birth, regeneration of a person. It is an act of God through his Spirit.

b. The Greek word used here to be born again is Gennaō : beget, bring forth or to give birth

I. What is implied in the term Gennaō is to make anew or renewing. It is a drastic change that bring about permanent effects in the life of a person.

c. To say that a person must be born again to enter the kingdom of God, implies that in its natural condition human beings are not fit for the Kingdom of God.

d. Regeneration is a prerequisite to enter the kingdom of God.

e. As a skillful evangelist Jesus is helping Nicodemus to understand the principles of Christian faith. We cannot see or understand the things of God unless God intervenes on our behalf.

f. Regeneration is a supernatural work of the Spirit applied to the soul of a believer. It is an act of God.

g. Verse 6 makes a distinction between flesh and spirit… Read

h. John is saying that by nature we are of the flesh, but by the Spirit of God believers are of the Spirit.

i. The new birth is a dramatic change in nature. From flesh to Spirit. From what is mortal and temporal to what is eternal.

How does it happen? How the new birth take place?

1) The regeneration comes down from heaven. God acts in behalf of the person. In the new birth human beings are passive.

2) The new birth precedes the response of man. First God wakes up the heart of man.

3) Faith is a result of the work of regeneration in the heart of a person.

4) No one can seek the things of God unless God inclines the heart of man towards himself.

John 3:27

“A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven”

Verse 5 Jesus says: unless one is born of water and Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

What does this mean? What does Jesus mean by being born of water and Spirit?

Here there is a debate among scholars about the significance of water.

1) Some view water as a reference for baptism.

2) Some see this a reference of the ritual Jewish of washing

3) Some see as a reference for Torah, Pentateuch. As a washing by the word of God

The Greek word for water is Hydor. The same word is used on verse 5 and 23.

This gives a great support to view number 1. That mentioning water Jesus is making a reference for Christian Baptism.

However, up to this moment only John is Baptizing by the river Jordan. There is not yet a clear understanding of this Christian sacrament.

To better understand this point we need to apply the rule of thumb. Look at the verse with the context in view.

Jesus is talking with a teacher of the law, a Pharisee. The education of a Pharisee could start as yearly as five years old. Since its first years the students learn to memorize large passages of the Torah. Jesus is talking with a man with a great understand and knowledge of the OT.

D. A. Carson

“When water is used figuratively in the OT, it habitually refers to the renewal or cleansing, especially when it is found in conjunction with the spirit.”

Where water and spirit come together so forcefully, the first to signify cleansing from impurity, and the second to depict the transformation of the heart that will enable people to follow God wholly.

Ezekiel 36:25-27

“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”

Personally, I’m inclined to view the reference of water with Carson. That Jesus is pointing Nicodemus this OT scholar to the realities for the radical transformation that takes place before the actual response of faith by man.

This letter of John was written several years later after the resurrection of Jesus. When the ritual of Baptism has been practiced for several decades. They would as most of us understand this a reference for baptism.

Here again Carson make a good point. Even tough baptism is an outward sign and testimony of the ongoing work of the Sprit in a person’s heart. This is a secondary view of Jesus’ teaching in this passage. What is in relevance here is the cleansing of sins and heart transformation in order to enter the kingdom of God.

The cleansing of all impurity must happen before the indwelling of the Spirit of God in a believers’ heart.

Trans: And then the follow-up question: What are the evidences of the new birth? How can a person know if she/he have been born again?

2) The evidences of the new birth

a. Jesus makes an analogy between the Spirit and wind. Read verse 8

b. No one controls the wind, no one see it, no one where is going. However, we do feel the wind, we hear it during storms and windy days. We don’t see the wind, but we do experience its strength and presence, its existence is undeniable.

c. We can detect its presence. However, we do not have power over it.

d. The same is with the Spirit. We cannot see the Spirit. We do not how the Spirit operates or what is going to do next. We cannot touch it. But we do feel its presence. We can experience its power and work among us and within us.

e. The Spirit acts without the interference of human beings. It does not need our council. We have no power over the Spirit.

f. The Spirit does submit to human beings as like it depend on us to exist or to act.

g. The existence and the presence of the Spirit is undeniable.

h. In verse 8 Jesus is telling Nicodemus that those who are born of the Spirit cannot be controlled or understood by the natural person. But only by those who share the same new nature, by those who have been born of the Spirit.

i. The natural man does not understand these things. They cannot find logical explanations for the things of the Spirit.

j. Like Nicodemus in verse 9 humanity asks: how can these things be? How is it possible?

i. The world cannot conceive the things of the Spirit. Because the physical world is all about visual, palpable, things that can be seen and analyzed in a lab. The natural man can only understand what is of earth.

