1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2He 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.”
3Jesus answered him, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born anew, he can’t see God’s Kingdom.”
4Nicodemus 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?”
5Jesus answered, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born of water and Spirit, he can’t enter into God’s Kingdom. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Don’t marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’ 8The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don’t know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9Nicodemus answered him, “How can these things be?”
10Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and don’t understand these things? 11Most certainly I tell you, we speak that which we know and testify of that which we have seen, and you don’t receive our witness. 12If I told you earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven. 14As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only born Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him. 18He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only born Son of God. 19This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil. 20For everyone who does evil hates the light and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. 21But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God.”
22After these things, Jesus came with his disciples into the land of Judea. He stayed there with them and baptized. 23John also was baptizing in Enon near Salim, because there was much water there. They came and were baptized; 24for John was not yet thrown into prison. 25Therefore a dispute arose on the part of John’s disciples with some Jews about purification. 26They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, he baptizes, and everyone is coming to him.”
27John answered, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. 28You yourselves testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before him.’ 29He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore my joy is made full. 30He must increase, but I must decrease.
31“He who comes from above is above all. He who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32What he has seen and heard, of that he testifies; and no one receives his witness. 33He who has received his witness has set his seal to this, that God is true. 34For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for God gives the Spirit without measure. 35The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand. 36One who believes in the Son has eternal life, but one who disobeys the Son won’t see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
You Must be Born Again
You Must be Born Again
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begottenSon, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Jesus’ conversation with the noble Nicodemus gives us a deep theological understanding of God’s desire to save all men. Nicodemus had difficulty understanding Jesus as He spoke of a man’s need to be “born again.”“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?” (v3) The first time I heard the term “born again” in secular society was in 1974 when a peanut farmer named Jimmy Carter was running for president of the United States. He told an interviewer that he was a “born again”. The news commentators made great sport of this, as if it were some Pollyannaish claim. If I remember accurately, he was further ridiculed when asked a question about committing adultery, and he admitted that he had lusted after a woman in his heart. He explained that Jesus considered such thoughts to be adultery. Perhaps he was casting his pearls before swine, before those who had no spiritual eyes, but Carter was intent on being a very transparent candidate. He was elected in 1976, while I was earning my bachelor’s degree at Texas A&M University.
From that point on, people began to alter the phrase slightly, using the expression “born again Christian” to refer to an evangelical Christian. That moniker is an oxymoron. It displays a certain spiritual misunderstanding or ignorance. For if a person is a true believer, they must by definition be “born again” according to Jesus’ words. There is no such thing as a Christian who is not born again. Paul explains the results of this process of being “born again” when he tells the church in Corinth, “17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. [read that “born again” author’s commentary] The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17 WEB)
This beautiful dialogue gives all men a roadmap to eternal life. It is not based on anything we’ve done, but on the simple statement that God loves all in this world so much that He sent His one and only unique Son to save the world. And this is done through “believing in Him.” If you’ve never done this, let today be the day. To not do so is to stand condemned. That is not God’s desire for you or for anyone else. Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world but to give life to the world. The requirement is to “believe in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.” And that is Jesus. Put your faith into Him today and become a new creation. Experience the second birth in Him. In doing so, you will escape condemnation, and you will have eternal life.