You Must Be Born Again (John 2:23-3:8)
One of the great dangers in reading a very familiar text is that it has become so familiar that we miss portions of it. I mean, how many sermons have you heard over John 3?
But I did find myself struck this week by something I’d missed all along. And it’s in the introduction to John 3. It is at the end of John 2. John had performed miracles, or as John calls them “signs” and the people believed. But Jesus knew their faith was spurious. Jesus knew the hearts of the people and did not trust Himself to them. And Nicodemus is one of those people that believed but hadn’t yet truly believed.
This helps us to understand this conversation with Nicodemus a little differently. He was one who’d see the signs and had superficial belief in Jesus.
And how many people do we know that fit in this category? How many people hear the gospel proclaimed, yet have never truly believed in Christ? How many people sit in church services week after week without truly believing in Jesus Christ?
Or, how many of you sat through church services for years before suddenly it clicked and you went from superficial profession of Christ to truly believing?
Nicodemus was one of those people. And, framed in this way, we begin to look at Nicodemus’s conversation differently. When understood in this way, he is very similar to the person that sat in a pew for years hearing the gospel preached, yet never truly believing. He is like the old man that knows his Bible well, yet was transformed late in life through the preaching and teaching of God’s Word and work of the Holy Spirit.
Simply put, the story of Nicodemus here, though it is extraordinary, is not unlike some of the experiences that you have lived and seen play out in your lives and in the lives of others around you.
There is Faith That is not Faith (John 2:23-3:2)
Many people believed in Jesus, but did not truly believe in Jesus. And Jesus did not entrust Himself to them. And the reason given is simply that He knew what was in man (John 2:23-25).
And this leads us right into the discussion with Nicodemus. He was a Pharisee and teacher of the Scriptures. Nicodemus is one of those people. He saw signs. He knew that Jesus was from God. But Jesus knew that Nicodemus’s faith was spurious (John 3:3).
I have often heard people say that they knew they needed to serve the Lord, go to church, raise their family in a Christian home, yet not devote their selves to Jesus.
I am amazed to hear of how many parents will pay to send their children to Christian schools but not dawn the doors of a church their selves.
I can’t tell you how many parents I’ve spoken to over the years who thought that church was important for their kids, but not for them.
Many, many people today look at Christianity as being true. They have seen the signs that it is true, yet do not trust in Christ. They profess faith in Him, but there is no real faith in it.
I have been encouraged and troubled in our modern times. Faith like Nicodemus had in this text is becoming more prevalent today. It’s encouraging because more people are seeing the truth of Scripture. It brings me sorrow because a lot of these people will sit at home and post on Social Media about how much better Jesus is than anything else this world has to offer, but they will never trust in Him. They look around and see the devastating consequences of living according to the ways of this world and the beauty of the Christian way, yet never abandon their lives and trust in Him.
Think about it. How many people do you know publicly proclaim that Christianity is better than the mess that’s going on around this world on Social Media, but never even give thought to going to Church on Sunday and meeting with God’s people? How many people do you know that will tell you that they are Christians, but haven’t really thought about Jesus in a decade?
And some of you, I know for a fact, have lived this way in the past. How many of you went to church for years without truly knowing the grace of God that is found in Jesus Christ? And then suddenly your eyes were opened to that grace?
The spurious faith of Nicodemus is a profound example of something we see around us every day. It’s a faith that sees, in some sense, the truth of Jesus. But at the same time, does not trust in Christ.
And this is something that we should understand about faith itself. What is it? The best way to think through it is to think along with the church historically.
Faith has three aspects. The first is knowledge of the facts, historically we have called this notitia. These are the bare facts of the faith. You must know that God the Son took on human flesh and dwelt among us. You must know that He lived perfect and holy, laid down His life for our salvation, and rose from the grave. You must know that Jesus did this for the salvation of sinners in rebellion against God. But this is not faith.
Faith is not some weird ideal floating around in the world, like people use the word today. Faith has an object. And that object is Jesus Christ. Yet, simply knowing facts is not enough. Millions of people know the facts of Christianity and reject them. Scholars around the world that proclaim atheism know the data of Christianity. Some of them have even spent their lives studying ancient texts. And some even proclaim the Christianity is good for society because of its moral code.
Assensus is the second part of this. This is understanding that the facts are true. But this again, is not faith. It is not all the components of faith. Satan and demons know the facts and believe them to be true (James 2:19). Knowing the facts of who Jesus is and that they are true is not enough.
When parents say that it would be good for their kids to go to church but not their selves, we see this exhibited. They know that it’s true and good, but they don’t entrust their selves to Jesus.
Fiducia is the last aspect of saving faith. It is entrusting ourselves to Jesus Christ. That is saving faith.
The Scriptures tell us a lot about who we are as human beings. It speaks much of our tremendous dignity, but also of our devastating fall. We cannot entrust ourselves to Christ without a miraculous work of the Spirit in our life.
You must be born again.
You Must Be Born Again To Attain Eternal Life (John 3:3-7)
As this discussion progresses, Jesus makes it clear to Nicodemus that we receive eternal life by faith. But Jesus makes it clear here that to see the Kingdom of God, or to enter the Kingdom of God, we must be born again (John 3:4-5).
There is much debate here as to what Jesus meant by born of “water and spirit”. But there is an indication in the text given as to what this means. In other words, if we remember that Nicodemus teaches the Scriptures and notice that Jesus criticizes him for knowing the Scriptures but not understanding what it means to be born of water and Spirit, then we can understand what Jesus is saying. This is something found in the Scriptures that Nicodemus should understand.
I have often heard people say that the mention of water here means baptism. But that doesn’t make any sense within the context. How would Nicodemus, a teacher of the Scriptures, have assumed that water meant baptism? Yet, this is the very thing that Roman Catholics and the Church of Christ will proclaim heartily.
There is, however, a passage of Scripture that discusses the new birth, and uses the terminology of water and spirit within it. And it is Ezekiel 36.
“22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. 23 And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. 24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” (Ezekiel 36:22-27 ESV)
Long before Jesus came to Earth, God spoke through the prophet to deliver a message of what He would do in the future. God said that the people of Israel had, through their sinful behavior, made a mockery of God’s reputation among the nations. And soon, He would be doing something different.
Notice what God says He will do with “water” and His “Spirit”. He said that He would sprinkle clean water upon them and they would be clean from all their uncleanness. This is cleansing. This is cleansing from sin. The imagery here is of God using the hyssop branch used for purification in the temple upon His people. And he also said that He would take away their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. That cold and unfeeling heart would be taken away for a heart that longs to follow after the Lord. And then He said that He would place His Spirit within His people and cause them to follow the Lord’s ways.
The things we see in Ezekiel are the things we see in John 3. A person cannot see the Kingdom of God unless they are born again. Unless they are cleansed, the Spirit is within them, and they are transformed. The heart is the very essence of who we are, not that bloody thing circulating blood around your body. Unless the very essence of who you are is changed, you cannot see the Kingdom or enter in.
Flesh cannot accomplish this. This is birth from above. This is what it means to be born again. And it’s what John told us about in the prologue.
“12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 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 ESV)
Many of you can likely attest to this in your own life. Though we don’t all come to faith in the same way. But this change is often dramatic and you just showed up to church one Sunday and everything was changed for you. God the Holy Spirit worked in your life and transformed you. You were cleansed. You were changed and now your desires were changed as you wanted to follow Christ.
“The change which our Lord here declares needful to salvation is evidently no slight or superficial one. It is not merely reformation or amendment, or moral change, or outward alteration of life. It is a thorough change of heart, will, and character. It is a resurrection. It is a new creation. It is a passing from death to life. It is the implanting in our dead hearts of a new principle from above. It is the calling into existence a new creature, with a new nature, new habits of life, new tastes, new desires, new appetites, new judgments, new opinions, new hopes, and new fears. All this, and nothing less than this is implied when our Lord declares that we all need a ‘new birth’” J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, Volume I, The Banner of Truth Trust, Carlisle, PA, 2023, p. 86.
John spoke of this already in the introduction to the Gospel of John,
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 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 ESV)
Christians are born, not of their own will or their family lineage, but born of God. As Jesus put it here, “born again” and “born of the Spirit”.
The rest of the Scriptures help us to understand just why this is necessary.
God created mankind good, but they did not remain that way.
“See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.” (Ecclesiastes 7:29 ESV)
When Adam and Eve rebelled we became a fallen and cursed race. Though we were made upright, we are now stained with the taint of sin and rebellion. And the stain runs deep.
And now all of us have sinned. Look at how bad things are.
“9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” 13 “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” 14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 in their paths are ruin and misery, 17 and the way of peace they have not known.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” 19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it– 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” (Romans 3:9-23 ESV)
Many a person believes the truth of the gospel, but continues to live in sin and rebellion. The sickness of sin is so rampant in us that we do not see the Kingdom of God on our own.
“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV)
What must happen for us to be able to see the Kingdom of God?
What must take place for us to be able to enter the Kingdom of God?
What must happen in order for me to trust in Jesus Christ as Savior?
I must be born again. I must be cleansed. And I must be given the ability to see through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Nicodemus was a teacher of the Scriptures and was apparently regarded as a good one having gained enough status to be on the Sanhedrin. He was respected and revered. But he did not yet see the Kingdom of God. He had not yet had the powerful working of the Holy Spirit in his life. He didn’t have eyes to see the Kingdom of God. He had not yet been born again.
