Understand what it means
to be born again; or to be born of
the water and of the Spirit. Text: John
3:1-12.
Introduction.
1. One of the favorite sayings of the denominational world is, "I'm a
born again Christian."2. Is this a scriptural proclamation?3.
John Three has been the subject of much debate in the past and there has been
much confusion on the subject of the New Birth.4. What does it mean
to be "born again" and how is it accomplished?5. Today let
us strive to come to a better understanding of this passage of scripture.
Discussion.
I. First let us read the passage (John 3:1-12).
"There was a man of the Pharisees, named
Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto
him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do
these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered
and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How
can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his
mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto
thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into
the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that
which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee,
Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou
hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it
goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered
and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto
him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have
seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things,
and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly
things?" John
3:1-12
II. Nicodemus.
A. He is called a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews.
1. The Pharisees were the antis of Jesus' day.
2. They bound hundreds of religious laws on the people that God had never bound
on them.
3. We must remember that the Jews of this day were very materialistic.
Especially the Pharisees.
4. The fact that he is called a ruler shows that he was a powerful and
influential man.
B. Nicodemus' Understanding of
Christ (v.2).
1. He understood
that Jesus was a man come from God.
2. He knew this because of the
miracles which Christ performed (Acts
2:22).
3. Perhaps he was one of the
men mentioned in John 12:42-43.
III. Their Conversation (vv.3-5).
A. Jesus did not take time to bask
in Nicodemus' praise. He used the opportunity to teach Nicodemus.B.
He told Nicodemus that he must be born again to see the kingdom of God.C.
Nicodemus, being the good materialistic Pharisee, thought that Jesus was
talking about being born again physically (v.4).
This is obviously impossible.D.
Jesus explains himself more thoroughly (v.5).
IV. What does it mean to be Born
Again?
A. First, we must keep in mind that
Jesus is talking about spiritual matters, not physical (v.12).B.
To be born again, one must first be begotten or conceived.
1. We see this in the natural
world.
a. For a human to be born there must first be a conception.
b. The father's seed and the mother's egg must come into contact.
2. The same is true in the spiritual realm.
a. We have to come into contact with our "spiritual" seed.
b. What is that seed?
C. Next, one must actually be
born. This implies a change of state.
1. Again, we see this in the natural world.
a. When a child is born, it leaves the warmth and protection of its mother's
womb and enters into the world.
b. This is a drastic change for that baby.
2. One must also be born spiritually.
a. This is the birth that Jesus is talking about in John
3.
b. When one is born again, his state is drastically changed.
(1) He walks in "newness of life" (Romans 6:4).
(2) We put off the "old man" (Eph 4:22-24).
(3) He is translated into Christ's Kingdom (Col 1:13).
(4) He is married to Christ (Romans 7:4).
V. How is One Born Again?
A. Nicodemus did not understand how
one could be born again (thinking materialistically).B.
Jesus told us that to be born again, spiritually, one "must be born of
water and the Spirit" (vv. 3,5).C.
But what does this mean? There has been much confusion on this verse.D.
What does it mean to be born of water?
1. Wrong views.
a. Some try to say that
"water" in John
3:5 is not actually water. They say it can mean
"grace" or "Spirit."b.
Some say that the Greek word "kai" can sometimes be translated
"even."
(1) This would change John 3:5
to "Except a man be born of water even the Spirit."(2)
The main meaning of kai is "and." To change it to an
alternative meaning without sufficient reason is inexcusable.
c. These people try to
pervert the Lord's plain teaching in order to support their man-made
doctrines.
2. The Biblical meaning.
a. To be born is to
"come forth."b.
When does one come forth from water? In Baptism (Acts
8:38- 39; Col
2:12)!c. It is at
the point of baptism that our spiritual state is changed.
E. How is one born of the
Spirit?
1. Quite simply, when he is
born of water (baptized) as the meansappointed by the Spirit for a
birth. (Brents, The Gospel Plan of Salvation).
