Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is
born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John 3:3
Jesus first speaks of being born again when He talks to Nicodemus.
Nicodemus had many questions, which makes sense.
For example, he asked if you have to return to your mother’s womb and be born a second time.
That’s a good question. So, what did Jesus say?
Let’s find out by looking more at Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus.
Table of Contents
What Does It Mean to Be Born Again?
Everyone living is first born physically. But to be born again has nothing to do with physical birth and everything to do with spiritual birth. Spiritual birth happens by the Holy Spirit, but you can’t explain how He does it. The important thing to know is how to be born again. Or another way to say it is how you can be saved. Jesus died on the cross for our sins because our sins are what keep us separated from God. And if you believe Jesus’ death was enough to restore you to God and give you eternal life, you will be born again.
The Man Nicodemus
Nicodemus was a Jewish religious leader and, more specifically, a Pharisee.
Intrigued by the authority of Jesus and the miracles He was doing, Nicodemus went to see Him secretly at night, hoping to find out who this man really was.
He began by addressing Jesus as “Rabbi” and acknowledging that He came from God.
John 3:2 After dark one evening, he [Nicodemus] came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
Nicodemus possibly came at night because he was afraid of being seen publically talking to Jesus. That’s why today we say he came secretly.
Most Bible scholars think Nicodemus’ conversation with Jesus greatly impacted him. So much so that he, at some point, became a secret follower of Jesus.
Two later passages in John help us come to this conclusion.
First, Nicodemus opposed his colleagues on the Jewish high council by arguing that Jesus deserved a fair trial before being convicted (John 7:50).
And secondly, he brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing seventy-five to one hundred pounds for Jesus’ body after He was crucified (John 19:39).
But let’s get back to Nicodemus’ first encounter with Jesus and what Jesus said to him about being born again.
How Jesus Begins
Interestingly, Jesus didn’t acknowledge or confirm what Nicodemus said about Him coming from God.
As Jesus often did, he went straight to the heart of what Nicodemus needed to hear. He jumped right in.
John 3:3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Jesus’ words made no sense to Nicodemus. He had no idea how He, as an old man, could go back into his mother’s womb and be born again.
How could anyone do that?
Born From Above
The phrase “born again” means born from above, born anew, born of the Spirit, or born from God. It’s a spiritual rebirth that has nothing to do with returning to your mother’s womb.
God is the only One who makes this rebirth happen. And a spiritual rebirth is necessary for seeing the kingdom of God.
Or another way to say it is that a person must be born from above in order to go to heaven at the end of their life on earth.
The NASB Study Bible note says, “The new birth or regeneration is the act of God which gives eternal life to the one who believes in Christ. As a result, he becomes a member of God’s family.” God accomplishes it through the Holy Spirit.
Titus 3:5 He saved us, not because of the righteous things we have done, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and a new life through the Holy Spirit.
1 Peter 1:23 For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.
Jesus explained it another way.
John 3:5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.”
Born of Water and the Spirit
People have various interpretations of what it means to be born of water. We’ll briefly look at five:
- The water refers to baptism as a requirement for salvation. However, this contradicts other New Testament passages that explicitly say it’s God’s grace that saves you through faith alone, that it’s a gift from God.
- The water stands for the act of repentance as it did with John the Baptist. John baptized with water as an outward sign that they had repented of sin.
- It refers to natural birth. First, you are born physically by water, and then a second time by the Spirit.
- Water means the Word of God, as in John 15:3, “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
- Water is a synonym for the Holy Spirit. Instead of saying “born of water and the Spirit,” you could say, “born of water, even the Spirit.”
Although #2 or 3 make the most sense to me, I can’t be certain what it means. However, one thing is clear: the new birth comes from God through the Holy Spirit.
You’ll see why as Jesus continues explaining to Nicodemus what it means to be born again.
He says only humans reproduce human life, and the Spirit spiritual life. Therefore, Nicodemus shouldn’t be surprised that He was telling him, “you must be born again.”
John 3:6-7 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said, “You must be born again.”
Spiritual Life Comes From the Holy Spirit
Jesus compares the Spirit to the wind.
John 3:8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.
So, there you have it. You can’t explain how a person is born of the Spirit, but you can know spiritual life comes from the Spirit. And it’s called being born again.
However, Nicodemus still wasn’t getting it. And so he asked how these things could be possible.
Let Me (Jesus) Explain Further
First, Jesus chastizes Nicodemus for not understanding what He was telling him since he was a Jewish teacher.
John 3:10-12 You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? I assure you, we tell you what we have known and seen, and yet you don’t believe our testimony. But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how could you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
Next, Jesus starts talking about something Nicodemus would have been familiar with as a teacher: Moses lifting up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness (from Numbers 21:5-9).
John 3:13-15 No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.
Jesus would soon be lifted up on a cross. He is now getting to the heart of what you must believe to be born again. It’s not enough to only know that you have to be; you also must know why and what it means.
John 3:16-17 For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
Believe in Jesus
Believing in Jesus is what being born again is all about. The Spirit makes it happen, but only when you believe the right things about Jesus.
It’s not enough to simply believe He exists. You can’t merely believe He was a good person, a prophet of God, or a wise teacher.
You must believe He is the Son of God and that He died for your sins to restore you to God and give you eternal life.
Additionally, you have to believe that Jesus is the only way. In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.” There is no other way, period.
We don’t get to argue or ask God why He did it the way He did. He is God, and we are not. It is His free gift to us, and we can accept it or reject it; it’s our choice.
Born Again
Final Thoughts
It’s okay to ask questions to gain understanding.
If you’re asking what it means to be born again, that’s fantastic. That’s what Nicodemus did.
And He kept asking. John doesn’t tell us how Nicodemus responded in the end, but later, we find out that he most likely became a follower of Jesus.
That means Nicodemus believed that Jesus was the Son of God who died on the cross for his sins.
You, too, must believe what Jesus did on the cross so you could be born again and have eternal life.
To be born again is another way of saying born from above or born of the Spirit. It’s a spiritual rebirth rather than physical birth.
Have you been born again?
If not, ask yourself what’s stopping you from believing? Or you may want to check out the following: