The Significance of the New Birth

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¹Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ² This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” ³ Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ⁴ Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 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. ⁷ Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”⁹ Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” ¹⁰ Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? ¹¹ Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. ¹² If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. ¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. ¹⁹ And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. ²¹ But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (John 3:1-21, ESV).

Introduction

There are many things I am thankful for, but the thing I am most thankful for is being born again as a child of God. Before I was saved, I was the poster boy for universal depravity. I was a lying, thieving, blasphemous, murderous adulterer at heart. Yet, I thought I was a good person. Then, at the age of seven, God showed me myself. I finally understood I was a wretch who was deservedly headed for Hell. God was angry at my sin, and sin must be punished. Yet, I knew God is merciful and sent His Son, Jesus Christ (fully God and fully man), to live a sinless life, pay the penalty for my sin on the cross, and rise from the dead to give me newness of life if I repented and trusted in Jesus to forgive me of my sin. I was born again that day by grace through repentant faith by the power of the Holy Spirit. That is why I love the SBC’s statement of belief on the New Birth.

Regeneration as Summarized in Biblical Doctrine by John MacArthur

“Regeneration is the sovereign act of God, by the Holy Spirit and through the preached gospel, whereby he instantaneously imparts spiritual life to a sinner, bringing him out of spiritual death and into spiritual life.”[1]

Charles Spurgeon on the New Birth

“In the salvation of every person there is an actual putting forth of the divine power, whereby the dead sinner is quickened, the unwilling sinner is made willing, the desperately hard sinner has his conscience made tender; and he who rejected God and despised Christ, is brought to cast himself down at the feet of Jesus.”[2]

Passages

Let’s read some passages on the new birth:

Isaiah 64:6 “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away” (ESV).

John 1:12-13: “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” (ESV).

Galatians 6:15: “For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.” (ESV).

Titus 3:5: “he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,” (ESV).

1 Peter 1:23: “since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;” (ESV).

James 1:18: “Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” (ESV).

1 John 5:1: “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.” (ESV).

Yet the best-known passage on the new birth is the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus, recorded in the first 21 verses of John 3. “¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

Thesis

This passage shows the significance of the new birth, through the power of the Holy Spirit, in saving and transforming those who believe in Jesus. We can trust in God to save the perishing when we share the gospel.

Outline

This truth is seen in four movements in the passage. I. Need for the New Birth vv. 1-3 II. Explanation of the New Birth vv. 4-8 III. Means of the New Birth 9-18 IV. Judgment of the Old and New Birth vv. 19-21

I. Need for New Birth vv. 1-3

1. Nicodemus was seen as a “good” religious man v. 1.  “¹Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.”

a. A Pharisee was a person who accepted the whole OT and traditions of the elders. They would read Genesis through Malachi in their Synagogue. Yet, to try to keep the laws, they circumvented them by the traditions of their religious leaders in the church, like Catholic people do today through the creeds of Popes and traditions.

b. Their life was so strict there were only 6,000 in Israel; however, they were popular. They were popular because their traditions made them look good on the outside. Yet, they were still dead on the inside.

c. He was the teacher of Israel and a part of the Sanhedrin, the highest court in Israel. They handled the hardest cases in Israel. They had to be experts on religious and civil law. This is similar to being a Supreme Court justice. Only there were 72 judges in this court, and they could not kill anyone. That was the Roman’s job,

2. Nicodemus came in darkness v. 2a.  “This man came to Jesus by night.”

a. Practically, nighttime was cooler and ideal for a teacher to come with his disciples.

b. Darkness in John is often symbolic for spiritual ignorance and evil: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5). “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” (8:12, ESV).

c. This could have to do with Nicodemus’s spiritual ignorance of Jesus.

d. Nicodemus could have also gone in the cover of night so that the other Pharisees would not have seen him and he could slip away under the cover of darkness.

3. Nicodemus was positive, but wrong about Jesus. V. 2b. “said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.’”

a. He acknowledged Jesus as a moral teacher.

 1. Today many people do that; however, a moral teacher would not claim to be God.

2. Either Jesus was God, like he claimed to be, someone crazy, or a liar. As C.S. Lewis said, He is either Lord, liar, or lunatic. Yet, a moral teacher is not an option. He never meant it to be.

b. He also acknowledged Jesus came from God.

i.e. Yet, in this he is no different from a Mormon, Muslim, or Jehovah’s Witness. Mormons believe Jesus was sent from God as one of the multiple Spirit babies he had with his wives. Muslims believe Jesus was a virgin born prophet but not the Son of God or God himself. JW’s believe Jesus was Michael the Arch angel who was destroyed and recreated as Jesus. Nicodemus missed the point of who Jesus was like all other unbelievers do.

c. He also believed in the signs.

a. He might have heard about the water becoming wine, casting out demons, and the overturning of the temple in Jerusalem.

