We all need to be twice born.  Once “from above,” or a supernatural rebirth.

Christianity at its very core, is about our each having a supernatural rebirth. This rebirth can only be accomplished through a genuine work of God.  God alone can make it happen. This second birth can only be received by faith, and if God does not make it happen after you receive it by faith then it will never happen. Why? Because you and I do not have the ability within ourselves to make it happen. This makes us feel helpless, but the truth is only God can make it happen. All you can do is throw yourself upon His mercy and cry out for His grace.

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.     John 1:12-13

In Greek, the word translated “right,”is  (εξουσίαν) exousia. It means the right or freedom of choice, authority, and ability or power.  It means all three of those things. You and I have the God given right or freedom to choose to receive Him.  We have His authority to choose to receive Him for ourselves, and He has given us the ability to make the choice to receive Him. God has given us the right, the authority, and the power to become children of God.  He gives this right, authority and power to everyone who will believe in His name.

We are not born into God’s kingdom through any natural process.  Our blood does not qualify us, nor our ancestry, only God can initiate this second birth.  People tell me very often that their parents were great Christians, and they somehow assume that their parents faith passed to them genetically.

Unfortunately this is not the case.  Mom and Dad passed down to you a sinful nature known as depravity. They needed to be born again just as you I need to be born again.  God has to work the miracle of salvation deep within you through His Spirit or it will not happen.

A true spiritual rebirth will not occur through religion. It will only happen through a life changing encounter.  You need to know this because you need to tell others that only a life changing encounter with Jesus Christ can forgive sin.  Not only does He forgive your sins, but a genuine rebirth will alter your nature.  Deep within your spirit God will change your inclination to agree with His will forever. You can still sin, but inside your core you will grieve.  You will feel terrible, because God the Holy Spirit will convict you and condemn your sin.

This second birth is a spiritual birth.

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

Someone recently asked me what being born of the water meant in this text.  The best answer will fit the context of the passage.  This text is an example of Hebrew thought being translated into Greek.  Hebrew often uses parallelism to expand and complete a thought.  Being born of water is to be understood as the parallel for being born of the flesh.  Being born of water or of the flesh parallels being born of the Spirit.  When our mothers water breaks we are born of water, when we exit her womb we are born of the flesh.

The point of this text is to explain the necessity of our being born of the Spirit.  God the Holy Spirit must be the midwife of our being reborn or we will not be truly born again.  While I have the right to choose, God’s Spirit must also be involved.  Many people have walked an aisle, shook hands with their pastor and joined the church, but were not born again.  If God’s Spirit is not involved your nature will not change and sooner or later you will claim that Christianity did not work for you.  The reason for this is that you tried to be born again by your own will in your own power and God’s Spirit was not involved.

This second birth is a spiritual birth or it becomes only an empty religious ritual that has no saving power.

We all “must” be born again or we cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘you must be born again,’    John 3:7

In Greek the word translate “must” is dei.  It means a divine necessity. In other words a spiritual rebirth is a divine necessity.  It is nonnegotiable.  You, me and everyone else who has ever or will ever walk the face of this earth must be born again, there are no exceptions.  Jesus did not say:

• Nicodemus, it’s important for you to be born again, or
• Nicodemus it will help you to be born again, or
• Nicodemus you will achieve your spiritual ambition if you add this component of rebirth to you religion.

He said, Nicodemus You Must Be Born Again!  If you are NOT born again you, the CEO of religion in Jerusalem, will not see the kingdom of God.  This concept is at the very heart of Christianity. There is no substitute. You cannot substitute church for this rebirth.  You cannot substitute your parents relationship with Christ for your own.  You will not get a pass because of your denominations understanding of salvation.  You, each and everyone must be born again!

Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Him by night and said to Him, Rabbi, we know that you have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him. Jesus answered and said to 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?  He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” Jesus answered. “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, 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 do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said to Him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not understand these things?    John 3: 1-10

Nicodemus was a Pharisee who was a ruler of the Jews. In Greek the presence of the definite article “the” is very important.  Sometimes it is left off for the purpose of adding emphasis. It is absent for this purpose in this text, to say to us that Nicodemus is “THE” most prominent person.  In Greek, we can understand this to read “there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, ruler of the Jews.” He was the CEO of religion in Jerusalem.

