As we continue to settle in to a new year, it seems appropriate to consider once again the concept of the new birth. The following is a portion of a conversation Jesus had with a teacher of the Jews.
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 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.’“ (John 3:1-7)
Nicodemus did not understand. He asked, “How can this be? How is this possible?” With his limited vision and perspective, he had trouble seeing past the physical limitations of a new birth. Jesus wanted him (and us) to see things differently (cf. Matt. 16:23; Col. 3:2). Jesus needed him to see with spiritual eyes—to look with a vision toward eternity.
So, we approach the Lord with a similar question: Spiritually speaking, how is the new birth possible? The answer:
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
Evidently, there are three components to the new birth. In other words, there are three things that make the new birth possible:
1. The sacrifice of Jesus—We know we cannot save ourselves. We are sinners who deserve death (Rom. 6:23). However, thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus, we have hope (1 Peter 1:24)!
2. The love of God—We would be lost without the amazing and unending love of God. He chose to show us His love even though we were unlovable (Rom. 5:6-10; 1 John 4:19).
3. The faith of man—God loves us and provided a sacrificial lamb to take our place, but He still requires us to trust and obey Him (Heb. 11:6; John 14:15). We must be buried with Christ in baptism and continue walking with Him in faith (Acts 2:38; 1 John 1:7).
Jesus made it crystal clear that participation in the new birth is an absolute necessity. “You must be born again.” Are you thankful for the sacrifice of Jesus? Are you in awe of the matchless love of God? Have you demonstrated an obedient faith by being washed in the blood of the Lamb?