4. Nicodemus needed to be born from “above” v. 3. ^3 “Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’”

a. While Nicodemus never asked the question, Jesus answered the question on his mind.

b. Nicodemus was used to having to work for his salvation: the law of the elders, the traditions which were added to the law, circumcision on the eighth day of his birth, and the sacrifices which were meant to cover his sin.

c. Jesus told him there were no 10-step programs, morality, culture, or submission he could do to enter the kingdom. No works can get him in.

d. Nicodemus’s hope could only come from God (Psalm 3:8). “Salvation belongs to the Lord;
    your blessing be on your people!” (ESV).

II. Explanation of the New Birth vv. 4-8

1. Nicodemus did not get it. V. 4. “Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’”
2. He understood he needed to “start over,” yet he was unsure how to do it.
3. His metaphor showed he was still thinking according to a works-based system.
4. Jesus solemnly warned one cannot even enter God’s kingdom except by new birth. “Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.’” (3:5, ESV).
5. The words water and Spirit both refer to the Holy Spirit. This is seen throughout the Old Testament. Nicodemus should have gotten this.
6. Jesus is directly referencing Ezekiel 36:24-27: ²⁴I 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 uncleanness, 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.” (ESV).

• Jesus says flesh can only produce flesh and Spirit produces Spirit. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (v. 6, ESV).
• Men can only be and make men. Sinful men can only make sinful men. Only the Holy Spirit can break that cycle.
• Only the Holy Spirit can make Son’s of God (John 1:12-13). “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” (ESV).
• The Holy Spirit cannot be controlled. V. 8. “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
• The wind cannot be seen or controlled. Like a tornado. There are no mechanics, machinery, incantations, or faith statements which can stop or start a tornado. A tornado will go through a trailer park with or without your permission.
• One can only see the effects of the wind and hear it. One can see leaves moving and hear them rustling, but they cannot control it or see where it comes from.
• God cannot be seen or controlled. He is not a genie that grants wishes, a vending machine that gives you what you punch in for a price, or a butler who does your every whim. The Charismatic movement today could learn a thing about that. God cannot be seen or controlled.
• God cannot be controlled or manipulated when it comes to salvation. It is by divine mercy.

III. Means of the New Birth vv. 9-18

1. Nicodemus still did not get how everything he believed and taught could be wrong. V.9, “Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can these things be?’”
2. He might even be offended at Jesus.
3. This eventually did work out for his salvation: “Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” (John 7:50-51, ESV). We also see him at the cross in 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.” (John 19:39, ESV).
4. We should not always expect immediate conversion. We need to be faithful in witnessing and let the Holy Spirit do things in His timing.
5. Jesus claims authority from above because he is the Above. “Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.”
6. He witnesses what he has seen. Since He is God from eternity past.
7. No one can speak on heaven except the God who came from heaven. 
8. Jesus provides the means of being born again. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” (vv. 14 – 15, ESV).
9. Jesus as the God-man had to die in the place of sinful man on the cross so that whoever believes will have eternal life = enter the kingdom. Perfect human life needed to be sacrificed for sinful men.
10. This corresponds to Numbers 21:4-9: ⁴ From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. ⁵ And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” ⁶ Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. ⁷ And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. ⁸ And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” ⁹ So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.” (ESV).
11. Charles Spurgeon got saved by coming into a Methodist church, and this passage was read. The pastor said that what it means to have saving faith is simply looking to Jesus, like the Israelites in the wilderness. Looking to Jesus by faith in His finished work, trusting in Him, is what saves the miserable sinner.
12. Jesus also had to be fully God to pay for the multitudes of people who would be saved.
13. Those who believe in repentant faith will not perish in Hell but have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (v. 16, ESV).
14. Belief is the sign of the regenerate; unbelief is the sign of the perishing.
15. While Jesus came not primarily to judge, those who do not believe are judged already. Vv. 17-18, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (ESV).
16. Those who do not get into the boat drown because of gravity, not the boat.
17. The debtor who refuses to let someone to pay on their behalf will go to prison.
18. People go to Hell, not because of the rejection of Jesus, but because of their sin, Jesus is the lifeboat for the drowning and the payment for the debtor. 
19. We have seen the Need for the New Birth, the Explanation of the New Birth, and the Means of the New Birth; now we will look at the Judgment of the Old and New Births.

