Born Again

“Do not marvel that I said to you, You must be born again.” (John 3:7)

These are the words of Jesus to Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a Pharisee who came shrouded in the darkness of night to speak to Jesus. (John 3:1-21) Although the Bible doesn’t tell us right out that Nicodemus believed on Jesus, his act of love in the burial of Jesus speaks volumes. (John 19:38-40)

What Jesus told Nicodemus still goes. We must be born again. What that means may be confusing. Like Nicodemus maybe you wonder, “... How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born?” (John 3:4) Jesus wondered how a man who had studied the Law didn’t have any idea what this meant. “Jesus answered and said to him, Are you the teacher of Israel and do not know these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, We speak what we know and testify what we have seen. And you do not receive our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how shall you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” (John 3:10-12) Nicodemus was a true seeker. The Lord promises that if we seek Him, we will find Him. “And you shall seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13) I believe Nicodemus found Jesus.

Why must we be born again? Because of Adam and Eve, we have inherited the sin nature. Even if we have lived good lives, our hearts are dead to the things of God, even if we’ve gone to church since we were little, if we have not been born again. There are many in churches today that have not been born again and think that because they “do” churchy things, they are going to heaven. But we see in Nicodemus’ case, holy works or influential positions in church do not get us saved or into heaven. We must be born again.

We must believe on Jesus, Who He is and His work on the cross. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6) Not only must we believe on Him, but we must make Him Lord. We must surrender our life to Him and make Him “Lord” over our life. That means demonstrating our love for Him by obeying His commandments. “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15) Many believe on Him but don’t obey Him. “He who does not love Me does not keep My Words, and the Word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me.” (John 14:24)

So how are we born again? First, we must believe on Jesus, Who He is and on His saving work on the cross. Then we obey Him by surrendering our life to Him. This is a long process as Jesus reveals things in our lives that do not please Him. The moment we make Jesus Savior and Lord; He gives us the Holy Spirit. “But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said to you.” (John14:26) The Holy Spirit indwells in us and is the Comforter, Teacher, Leader, Helper, Power to overcome sin and is vital in our lives as followers of Jesus. “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit in you, whom you have of God? And you are not your own, for you are bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.” (1Corinthians 6:19-20) This Scripture brings up a good point. Our salvation was bought at a price that cannot be repaid. It is precious, the death of Christ and His shed blood. It is a gift from the Lord. “For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) We cannot do enough, give enough, nor buy it. It’s a gift of mercy and love.

And I cannot close this lesson without explaining what happens spiritually when we are born again. Why are we miraculously changed? Why is it called born again? And it has to do with heavenly things that we don’t and can’t understand. God knows who will receive His gift. He sees the end from the beginning. At the cross, Jesus took our sin, our sinful and dead to God person to the cross. That sinful spiritual person whom the Bible calls the old man died then, with Jesus. Paul understood this. “I have been crucified with Christ, and I live; yet no longer I, but Christ lives in me. And that life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith toward the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself on my behalf.” (Galatians 2:20) So the old man was crucified with Jesus. When Jesus rose from the dead, we were risen again with Him a new person born of God and His children. “But as many as received Him, He gave to them authority to become the children of God, to those who believe on His name, who were born, not of bloods, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but were born of God.” (John 1:12-13) And baptism is an important ritual signifying our death to sin and resurrection with Jesus. “Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father; even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been joined together in the likeness of His death, we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection; knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be destroyed, that from now on we should not serve sin. For he who died has been justified from sin. But if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that when Christ was raised from the dead, He dies no more; death no longer has dominion over Him.” (Romans 6:4-9) As new Christians, we don’t totally understand what has happened, only that something marvelous has changed in us.

In short, Jesus said we must be born again which means born of God, becoming His child.  We must surrender completely to Him as an affirmation of our love for Him. And in obedience and indication of our new life, get baptized.