In John 3, we have a man by the name of Nicodemus, a Pharisee and also a ruler (teacher) of the Jews, coming by night to speak with Jesus, John 3:1. He had come to the conclusion that Jesus was someone special.
Seizing the opportunity, Jesus will begin to discuss one of the great doctrines of the New Testament. Jesus went right to the point.
This statement was puzzling to Nicodemus.
At the conclusion of Jesus’ statement, Nicodemus said, “How can these things be?” John 3:4. Even today, men seem to be confused about the New Birth.
This subject has always been surrounded by controversy. It is common to hear people say they have been “born again”, but mean something different than what someone else may think it means. In more recent years, we hear people talking about becoming “a born-again Christian.”
From the context, it is clear that Jesus is speaking of a spiritual birth and not a physical birth. John confirms.
In every birth, there are two essential actions. First, there is the begetting or conception. Second, there must follow a delivery. What is true in the physical realm is often true in the spiritual realm also.
It would help if we kept in mind that in both the physical and spiritual realms, the seed has always been involved. In the physical realm, a physical seed must be sown in order to produce a crop.
This is also true in the spiritual realm. This is brought out in the Parable of the Sower. Jesus explains that the seed in this parable is the “word of God,” Luke 8:11. It is essential that the word of God find a lodging place in our hearts in order for us to even believe there is a Jesus.
The word of God, the Bible, is a product of the Holy Spirit in that He inspired the men who wrote it. When Jesus told Nicodemus one must be “born of the Spirit”, John 3:5, this is equivalent to saying one must be born of the word.
Faith cannot come in any other way. We would not even know that Jesus lived, died and arose from the grave without the Word. We would know practically nothing about God were it not for the Word.
We would not know what to do to be saved were it not for the inspired Word. Thus, the Spirit plays a definite part in the begetting process in conversion. Note the following Scriptures.
The only way we come to believe in his name is by the knowledge we gain from the Word of God. In a physical birth, water is always involved just before birth takes place.
In the spiritual birth, water is also involved. A baby coming from his or her mother’s womb enters a new world of light, sound, smell, and taste to experience what he or she has never experienced before.
In the new birth, there is a delivery from one realm into another, as in physical birth. It is like coming out of darkness into light. Paul alludes to this delivery in Colossians.
Think for a moment. Is there any mention in the Bible about water playing a part in a person’s salvation? If so, where? Baptism, which is a New Testament command, always involved immersion in water and is always related to salvation. There are a number of passages in the New Testament which declare that baptism puts one into a new relationship.
The water (baptism) of the new birth delivers us into a new relationship never experienced before. Note the following passages.
1. “For in one Spirit were we all baptised into one body,” 1 Corinthians 12:13.
The word “into” expresses a change from one condition into another.
2. “For you are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptised into Christ did put on Christ,” Galatians 3:26-27.
In this passage, both the begetting and the delivery are mentioned.
3. “Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new,” 2 Corinthians 5:17.
This clearly describes the delivery process in the new birth.
4. “Or are you ignorant that all we who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? We were buried there-fore with him through baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life,” Romans 6:3-4.
Notice the emphasis that is placed on the newness of life as one is raised from the watery grave of baptism. This clearly describes the delivery action of the new birth.
The new birth of which Jesus speaks in John 3:1-5 is accomplished by first sowing the seed (the word of God) in our hearts, which then produces faith. Then faith leads us to respond to the command of baptism. In the act of baptism, we are then delivered into a new relationship with the Lord, and we have “newness of life,” Romans 6:4.
It is also interesting to note that something else also happens in the New Birth.
In addition to being born again, they were also added to the church, the Kingdom Jesus established on that day. Those who think of the new birth as a feeling or experience need to recognise that feelings come as a result of salvation rather than evidence of salvation.
One’s feelings are not authoritative. Feelings can be and frequently are not reliable. Feelings can be very misleading if they are not based on God’s word. The Bible rests upon the foundation of truth.
It is truth and not feelings that bring about salvation. It is a serious mistake to assume feelings are infallible in matters of religion. When people allow feelings to become their guide, God’s word can become meaningless.
Simply stated, the new birth involves two elements.
1. The Holy Spirit working through His word produces faith in our hearts.
2. Baptism (water) for the remission of sins.
Water in the new birth is clearly baptism, and the Spirit is the Holy Spirit’s word working to produce faith and repentance in our hearts. To an audience convinced in their hearts that Jesus was the Son of God, Peter commanded, “Repent, and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins”, Acts 2:38. What about you?