You must be born again

Hi there,

John’s Gospel is the only Gospel to tell the story of Nicodemus. John 3 is the first of Nicodemus's three appearances. He reappears for a second time when he states the law concerning Jesus' arrest during the dispute over his identity at the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:45-51). The third and final time follows the Crucifixion, when he helps Joseph of Arimathea take the body of Christ down from the cross before dark and brings 75 pounds of spices to prepare the body for burial (John 19: 39-42).

Nicodemus begins with sincere confusion about what constitutes the new birth and ends with him literally possessing the body of Christ as he holds the body of Christ in his hands.

In the story of Nicodemus, we find a parallel for every believer as they move from sincere questioning to contending for Christ to claiming him.

In today's verses Jesus teaches what it is to be "born again."

Today's text is John 3:1–8.

I’ve included all the subsequent verses for this week in grey for context and further reading. We’ll be working through them during the rest of the week.

Jesus Teaches Nicodemus

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.

6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’

8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.

12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?

13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

16 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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.

21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

Encouragement

This week's passages are some of the most well-known in all scripture. C.H Spurgeon said of this chapter;

“If we were asked to read to a dying man who did not know the gospel, we should probably select this chapter as the most suitable one for such an occasion; and what is good for dying men is good for us all, for that is what we are; and how soon we may be actually at the gates of death, none of us can tell.”

Andy