IV. Judgment of the Old and New Birth

1. When Jesus, the light, came into the world, they rejected Him. Vv. 19 – 20, “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.” (ESV).
2. Thieves run away from cops because they love to steal and cops will stop them. Thieves will not go looking for cops.
3. Roaches run from light to avoid predators and steal food. Darkness covers them, stealing and surviving.
4. The unregenerate volitionally will not come to the truth because they love their sin and are corrupted in their minds, hearts, and wills.
5. Jesus as the Light saves those born again. V. “But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (ESV).
6. Those born again receive Jesus (John 1:12-13). “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” (ESV).
7. The Holy Spirit changes them to accept Jesus. 1 John 5:1: “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.” (ESV).

Conclusion

As we said in the beginning, “Regeneration is the sovereign act of God, by the Holy Spirit and through the preached gospel, whereby he instantaneously imparts spiritual life to a sinner, bringing him out of spiritual death and into spiritual life.”[3] Salvation is a gift from God received by repentant faith.

Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Savior.

What is the significance? When we evangelize, it is not up to us to save people. Praise the Lord! It is the Holy Spirit’s job. So, we should be excited to share the gospel. We are called to share the truth in reasonable, winsome ways. When I was in Bible College, I was told I had to find the key to a person’s heart to get people saved. I had to be their friend for many years, psychologically manipulate them, and turn the mental key to save them. However, I thought that was a hopeless task. If it were up to me to save people, we would all be doomed. Why? Because I cannot read a person’s heart. I cannot change a person’s mind. People have their own wills, you know. Just look at a child. No matter what you tell them to do, they will only do what they want to do unless acted upon by an outside force.

Thank God it is up to the Holy Spirit to save people. All we have to know is the message. And all who have repented and trusted in Christ Jesus have that message. God will use that message to bring people to Him and save them. You cannot drive someone away from the gospel with the gospel if they are already turned away from it. Simply talk that person through the need for the new birth (sin), the judgment of the old birth (hell), the means of the new birth (what Jesus has done), and the fruit of the new birth (repentance, faith, and new life).

Also, the Holy Spirit can save anyone, even a satanic atheistic psychopath. You might have noticed our culture is turning more Satanic by the second. There was a Satanist at the factory where I worked. He was angry and really upset that the company would not let him go home after a 70-hour workweek. After that conversation, I talked to him about demons. He had been telling me he was being tormented by demons after listening to his death metal music. So I asked him if there was a reason these demons might be tormenting him. He said no, he was on their side and he was a good person. So I walked him through the Ten Commandments, and he found out he was not a good person. Then I told him about God being a good judge, and since God was a good judge, he would send this person to Hell, where he would be tormented by the wrath of God. He was concerned after that. So I told him about the new birth that God, in His mercy, sent Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully man, to live a sinless life and die on the cross to pay the penalty for sin and rise from the dead to give a newness of life. What he needed to do was repent of his sin and trust in Jesus in order to be saved. The next thing I knew, we were praying together. He cried out to God for salvation. He gave up Satanism, and he is going to church with his mother. Praise God for His amazing Grace! God can save even the hardest heart, an atheistic, psychopathic Satanist.

Finally, if you have not been born again, now is the time to repent and believe the gospel. Here is the bad news. God is good, and we are not [move away from the pulpit and actually give the good person test to the entire church].  Have any of you ever told a lie?  If so, then you are a liar.  If you say you haven’t, you just lied! (smile). Have you ever stolen something?  Even time from your employer?  Have you ever been late to a meeting, even amongst friends?  You stole their time. Have you ever used God’s name in vain? Even saying I’ll pray for you and then not doing it, or saying you are a Christian while committing sin, is the same as dragging God’s name through the mud. Have you ever looked with lust, looked at pornography, or fantasized about someone who is not your spouse? If you have done that, you are a lying, thieving, blasphemous adulterer at heart.

We are all lying, thieving, blasphemous adulterers at heart. God is a good judge who must punish lawbreakers on judgment day. Yet, God is also merciful. He sent Jesus, who is fully God and fully man, to live a sinless life, die on the cross to pay the penalty for sin for whosoever will repent and trust in Jesus, and rise from the dead to give new life, aka new birth. Those who repent of their sin and trust in Jesus to save them through his sacrificial death on the cross will be saved. Cry out to Him for salvation today. Lord, bless you. Let us pray.

Dear God, thank you for the new birth given by the Holy Spirit for all who will repent and trust in you. Never let us forget that and share the gospel so that whosoever will believe in Jesus and be saved. Let us not be scared of appearances, politics, religions, or supposed righteousness or lack thereof. Help us to share the gospel and make disciples of all nations, as you commanded us to do. Magnify your holy name in our lives and in this world. Save the lost! Redeem a people for your glory! We ask all this in the name of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

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[1] John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue, eds., Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017), p. 585.

[2] C. H. Spurgeon, The New Park Street Pulpit, vol. 3 (1857), sermon 130, section I, “The Matter of Regeneration.” Here, “quickened” means made alive.

[3] Biblical Doctrine. 585