The answer of Jesus is even more astounding to Nicodemus. Verses 11 and 12 Jesus says: you are a respect, well-educated man in the things of God and yet you do not understand these basics principles about faith. How will I talk with you about deep things of heaven?

Jesus is emphasizing not only to Nicodemus but also to all believers and those who are considering the path of life that the new birth is the basic principle that we need to understand about Christianity.

We also can see very clear that is possible for a person to be well educated in the things of God and yet have never experience the new birth.

How do we know those who have been born of the Spirit? How can a person knows if she/he have been born again?

By the evidences or the fruits of the Spirit that comes forth from the heart of the newborn creature.

There are three main evidences of the regeneration:

1) Hatred of sin or aversion towards sin

2) Love for God and his word

3) The fruits of the Spirit

1) Hatred of sin or aversion towards sin

a. What the person once cherished, enjoyed and treasured. After the regeneration becomes a source of shame and hatred. What before was practiced and celebrated for the newborn creature becomes repugnant, despicable, gross, repulsive, abominable, obscene, heinous, gruesome.

b. Just to make a clear distinction, I’m talking about the sins of culture and society such as: abortion, killing, greed, homosexuality, political corruption, adultery.

c. I’m talking about the inward sin. The sin lies and resides in our own hearts.

d. Many people can look to the examples that I mentioned and say: those are horrible things. Abortion what is an abominable thing.

e. Some can say words about corrupted politicians and the moral degradation of society while their own business is marked by lies and unfair dealings.

f. Many can point the sins of our culture while they cuddle their own.

g. They talk with boldness about what they see in the world while keeping close their “small sins”

I John 3:9

“ No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.”

2) Love for God and his word

a. The regenerate heart now will seek the things of God.

b. The newborn creature will be recognized by its ever-growing desire for the truth, for the word of God.

c. Those who have been born again will seek, desire and apply oneself to know God. This will be its primary desire in life, to know and to be know by God.

I John 4:7

“for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God”

3) The fruits of the Spirit

a. Those who have been born of God will display what is called the character traits of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;

b. The newborn creature will display these character traits. As the time passes these traits will be more and more evident.

Conclusion: We saw that this section talks about the regeneration or the new birth.

Regeneration is a supernatural work of the Spirit applied to the soul of a believer. It is an act of God.

The new birth precedes the response of man. Faith is a result of the work of regeneration in the heart of a person.

There are three main evidences of the regeneration:

1) Hatred of sin or aversion towards sin

2) Love for God and his word

3) The fruits of the Spirit

Those who have been born again will display these characteristics in their lives. Some more than others, but necessarily all believers will be marked by theses virtues.

In some people these virtues will be more easily seen simply because they seek more, they pray more, they apply themselves to know God. Usually these people will not only know about God they will know more of God.

Other people they will show these virtues, but you have to dig more, is not easily seen. Sometimes even outsiders have difficult to recognize if the person is truly a believer. These people usually are always caught in habitual sins. They are always giving excuses for not growing in their faith: health, family, work, school.

They have been regenerated; they do know about God. But they do not experience God in their daily lives through his Spirit.

Some people know very little about the Spirit. They do not know what is like to feel Spirit God moving in you. They do not know what it feels like to pray to the point that you can contain yourself because the presence of the Spirit. When the words fail and only tears roll on your cheeks, not because your are sad but because the power of the Spirit.

As newborn creatures we must be growing. There is no thing called stagnant faith. Because in faith or you are growing and moving forward, or you are not growing and moving backwards.