Jesus told Nicodemus he must be born again in an evening meeting. Nicodemus was a respected Jewish teacher familiar with God’s word, but his encounter with Jesus opened his heart to the next step the Lord wanted him to take.John 3:3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” 4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”
5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” 9 “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked. [1] As Nicodemus listened, his mind must have overflowed with questions, just as people today question being born again.
What Does It Mean to Be Born Again?
To be born again is to be born not physically but spiritually, which occurs when we invite Jesus into our hearts to be our Savior. When we place our faith in Jesus as our Savior, the Holy Spirit comes and lives inside us and begins to transform our lives. Jesus spoke about the water and the Spirit. Water is another description of the Spirit or the Spirit’s cleansing and life-giving action. Jesus provides more understanding of the water and the Spirit.
John 7:39When Jesus said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory. [2] As people, we can only give birth to more human beings with physical life, but God can give the believer spiritual life. The Lord, not by our effort, makes us children of God.
Becoming a Child of God
To believe in Jesus is to place our faith in Him, and when we do, something happens inside us that only the Lord can do. John taught about the connection between faith and being born again in his introduction to his Gospel.
John 1:12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. [3] There is no more incredible blessing or miracle than being born again. Have you been born again? If not, the Lord calls you to trust Him today. What does it mean to be born again? Learn more here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/jesus-and-nicodemus
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.