Nicodemus asks Jesus a question “Rabbi, we know that you have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”  Jesus didn’t answer his question.  He did not say, yes, I am from God. Instead he said “Nicodemus do you want to know where you really stand in your relationship with God?  I want you to know that unless you are born again you, the CEO of religion in Jerusalem, will not see the kingdom of God.”

This answer baffled Nicodemus.  We mistakenly think this is the first time Nicodemus had heard the term, “born again,” but it was a common phrase among the Jews.

When you were circumcised on the eighth day you were said to have been born again. When you went through the rite of  your bar mitzvah you were said to have been born again.  When you were married, you were said to have been born again.  When you turned forty, you were said to have been born again.  Were you to become a Rabbi you were said to have been born again.

Nicodemus understood the term “born again” as it related to his practice of Judaism. What he did not understand was Jesus telling him that he must be born again, again. He was thinking I am a Jew, I have been circumcised, I have been bar mitzvahed, I am married, I am now over forty and I am a Rabbi, in fact I am “The Rabbi” in Israel. In other words, Nicodemus is saying “I have had all of the born again experiences in Judaism and you, Jesus, are telling me that I must be born again!”

He is totally shocked. Nicodemus was confused: thinking “How can I do that, when I have already done it all.”

Many Christians who grew up in church are like Nicodemus.  They think “I grew up with Christian parents, I have gone to church all of my life.  I have gone through catechism class, I have learned all of the liturgies and rituals.  I was in the choir, or I was in the youth group.  So when they hear  Jesus is saying, “you to must be born again.”  Some church people who have done their religious duty all of their life, do not truly understand that they must also be born again.  Religious people also need to be changed from within by regeneration.

Nicodemus did synagogue, just like some people today, do church.  Doing church doesn’t save anyone!

. . . unless one is born of water and 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. The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.

Jesus is saying the Spirit is not something you can predict.  He is not a formula, He is God, He is the movement of God.  Nicodemus throws up his hands and says, “how can these things be?”  Jesus ask him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and you don’t understand these things?” Nicodemus is totally confused when it comes to really talking about the things of the Spirit of God.

When Jesus wants to talk about spiritual things, Nicodemus wants to talk about church attendance. Nicodemus can only talk about duty, the law.  Nicodemus wants to talk in terms of the outside of man while Jesus’ language is about the inner man.

A. T. Robertson, a great theological scholar said: “this well known authorized teacher of Israel was told by Jesus that his theology had made him immune to spiritual apprehension.”

Are you like Nicodemus?  Are you trusting in the outer signs of your religion to save you and forgoing asking God to re-create you from the inside, through His Spirit as you call on the name of His Son, Jesus.

Please for the sake of your eternal soul ask Jesus Christ to give you the spiritual new birth!

If Jesus’ values are such that these causes moved Him while He lived on the earth, and I am a Christian who truly desires to become like Christ, then His values should become my values.

³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; ³⁸ therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:36–38 (ESV)

If I am able to genuinely pray for the Lord of the harvest to send harvesters into the harvest field, then I also need to be willing to become one of the laborers which the Lord will send in response to my prayers and the prayers of others. Of all the needs which mankind has, salvation is the greatest need! If I am going to prioritize my values based on what are Jesus’ values then I will value the shepherdless crowds who are harassed and helpless and have compassion for them.

For some reason too many Christians do not prioritize their values by Christ’s values.  Many Christians try to make numerous excuses for not sharing their faith with others, but the bottom line for our disobedience is a lack of compassion (like Jesus has) for the lost. I really need to “put off” apathy for the lost and “put on” compassion for the lost.

If you are unmoved by compassion to share your faith with the lost then would you be interested in following Christ’s example for you own self interest. You and I must acknowledge Christ among men if we want to be acknowledged by Christ before His Father in heaven. You and I really need to “put off” apathy for the lost and “put on” compassion for the lost.

³² So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, ³³ but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 10:32–33 (ESV)

Another common excuse people make for not sharing their faith in Christ with others is their inability. Such a view, however, illustrates either a misunderstanding of the Scriptures or disbelief in them. The book of Acts clearly states that

⁸ . . . you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (ESV)

According to the Scriptures, Christ’s followers will be His witnesses and Christ’s followers will also receive power to be His witnesses from the Holy Spirit. Apathy for the lost is either due to a lack of compassion or disbelief.  Therefore I need,, and perhaps you also need, to “put off” apathy for the lost and “put on” compassion for the lost.