As a Christian, it gives me even more to be thankful for. I couldn’t see the grace of God in Jesus Christ on my own. I am overwhelmed with gratitude as I consider it. God, by His grace and mercy opened my eyes to see the grace of God that is found in Jesus Christ.
This also gives me confidence in my work.
The Holy Spirit’s Work is Evident (John 3:8)
God the Holy Spirit is at work. Notice how Jesus describes it. In the same way that we don’t see the wind, but see the effects of the wind we also see the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. We don’t control the Holy Spirit. But we do see the results.
We see people hear the message of the gospel and believe.
We see marriages healed as God the Holy Spirit works in lives.
We see people come from any number of backgrounds to have their lives transformed by the power of the gospel.
We don’t know how God the Holy Spirit is going to work, but we get to see the effects of the Holy Spirit as He works. We see that cleansing. We see the dramatic change in people. And we see them follow God’s ways.
When I preach, I am not trusting in my own cleverness to save people. I’m not trusting that I am selling the gospel like some used car salesman. I am trusting that God the Holy Spirit will work in the declaration of God’s Word.
I pray for God the Holy Spirit to work in the preached Word. I pray for God the Holy Spirit to transform lives as the Word is preached. I pray the same thing for our Sunday School teachers.
I don’t care how smart you think that you are. You cannot, apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, transform lives. You cannot move people from darkness into the light.
Do you understand what it takes for people to be saved?
Do you understand what it takes for God’s grace to so transform a person that they see the Kingdom of God?
It takes a miracle. It takes a new heart. It takes a transformation that we are unable to do. It takes the same kind of power that transformed water into wine. It takes the same kind of power that transformed the chaotic mass of matter at creation into the Universe. It takes such a transformation of our sinful and wicked heart that we are rightfully called, new creatures.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV)
As a pastor, as teachers in this church, our aim is not to do what can be done by the arm of the flesh. We rely upon God to do only what He can do. We preach and teach God’s Word faithfully. And as we do so, we understand that only God can do that miracle. We understand that God the Holy Spirit works in the preaching and teaching of His Word to transform lives.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the prince of preachers, said that he prayed “I believe in the Holy Spirit” as he ascended the steps up to the pulpit every time he preached.
“Miracles of grace must be the seals of our ministry; who can bestow them but the Spirit of God? Convert a soul without the Spirit of God! Why, you cannot even make a fly, much less create a new heart and a right spirit. Lead the children of God to a higher life without the Holy Ghost! You are inexpressibly more likely to conduct them into carnal security, if you attempt their elevation, by any method of your own. Our ends can never be gained if we miss the cooperation of the Spirit of the Lord. Therefore, with strong crying and tears, wait upon Him from day to day.” (Charles Haddon Spurgeon, “Lectures to My Students”.
And those are the things that we want to see here at Victory Baptist Church. Those are the things that we work for and pray for within our families.
We long to see our children born again.
We long to see our neighbors born again.
And because God does this work, we can go forth in confidence. We can have confidence because we know that God does these miracles.
If you are here today and are a Christian, God did a work in you. God the Holy Spirit raised you from death to life and you trusted in the Savior. We know what God can do. So we go forth and proclaim the message of God’s grace and mercy to a lost and dying world.
We know that it is an uphill battle.
We know that people will naturally reject the message we deliver—the gospel—but we also know that God raises the dead to life. We know that God can take out that heart of stone and put a heart of flesh in its place. We know that God puts His Spirit within people and causes them to walk in righteousness. That is evident.
Conclusion
Nicodemus didn’t yet believe at this moment. His faith in Christ was superficial. But it would not remain that way. We will see Nicodemus again in the Gospel of John.
In Jesus’s trial there was one Pharisee that defended Jesus before the Sanhedrin after Jesus was teaching openly at the Temple about Himself (John 7:50). And then we see Nicodemus after Jesus’s death (John 19:39).
“Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.” (John 19:39-40 ESV)
The sheer amount of these spices would have been akin to a royal burial, which indicates what Nicodemus thought of Jesus when he brought this gift.
Nicodemus did not remain in his lack of faith. Nicodemus’s faith was not always spurious. And tradition tells us that Nicodemus remained a faithful believer. Though it’s difficult to know the truthfulness of some of these accounts, we are told that he was faithful through persecution, he gave up his role in the Sanhedrin due to persecution for following Christ, and that he died a notable Christian under the persecution of Domitian.
He had faith, but it was not saving faith. But at some point, God worked this miracle into His life and He trusted in Christ.