Nicodemus – Moment to Moment (Bible blog)

How to be born again

In my last blog, we saw Jesus explaining to Nicodemus the need to be born again. That we can’t work our way into heaven any more than we can work our way into the physical world.

In both cases, we need to be born into these kingdoms. One is primarily through the efforts of our mother (physical birth) and the other solely through the work of the Holy Spirit (spiritual birth).

Nicodemus, for all his knowledge of scripture, had trouble wrapping his brain around this concept.

All his life, he had been trying to earn his way into heaven. To keep the law of God to a T.

But here Jesus is completely tossing out that idea, and so Nicodemus asks,

How can this be? (John 3:9)

In other words, “I don’t understand. I’ve dedicated my life to the law. And now you’re saying that to enter God’s kingdom depends solely on the Spirit’s work, and not mine?”

To this day, people from basically every religion ask the same thing.

All their lives they were taught they had to earn God’s favor by doing good works, and so they have a hard time wrapping their minds around the idea that salvation is a free gift. It seems…too easy.

Jesus chides Nicodemus for his lack of understanding, saying,

You are Israel’s teacher…and do you not understand these things? (10)

Had Nicodemus truly understood the words of the prophets (Jeremiah and Ezekiel, as I mentioned in the last blog), he should have understood Jesus’ words.

Because he didn’t, Jesus went even further back in scripture to a well-known story in Jewish history.

While the Israelites were wandering in the desert after having escaped Egypt, they started complaining against God and Moses.

Because of their rebellion, God sent snakes which bit the people and caused many to die. When the Israelites repented, God told Moses to set up a bronze snake on a pole, and that everyone who looked up to it would live.

They didn’t have to do good works in order to live. They simply needed to believe in what God had said.

The ones that chose to believe and looked at the snake lived. The ones that chose to continue in their unbelief died.

Jesus told Nicodemus, “In the same way, you don’t work to earn your way to eternal life. All you have to do is look to me, and put your faith in me when I go to the cross to die for your sins.

“Just as the snake was lifted up and all who believed in what God had said lived, so I will be lifted up, and all who believe in me will live.”

It’s not clear if the conversation with Nicodemus ends here and John is simply expositing on Jesus’ teaching, or if Jesus actually says the next few words (there are no quotation marks in Greek).

But either way, these words are the most famous in the Bible.

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. (John 3:16)

How are we born again? By simply putting our faith in Jesus. By believing that he died on the cross to take the punishment for our sin.

Sin is essentially saying, “God I don’t trust you.”

So the remedy to sin is not good works. It’s turning around and saying, “God I trust you.”

And the first area that you need to say, “God I trust you,” is in putting your faith in Jesus for your salvation.

Have you done so?

Father God, I admit I have sinned. I have been living my own way, instead of trusting you and doing things your way. Forgive me.

Jesus thank you for dying for my sin. Please come into my life and be my Lord. I want to trust you from now on in every area of my life and to live your way.

Holy Spirit, every day, please lead me, guide me, and change me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Born again

We now come to one of the most famous passages in scripture.

In the States and most Western countries, most people have at least heard the idea of being born again even if they don’t understand it. But what does it mean, really?

In this passage, a Pharisee named Nicodemus came to Jesus to consult with him.

Jesus had already apparently started performing miracles apart from the one at Cana, and so Nicodemus, unlike most of his peers, had gained some respect for Jesus, recognizing that he must be from God.

What was his main purpose in seeking out Jesus? It’s hard to say.

Certainly, he was not ready to become a full-on follower of Jesus as he sought Jesus at night when no one could see him. But lack of boldness notwithstanding, he did come to Jesus.

And after he greeted Jesus with a few words that he no doubt intended to be gracious, Jesus cut right to the chase, saying,

I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. (John 3:3)

The words stunned Nicodemus. Like I said, he was a Pharisee, a group of people that dedicated their lives to keeping the law. For them, that was their ticket to heaven.

But Jesus said, “No, the ticket to heaven is not in your works. You must instead be born again.”

Nicodemus had no idea what Jesus was talking about, and he asked,

How can a man be born when he is old…Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born! (John 3:4)

Here we see a problem that Jesus often faced, and we see it throughout the gospels, especially in John. Jesus is giving a spiritual truth, but the people who are hearing it can’t get past their material way of thinking.

How often are we the same? Unable to see spiritual truths because we are too focused on the physical things of this earth?

At any rate Jesus confused him even more saying,

I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. (John 3:5)

There are many explanations for being “born of water.”

I think it refers back to Ezekiel 36:25-27. There God talks about sprinkling us with water, and the meaning there is to wash us clean of our sins. He then says that he will put a new heart and spirit in us.

That’s what it means to be “born again.” To have a completely new heart and spirit. One that wants to please God.

That’s why Jesus tells Nicodemus,

You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ (John 3:7)

In order to become part of this earthly “kingdom,” you need to be born in it. You don’t work your way into this world. You are simply born into it.

And in the same way, to be part of God’s kingdom, you need to be born into it.

You can’t work your way into it. You are simply born into it.

How? You need to be born of the Spirit. That’s why God told the Jews in Ezekiel that he would give us his Holy Spirit to dwell within us.

Physical birth comes primarily through the work of the mother. Spiritual birth comes through the work of the Spirit.

Jesus then compares the Spirit to the wind. You can see the effect of the wind, but you can’t see the wind itself.

In the same way, the Spirit works in human hearts, changing them from the inside out. We can’t see him physically as he does his work. We merely see the effects.

And as he works in our hearts, we change into completely new people. We are born again.

Nicodemus should have known this. Jeremiah talked about this transformation that God would bring about (Jeremiah 31:31-34). So did Ezekiel, as we saw earlier.

But instead Nicodemus was stuck in the misconception that he had to earn his salvation.

How about you? Are you still trying to work your way into heaven? Or have you been born again?