Salvation Accomplished, Salvation Applied
The New Birth in John Chapter 3
by John Hendryx

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (John 3:5,6)

Early in his gospel, the Apostle John, tells us about an important encounter Jesus had with Nicodemus, a Pharisee who was a part of the Sanhedrin, the rulers of the Jews. Intrigued by Jesus' miraculous signs he comes to him under cover of darkness to find out what he is all about. Without any pleasantries Jesus gets right down to business and tells him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

What I propose to accomplish in this short essay is to explain the historical background of the terms "born again" and "water and Spirit" and then reveal how Nicodemus would have understood these concepts in light of the Old Testament Scriptures. Many persons quickly pass over the biblical passages on being born again uprooting it from its original historic context. This leads some to assume these phrases were imperatives or commands of what someone must do to be saved. But regeneration or the new birth are always spoken of in the passive (something done to a person) whenever and wherever they are mentioned in the Bible, but never as something man himself must do. Jesus' language testifies to the divine initiative.

Before we dig in to the meaning of water spirit and born again it is important that we first understand the phrase "kingdom of God", where the new birth leads. This phrase cannot be found anywhere in the Old Testament, but there are abundant references to the concept of YHWH's universal sovereign reign and Kingship (Ps 93:1). These passages allude to the fact that all of humanity (Jew and Gentile) exists under God's sovereign kingdom; God rules over all. Yet the prophets of the Old Testament also looked forward to a day when there would be a breaking in of God's Kingdom in a special way for His covenant people at the end of the age, which would be headed up by the Lord's servant, the Davidic Messiah (Is 9:1-7, 42:1; Zc. 9:9-10, 14:9) and like YHWHs covenant with Israel, this kingdom would last forever (2 Sam 7:12-16). God's kingdom is therefore anywhere God reigns. To Nicodemus the terminology Jesus uses of seeing or entering the kingdom of God would have a clear reference to the final resurrection of the body, a participation in the age to come in the restoration of all things. Many Jews believed that all descendants of Abraham would participate in the blessings of the coming age, unless they were put outside the camp due to some extraordinary sin.

But to his surprise, Nicodemus was told by Jesus that even he, a ruler of Israel, needed to be born from above if he would have any hope of entering the life of the age to come. The term to be "born again" or regeneration is an act of begetting by the Father. The same is to be said of the renewal (regeneration) of all things at the end of the age. But in this instance Jesus is telling Nicodemus that every individual must first be regenerated if he is to enter the kingdom of God. Or to say it another way, regeneration is a prerequisite of coming to Christ (believing in and having vital union with Christ). This is of course, absolutely necessary because of human sinfulness and moral inability. This is explained in verse 19 of this chapter -- "light has come into the world but men loved darkness…because their deeds were evil." It is quite impossible for our natural humanness to enter the Kingdom by virtue of our sinfulness and willful rebellion. For a fallen man to enter the kingdom of God it will never be by human initiative, but by a breaking in of the divine. Not one person who is reading this text right now contributed in any way volitionally to his rebirth (see John 1:13 in the prologue). Jesus uses the physically terms of birth for a reason since it is well understood that no human being ever willed his own birth. Jesus is not just saying that we need some kind of additional change but a complete supernatural transformation that we are unable to do for ourselves. Otherwise, being unspiritual by nature, we would not even desire to flee to Christ for our salvation.

Since the concept of the new birth is frequently attested to in the Old Testament, especially with reference to the blessings of the age to come, Jesus rightly expected Nicodemus to apprehend the significance of the new birth. It wasn't like this was something hidden in some obscure passage. This is a prerequisite of entering the Kingdom, even for someone as supposedly godly as Nicodemus. But like many today, Nicodemus relied too much on what they have done before God, rather than embrace that everything we have is God's free gift of grace in Christ. Nicodemus obviously did not understand what Jesus was talking about since he asked how it could be that one must be born again.

Jesus answers him a second time by slightly restating his comments and expanding upon it. He says,

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (John 3:5)

Here he uses 'enter' the kingdom instead of "see' the kingdom and he adds 'born of water and the Spirit'. Some Christians have tried to take this as saying that we must be baptized before we would enter the Kingdom. Others have said that it means we are born once naturally (by water) and once spiritually (by Spirit). But neither of these interpretations will do and are not what Jesus is referring to. They take no consideration whatsoever of the historical context which these words were spoken. When read in their context Jesus is speaking with a fellow Jew whom he rebukes for not knowing these things since he is a teacher of the Scriptures. Jesus is clearly pointing back to OT references of what God promised eschatologically to his people.

When Jesus says "you must be born of water and Spirit" he is not really adding anything to what he said in verse 3. There he says, "unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Only one birth is in view here, not two. He is not saying you must be born of water, and additionally, you must be born of the Spirit. Instead he is just referring to one new birth and he wonders why, as Israel's teacher that Nicodemus fails to grasp these things. Since Nicodemus is so familiar with the Scriptures and Jesus is so emphatic that he should know these things, it points to the fact that this is where we must go in order to find what Jesus is talking about.. The Old Testament often speaks of a time when God will POUR out His Spirit on all of humanity (Joel 2:28) where God will, once for all, cleanse His covenant people from iniquity and idolatry. The most explicit passage, and the one Jesus is, no doubt, referring to when speaking to Nicodemus, is the one found in Ezekiel 36:25-27:

"Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh."

