What does it mean to be born again?
The New Birth - John 3:1-9
Too often in our Christian walk we go about our business without truly understanding the commitment that we made on that faithful day, the moment, the place, the time when you accepted Christ as your personal Savior, and hopefully, the Lord of your life.
You see there was a time when we were lost but through the saving blood of Christ, most likely because someone shared the love with us we came to accept Christ in our heart. We came, if you will, to make a decision for Christ, to turn from a life of sin to a life of righteousness, from serving self to serving Christ.
For some this decision eventually turned into a commitment for Christ, which meant that after accepting the redeeming power of Christ they moved on to working and being involved in the ministry in one way or another according to their God given calling, growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Unfortunately, there are those that never moved beyond their decision for Christ into a life of faithful obedience and active involvement in the work of God’s kingdom.
It would be good for us if we would remember what Jesus said in John Chapter 15 about the branches that do not bear fruit…”every branch that bears not fruit…is cast into the fire.” Fruit-bearing is not an option for the truly born again person, it is a requirement.
What is more unfortunate is that there are those who have made such a commitment for Christ but still do not understand the full scope of a life dedicated to serving Christ. They still do not comprehend what being born again is all about. Real salvation demands sacrificial commitment and active involvement as a worker in the Lord’s Vineyard.
There was a man name Nicodemus who was. for all intent and purposes, a good man. A Pharisee who was a leader in His community. He did everything that was expected of Him as a Pharisee, yet the answer to what it means to be born again simply escaped him.
Too often when we don’t understand something we simply move ahead, accepting things as they are, but Nicodemus questioned it and Christ gave him a wonderful explanation, an explanation that we all need to clearly understand today.
Let us read and break the passage down for today as we go deeper into its meaning.
Read Passage…
You see our Lord began with what familiar; birth being a universal experience. Birth relates to a new beginning, to the origin of life. Then he uses the word “again” which means “from above.”
In simple terms he was telling Nicodemus that he must experience a supernatural spiritual birth from above, a spiritual birth that had nothing to do with his physical birth into the world.
Nicodemus had come to the Lord Jesus with a mask on. He says, “we know.” Who is we? The Pharisees, one of the two major Jewish sects, the other being the Sadducees. He comes as a member of the Pharisees, and in all probability, a member of the Jewish council.
Nicodemus came secretly to speak with Jesus. What motivated him to come? “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.” (John 3:2) Nicodemus got no further with his introduction because Christ saw right through him and dealt with the real reason for his coming. Here is a man, who is religious to his fingertips, and yet our Lord told him he couldn’t see the kingdom of God except he be born again. Clearly, Jesus is establishing the fact that God’s interest is not in religion but relationship.
Nicodemus couldn’t understand what Christ was talking about concerning this spiritual birth. The reason was that he had no spiritual capacity to comprehend it.
So often, people claim to be followers of Christ - they claim Christianity - but can they also spirituality? Can you? Can we honestly claim that the Holy Spirit is dwelling and leading our lives? If not, then perhaps a true new birth has not taken place in our lives.
Nicodemus could only think from the human perspective, a physical birth, but Christ wasn’t talking about a natural birth. He was talking about how a man could be born “from above” or “born again.”
Often passages such as this one are used to validate the denominational issues surrounding water baptism but as we can see in Chapter 2 of the Book of John, water is symbolic of the Word of God. Jesus himself later on said: “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” (John 17:17).
The Word of God is likened unto water again and again. Therefore we believe that “born of water and of the Spirit” means that a person must be born again by the Holy Spirit using the Scripture. Jesus was speaking about a spiritual birth, but Nicodemus thought only of a physical birth.
Christ meant born from above by the use of water, which is the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit making it real – confirming it in the heart of the sinner this
amazing saving grace.
Once again here is a well-educated religious leader who did not understand what the Savior was talking about! But maybe neither do we??? Jesus is always mindful of the spiritual but we are stuck on the flesh… in a carnal way of thinking.
Paul puts it this way in Romans 8:6, 7: “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity (the enemy) against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”
When we read or hear such passages do we dismiss them as religious talk or do we comprehend the message of Christ in them with the implication that they should have in the way we live our lives for Him?
You see there are those who believe that in order to be
“born of water” represents a physically birth but to be born again means to be born of the Spirit.
