Born Anew

This morning I have been looking at John 3, where Jesus has his famous discussion with Nicodemus. I am particularly interested in verses 3 and 5:

John 3:3, 5-6 NIV
[3] Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. ”
[5] Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. [6] Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit."

It's interesting looking at these statements in parallel, and understanding that Jesus was speaking to one who knew the Word of God, as Nicodemus was a one of the Jewish council leaders and a Pharisee. He was asking if Jesus was from the Father, for they had observed all the signs and wonders Jesus was doing. Rather than answer his question directly, Jesus replies with these two statements.

In the first, Jesus talks about ones ability to even perceive the Kingdom, or rule of God. He says the person must be born anew, or from above, really both. This ability to see and perceive the Kingdom, is so critical in our daily lives. We often can be so focused on the world and business surrounding us, that we miss what God is doing right in front of us. The very ability to start to see comes from the Father, and requires an internal renewing, even birth of a whole new way of viewing things. When our sight starts to change, our perspective changes too.

I remember when I strongly encountered God's touch, it was like I could all of a sudden see His purpose in everything, and my understanding of the Word, and His ways became clear. It was as if I had been given a new set of glasses, and I could see clearly the first time in my life. I remember thinking that every thing made sense suddenly.

In the second statement, Jesus says that for us to enter into the Kingdom of God it must be through water and the Spirit. The Spirit is clearly referring to the Holy Spirit, and must be understood that the Holy Spirit is the initiator, and the one who makes this entrance into the Kingdom possible. The reference to the water, although it would seem to be referring to baptism is not as simple as that. David Guzick makes the following statements concerning that phrase:

b. What does it mean to be born of water? We know from John 3:10 that whatever being born of water is, it should have been familiar to Nicodemus from the Old Testament.

i. Some have thought born of water means to be baptized. Water here may represent baptism, but there is no real Old Testament foundation for this. ( I think this is likely the case as we know Nicodemus and others were recently observing Jesus' ministry, and might have either seen or heard about Jesus interaction with John.)

ii. Some have thought that born of water refers to our physical birth, since we come forth from a sack of water. This approach is more attractive, but doesn't it simply state the obvious? However, it does make a good parallel with the idea of that which is born of the flesh in John 3:6.

iii. Some have thought that born of water means to be born again by the Word of God. In other passages of Scripture, water represents the Word, as we are washed by the water of the word (Ephesians 5:26).

iv. Some have thought that born of water means to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit, the living water of John 7:38-39.

v. Some have thought that born of water means to receive the water of cleansing prophesied in Ezekiel 36:25-28 as part of the New Covenant. This is the approach has the most weight (though it is a tough call), because of its firm connections to Old Testament prophecy - which Jesus says Nicodemus should have known to understand these things.

Regardless of the exact meaning Jesus had in mind, one thing is clear, there is an invitation being given by Jesus. He came proclaiming the Kingdom of God, and we are invited to come into this experience. Jesus came to bring salvation to all, so this invitation is available to us all. Holy Spirit we pray that You will birth in us this ability to see and enter fully into Your Kingdom.