This is a clear reference to the promise of the new covenant and the restoration in which the Israelites were all waiting for and which Jesus ushered in at the end of the age. Important to take note of it that the sprinkling of water and the action of the Spirit are both carried out by God. It is not something we do, like baptism or an exercise of faith, as a prerequisite for salvation. If someone has a heart of stone they plainly do not exercise faith unless their heart has first been made a heart of flesh. Getting the order straight brings glory to God and shows that nothing in us sets us over against our neighbor except the grace of God. Not our faith, not our good works. No, these are the effects of God's gracious action, not the cause. Furthermore, it is no mistake that this eschatological promise is made by YHWH just prior to his famous calling of his servant Ezekiel to prophesy over the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37). With a clear type of bringing the dead back to life through the preaching of the word together with the supernatural work of the Spirit, YHWH said to Ezekiel,

"Prophesy over these bones and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.' "Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones, 'Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. 'I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the LORD.'" (Ezekiel 37:4-6)

This is all done in the context of the promise of the New Covenant, the promised renewal that was spoken of the Old Testament prophets. Perhaps Nicodemus had never considered the passages of the prophets in this light and trusted too much in his own righteous law-keeping life. It is likely he never considered that he was among those who needed transformation. No matter how righteous any Jew, no matter what someone's credentials, a new birth must take place if one is to believe and enter the kingdom. 'Flesh gives birth to flesh', Jesus says, and 'Spirit gives birth to spirit'. In other words, the nature of the object generates after its own likeness. No one is naturally a child of God - this is a supernatural gift sovereignly granted by the Spirit. Jesus is, therefore, saying that if anyone is to enter His Father's kingdom they need a new nature, for no one is naturally fit or morally able to choose to enter as is.

Jesus then draws and analogy between the effects of the wind with the effects of the Spirit and relates it to those who are born again. None of us can see the wind, only the effects of what it does. Likewise the Spirit is sovereign in bringing about new life and we can only see the resulting effects by the faith and transformed life of those who follow Christ. So Jesus has been explaining the prerequisite that leads up to the next section that calls for our faith in Christ. All persons are called outwardly by the gospel to faith and repentance but only those whom the Holy Spirit blows upon, so to speak, receive the mercy and grace of faith repentance (2 Tim 2:25). We can neither control nor understand ultimately what the Spirit will accomplish in any individual but we certainly can see the effects of His work. We have already shown that the ground of being born of water and Spirit are fond in the Old Testament (Ezekiel 36:25-27) and Ezekiel 37 where the Spirit breathes on the dead to bring them to life. This not only shows God's initiative in their life because they cannot save themselves but also shows that it is not a result of mere human decision (John 1:13).

Today, human beings may naturally apprehend the propositions of the text of Scripture but we cannot spiritually apprehend and appropriate their truths and redemptive blessings through faith without a prior supernatural discernment, taste and delight that is only imparted by the Spirit of God. The quality of life that belongs to the age to come only breaks through the hearts of those first renewed by the quickening of the Spirit. Faith is an essential part of being justified before God but is itself supernaturally wrought in the heart of those once dead in sins. Humankind universally loved darkness and there are no persons who have a natural love for the light of God. But those who come into the light (3:20) presupposes the new birth since what they have done has been "done through God" (John 3:21). The reason some don't believe is because they love darkness and the reason others believe is because God, who gave them to the eternal Son in eternity (John 6:37, 39, 63-65) has granted them new life when the Holy Spirit unites them to Christ through supernatural change of the sinners disposition, leading to faith.

The entrance to God's kingdom is absolutely dependent on a spiritual birth. That is why Jesus says, "nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him." (Matt 11:27). God clearly reveals Himself to mankind through the Son but men, without exception, hate the light. Humanity is called outwardly to turn to Christ but they will not. If anyone is to be among the "whosoever believes" in John 3:16 they must first be born again - the intent of the passage is clear. Anyone who believes the gospel has everlasting life -- this is the effect of the grace of God having been wrought on them. For no one recognizes that Jesus is the true Messiah except by the Holy Spirit and this birth is grounded in the person and finished work of Jesus Christ whom we are to look on the cross. But now in the inbreaking of the Kingdom of God it becomes clear that God's love is not only for the Jews but for the whole world (vs. 16) - it is not limited by race. We prize and adore God's love because it extends over the rebellion of mankind; while we were yet sinners. God finds the world's action detestable but also does not delight in seeing the wicked perish. He justifies all who believe in Him and whoever believes in Him has first experienced the new birth (John 3:4,5 1 John 5:1) and they alone will participate in the life of the age to come. Those who willfully continue in their rebellion justly stand under His wrath. He came to a universally lost and rebellious world to save men from every tribe and nation and tongue but verses 18-21 makes abundantly clear, He did not come for all. Those who believe will belong to those who are saved but those who do not are condemned already. People who ultimately come into the light do so, not because they are innately superior or naturally have more wisdom, they love the light only because what they have done was done 'through God' (vs. 21). It is not because of their righteousness, since our hearts are hard, but because God is merciful. So if one desires to turn to Christ in faith it is evidence of the effect of God's Spirit having turned them.

As an application for us today, it is the duty of those in the church to exert our utmost efforts in the gathering of God's elect by steadfastly maintaining the outward call of the gospel to all men. God has chosen to use the preaching of the word concurrently as a means to reach hose He has, from eternity, chosen out of the world. Godnotonly ordains the ends but the means to accomplish their salvation. Only as those in the world hear and believe God's words in the proclamation of the gospel are they shown to be "taught of the Father' (John 6). But the word of God never works in persuading the world on its own since the word is only the means or medium of the new birth. Only as the Spirit of God accompanies it does the word carry the germ of life. The life is in God, yet it is communicated to us through the word. Similarly as C.H. Spurgeon once remarked:

"Let us arose ourselves to the sternest fidelity, labouring to win souls as much as if it all depended wholly upon ourselves, while we fall back, in faith, upon the glorious fact that everything rests with the eternal God."

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