Jesus was concerned about spiritual birth…a newborn coming into the family of God, being reconciled with God, becoming an heir of God and joint-heir with Jesus Christ…a new creation, or being.
Just as there are two parents for physical birth, so there are two “parents” for spiritual birth: the Spirit of God (John 3:5) and the Word of God (James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23–25).
The Spirit of God takes the Word of God and, when the sinner believes, imparts the life of God into that willing vessel. This is the miracle of the new birth…it is the gift of God.
In fact the reference of water does not appear to indicate anything to do with water baptism. But it relates to the understanding of Nicodemus. It presents a unified thought for the supernatural cleansing from sin that God through His Spirit effects on all who believe on His Son.
Ezekiel prophesied in Chapter 36 verses 25–27: “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will keep my judgments and do them”.
Born of water and Spirit, means born of God. It truly is an act of God. John’s theme of spirit and truth joins together with the use of water in the Old Testament to symbolize renewal and cleansing. In fact the use of water refers to the regeneration and the renewal done in our lives by the Holy Spirit.
You see friends, human birth involves toil (John 16:21), and so does the birth from above. Our Savior had to labor on the cross so that we might become members of the family of God (Isa. 53:11). Concerned believers have to prevail in prayer and witness as they seek to lead sinners to Christ (1 Cor. 4:15; Gal. 4:19).
You see in birth the child inherits the nature of the parents, and so does the child of God. We become “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4).
Hermann Olshausen a well known bible commentator said once: “That which is begotten carries within itself the nature of that which begat it.” Last week Pastor Jones spoke of apple and tangerine and avocado seeds that when planted in good soil produce tree according to its kind.
Nature determines appetite, which explains why the Christian has an appetite for the things of God (1 Peter 2:2–3). He feeds on the Word of God and grows into spiritual maturity (Heb. 5:11–14). When we partake of the Spirit-inspired new birth we take on the essence of Christ and hence are able to produce other Christians.
Physical birth involves life; and spiritual birth from above involves God’s life. John uses the word life thirty-six times in his Gospel. The opposite of life is death, and the person who has not believed in Jesus Christ does not have God’s life, eternal life, abundant life.
It is not possible to manufacture Christians any more than you or I can manufacture babies! The only way to enter God’s family is through the new birth.
John 1:11–13 tells us: “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
This spiritual rebirth that Christ speaks of involves a new future, “born again to a living hope” (1 Peter 1:3.) A hope that is only possible through our obedience of Christ.
Nicodemus must have had a surprised and yet confused look on his face, for the Lord had to say, “You must not be surprised that I told you that all of you must be born again” (John 3:7)
This begs the question, how confused are we? Do we truly understand what it means then to us today be born again? Well I hope you are paying attention because I am going to tell in as simple words as I can exactly what it mean.
To be born again…
1) It means a complete cleansing that God gives to all who believe on His Son through the Holy Spirit. This is a necessary step in order to enter the kingdom of God.
The tense used in the original language suggests that this is an event rather than a process. The new birth is a sovereign act of God, giving each of us a spiritual birth into God’s household. It renews the believer’s intellect, sensibility and will according to God’s own.
2) It also means a new creation - A term that only appears twice in the New Testament.
2 Corinthians 5:17 states: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
Galatians 6:15 states: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.” Neither circumcision referring to the original covenant with God and Abraham and his people nor un-circumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.
The old life would reflect the flesh while the new life speaks of anything relating to Christ. Life in Him, belonging to, even filled by the Holy Spirit. This new creation allows us to experience Christ and the fruits of the Spirit even in the present age.
3) In addition born again means putting off the old man. You see our old man is at war with God. The flesh against the spiritual. I remind you of what Romans 8:7-8 says: “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Ephesians 4:22-24 tells us: “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
We are to put off the old man and put on the new man in the same manner that we change our clothes.
However, it cannot be done by self–effort, nor can it be done by merely striving to imitate Christ’s conduct. We are like babes who cannot dress themselves.
And so God must perform this act in our lives, just like we cannot save ourselves or sanctify ourselves, God through the blood of Christ and moving of His Holy Spirit performs these acts of mercy and love in our lives.
As Christians we never reach the place where we can do that in our own power, and we don’t need to try. It already has been done for us. We are told in the Epistle to the Romans that the “old man has already been crucified in the death of Christ. That the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” (Romans 6:6)
Instead we are to put it off in the power of the Holy Spirit. This does not mean that the flesh, the old nature, is ever eliminated in this life. We do not get rid of the old nature, but we are not to live in it, that is, we are not to allow it to control our lives.
