John 3:6-9 You must be born again

"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 to you, 'You must be born again.'  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."  Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"

(6) That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Because of the alienation of man from his Maker, physical birth cannot bring about spiritual life.  Earth and heaven are two separate realms.  Matter and spirit are two distinct substances.  Earth's plants and creatures bear offspring after their own kind.  The notion that fallen mankind could develop such pure spiritual tendencies, and evolve into beings so holy as to be reunited with God is an absurd, but common, myth.  We are born into this world as body, soul, and spirit.  But the spirit of our natural birth is merely a spirit of human nature, which is a fallen, selfish, and sinful nature.  In our natural state we are estranged from the Holy Spirit, and from the life of God.  Corrupted man reflects only dimly the divine attributes of his original condition as the image and likeness of God.

 

The Son of God and the Father have coexisted eternally.  Yet Jesus, the God-man, was conceived by the Holy Spirit so that the Son might enter this world as the child of Mary.  So it is also required that the sons of the flesh who have been given the right to become the children of God through faith in Jesus (John 1:12) be conceived and born by the Holy Spirit.  Even though natural born children begin their lives innocent of outward transgressions, they are nonetheless devoid of the indwelling Holy Spirit, but are fully endowed with a soulish and self-centered spirit.  The fallen spirit can only beget more fallen spirits.  Only the Holy Spirit can impart the indwelling Holy Spirit in fulfillment of the promise; I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. - Ezekiel 36:27

 

(7) Do not marvel that I said to you, "You must be born again."  Jesus commanded Nicodemus, "Do not marvel."  All objections and theoretical arguments concerning man's reconciliation to God must be abandoned.  The words of Christ are to be received as fact.  Both eternal life, and the sacred spiritual genome, have been forfeited through the sin of Adam; and they cannot be restored by any earthly reconstruction process.  They can only be bestowed upon fallen and helpless man as a gift from above.  Thus, Jesus reiterates the ultimatum, "You must be born again."

(8) The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.  Rebirth by the Spirit is an invisible event.  Spiritual rebirth causes no physically detectable changes to the body.  But just as the wind affects its surroundings, salvation should be evidenced by a changed life which bears the fruit of the Spirit and exhibits victory over sin.  The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  Against such there is no law.  And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. - Galatians 5:22-24  We cannot see the indwelling Spirit, but we can see the beauty and peace of the presence of God which is manifested in the life a born-again believer.

 

But also like the wind, man's salvation is unpredictable.  Jesus said in John Chapter Six, "Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me;" but that, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him."  A person might be made fit for salvation by education or training, but only the unseen hand of God can actually bestow the gift of eternal life.  So then salvation is not the handiwork of any man, whether they be mentor or student.  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. - Ephesians 2:8-10

 

(9) Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"  As a Pharisee and a council member Nicodemus would have been accustomed to a life ruled by strict and orderly methodologies.  Jesus had just described a way of salvation which was beyond man's control.  Nicodemus was confounded by the gospel which reveals God's outreach toward mankind, rather that man's religious  attempts to reach God.  This gospel of Jesus places Almighty God in control.  The contemplation of being reborn from above by the power of God threatened to overturn the self-governing internal system that Nicodemus thought himself to have mastered.

 

Jesus words were undoubtedly spoken with the expectation that Nicodemus would be forced to acknowledge (at least to himself) that he had not yet been born again by the Spirit.  So finding himself at a complete loss to either, account for his own spiritual poverty, or to absorb this new approach to religion, Nicodemus honestly confessed to his ignorance; "How can these things be?"  It is always best when we don't understand God to humble ourselves and honestly admit our human limitations.

 

For thus says the High and Lofty One
Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
"I dwell in the high and holy place,
With him who has a contrite and humble spirit,
To revive the spirit of the humble,
And to revive the heart of the contrite ones." - Isaiah 57:15