“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NIV)
Let’s dig into the most well-known verse in the whole Bible: John 3:16. Nicodemus believed some things about Jesus. For example, he told Jesus, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God” (John 3:2, NIV). Yet that belief, or acknowledgment, was not enough. He needed to be born again. That is what was required to become part of Jesus’ kingdom. To Nicodemus’s confession that Jesus came from God, Jesus replied,
“Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” (John 3:3, NIV)
Nicodemus would have certainly considered himself a part of God’s kingdom as a circumcised Jew who knew and followed the Law of Moses. Jesus even called him “Israel’s teacher” John 3:10). It must have seemed like a radical idea for Jesus to assert that there was something more required.
Born Again?
Nicodemus did not comprehend this idea of being “born again.” He did not immediately recognize the truth that Jesus was bringing (though there is evidence in Scripture to suggest that he continued as a secret follower of Jesus at some level). His question about whether he needed to be born from his mother a second time was probably not literal. As “Israel’s teacher,” he is clearly not an idiot. But he does express something that we often feel: How is it even possible to start all over, to have a new life, to be born again? He had no doubt committed his whole life to the customs of the Jews. How could he start all over?
What is it that you have committed your whole life to that makes it seem unthinkable that you could let go of and start afresh? We probably have all been in Nicodemus’s place at some time, wondering how can I start again when I’ve already gone this far in a particular direction?
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.” (John 3:5, NIV)
Born of Water and Spirit: “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.”
Water and Spirit in the Bible
Some suggest that to be born of water refers to the natural birth someone experiences from his mother’s womb, whereas spiritual birth is the regeneration that God accomplishes. But this is not the first time in Scripture we have read about “water and spirit.” We have seen these paired through our reading of the Old Testament. Jesus was speaking of a cleansing of the heart that was to accompany the restoration the prophets had foretold. Ezekiel described the restoration in terms of water and Spirit:
“For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God.” (Ezekiel 36:24-28, NIV)
The Jewish reader would have understood the pairing of water and Spirit to point toward new birth.
Born of Water and Spirit: “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. . . . And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”
Even earlier, at the dawn of time when God was giving birth to all Creation, God’s Spirit was hovering over the waters (see Genesis 1:2).
Wind and Spirit
Jesus developed the picture of being born again further by using another recurring scriptural pairing: wind and Spirit:
“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8, NIV)
Here the word “wind” is the same Greek word used for “breath” and “Spirit.” When someone is born again, the visible result is a changed life. You see it but don’t know where it comes from. It is the working of the Holy Spirit. When Ezekiel had a vision of a valley of dry bones, God asked him, “Son of man, can these bones live?” to which Ezekiel responded, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know” (Ezekiel 37:3).
Just as Nicodemus recognized that it was impossible by human ability for a person to be born a second time, Ezekiel recognized that it was impossible by human ability for dry bones to live.
“This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.” (Ezekiel 37:5, NIV)
That word “breath” here is the same Hebrew word used for “wind” and “spirit.” The bones had to be born again. This was a supernatural act only God could accomplish.
“This was a supernatural act only God could accomplish.”
Invitation to a New Birth
Now, back to the most well-known verse in the Bible:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NIV)
Belief that leads to new birth is more than acceptance, acknowledgment, or even confession of who Jesus is. New birth results in new life. A heart of stone becomes a heart of flesh. Dry bones come back to life. This is what it means to be part of God’s kingdom. It’s not “easy believism,” but a complete rebirth.
“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.” (Titus 3:4-8, NIV)
Born of Water and Spirit: “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.”
Excerpted from Tina Wilson’s 365-day chronological Bible study Step into Scripture: A Daily Journey to Understanding Your Bible.