Since we have been declared righteous and we are in Christ seated in the heavenlies, our walk down here should be fitting with our position as children of God.
You see we worry too much about our bodies yet the flesh it can’t be changed. God has no program for our old nature, to retrieve it or improve it or develop it or save it. That old nature is to go down into the grave with us.
God does not intend to save the flesh at all. This old nature must be replaced by the new nature if we hope to enter the kingdom of God, if we hope to be found faithful in our service to God.
4) And last of all it means putting on the attitude of Christ.
Philippians 2:5-8 reads: “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!”
The mind of Christ—what is the one thing that characterized it? It is HUMILITY. You may recall that in Ephesians 4 we are told, “… walk worthy of the vocation where you are called.” Then it goes on to describe this: “With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing one another in love” (Eph. 4:1–2). That is the mind of Christ.
But you see you and I can’t be humble. We can’t be meek. We are not made that way. We want to stand on our own two feet and have our little say. All of us are like that. Don’t say you are not, because you really are. None of us wants to be offended. None of us wants to be ignored.
But Christ calls us to be born again, to be changed to be transformed to have a new mind a new way of thinking, a new direction one who is inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit.
Sure many of us in this room are saved, but have we truly come to understand the meaning of being born again, to have God’s Holy Spirit come into our lives through the power of God’s inspired word and cleanse us and make us new?
If you have not, it is nothing to be ashamed of. If you have never made this commitment it is nothing to be shy about. I encourage you take this opportunity now and come kneel here at these altars, these mercy seats, and ask God to make you a new creature in Christ.
Ask Him for the faith necessary to accept this new God-given birth from above of water and Spirit and He will do so in your life.
Perhaps you have never made any decision for Christ you don’t even know him as your personal Lord and savior. Again this is nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed by, but I tell you are in the right place.
Won’t you take this precious opportunity now and come forward and be saved? Be forgiven? Be cleansed? So
that you may begin your new life in Christ…in God’s will
These altars here are not merely for forgiveness or for finding new life, these are the places where we can find Christ in an intimate way so I invite you all to take this opportunity and come forward and pray!
The Spirit of God is truly moving in this palace and if He is speaking to you directly do not dismiss it but submit to it. Is He calling you to be born again, or perhaps to meet Him for the first time? Then wont you simply be obedient friends and come forward now as we pray?
Will you do that? I promise you will not regret it? Let us pray.
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be your name. Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one...
(Matthew 6:9-13)
Lord we come to you in this moment and bow before your presence. We come not as Nicodemus did, wearing masks and representing others, but we come simply as ourselves. This morning we have heard your call to be born again, to allow for your Holy Spirit to bring about a new beginning in our lives through the power of you word. To renew us, refresh us, and make us a new.
Father indeed your Spirit had been moving in this place this morning. Indeed he has been for some whispering your love to other he has been very clear on what we must do. Grant us the courage this day to be obedient to your guiding and to seek this new birth from you.
If there are those in this room who already consider themselves part of your family but have not yet made a full commitment to you then I pray that in the name of Jesus they will now come to understand what being born again means and the implications and requirement that come with such a surrender.
If there are those here today that have never made that first decision for you to accept your sacrifice then in the name of Jesus I pray that you blessing will be pour upon them now, that your Spirit will come and take residence in their hearts. That your Spirit will cleanse them and make then a new creation today.
Lord help us to accept what we must do in order to be born again. Not because the pastor tells us we must, but because it is your prerequisite if we desire to enter into the kingdom of God. In the name of Jesus please perform a complete cleansing in our lives, make us a new creation. Guide us in putting off our old man to no longer live in enmity with you but in fellowship and obedience. And above all teach how to put on the attitude of Christ. One of humility and one of love for you and our neighbors.
Lord your church is here today ready and willing to receive your blessing. Ready to experience this rebirth and the blessing of your Holy Spirit, would you grant this prayer to us today?
We are truly grateful and bless to be in this place and we trust in your work in us and as you do begin this spiritual revival in our lives and in our church as a consequence of our undivided obedience to you, may you also grant us the will and the opportunity to share this great hope with others. For we recognize that …yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever Jesus. Amen.