2. We are born again when we
comply with the teaching of the Spirit.
VI. Jesus Further Explains Himself (vv.
6-8).
A. In verse 6,
he emphasizes that he is talking about a spiritual rebirth and not a physical
rebirth which would be impossible.B.
Verse 8
is often misunderstood and misapplied.
1. Wrong Views.
a. Some people try to
apply this verse to the operation of the Holy Spirit and say we don't
know how he works but we see the effects.b.
Others say that, like the wind will blow down one tree and leave another
standing, so the Spirit will operate on one person and not another.
2. Correct View.
a. This verse is not
talking about the Spirit but those who are born of the Spirit. "The
wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but
canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every ONE
that is born of the Spirit." John 3:8 (KJV).b.
Thus, even though the spiritual rebirth cannot be seen, one can see the
effects of that birth in the life of the one reborn.
VII. Illustration.
"A gentleman visits and
seeks the hand of a lady under unfavorable circumstances, and is
rejected. There may be a single cause or many causes co- operating to
produce his rejection. She may be unfavorably impressed with his
character, or she may worship at the shrine of another, whose heart she
hopes to win, or both causes may cooperate in producing his rejection.
Circumstances change, however, and she finds her first suitor an unworthy
man, and she becomes disgusted by him. Meanwhile, she learns more of
the character of the man she rejected, and finds him chaste in his
conversation, courteous, polite, and accomplished in manners - that a
social, warm, and undissembling heart controls him - that he has a mind well
stored with valuable information - that he has descended from a good family
- and above all, that he is possessed of inexhaustible wealth. A
knowledge of these facts changes her heart, and she now admires and loves
the man she once rejected. She receives him gladly, and is willing to
become a sharer of his prosperity or adversity through life, but she is not
yet his wife. Though her heart is changed, her state is not; she was
in the single or unmarried state, at first, and is so yet. The parents
may consent, the license be secured, the proper officer be present for the
solemnization of the nuptials, the supper prepared and the wedding furnished
with guests, and still she is not married; and were the process here
arrested, she would not be entitled to the privileges of his house, to wear
his name, or to inherit his estate. When she is married and her state
legally changed, then, and not till the, is she entitled to all the
privileges growing out of the new relation. Now for the
application. The gospel is preached to the sinner - he is in love with
the transient pleasures afforded in the service of the devil. The
carpenter's Son, born in Bethlehem and cradled in a manger, has no charms
for him. By-and-by he finds that the pleasures of sin are deceptive,
and the devil, in whose services he delighted, has nothing with which to
reward him but misery and woe. Meanwhile he learns more of Him who
proposes to save all who will come to God by Him. He finds so chaste
in conversation, that guile is not found in His mouth; so amiable in
disposition, that when He is reviled he reviles not again, and yet so
powerful, that the furious winds and boisterous waves are calm at His
bidding, the grave yields up the dead to live again, and devils tremble at
His word; the waters are firm as a pavement beneath His majestic tread, God
is His Father, and He the only Son and Heir to all things - He is chief
among ten thousand and altogether lovely. With faith like this, he can
not fail to feel grieved that he ever loved the devil or his service,
because he is the enemy of Him whom he now loves supremely. Surely,
his heart is now changed - is he born again? If so, there is not
fitness to the figure, for he is not married yet. Though his heart is
changed, his state is not; and if he stops at this point, he can no more
claim the Christian name and character than can the unmarried woman claim
the name and patrimony of him to whom she is espoused."
(Brents; The Gospel Plan of Salvation, p. 157-158).
Conclusion.
1. When one reads the word of God
(the seed) with a good and honest heart, he will desire to do that which pleases
God (Romans
10:17).2. However, he is
not saved at that point; he is only begotten by the word (James
1:18).3. He is not saved
until he has also repented, confessed, and been born of water (baptized).4.
Have you been born again? Please see Plan of Salvation.
-- Ralph Price, February 2000
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