John Lesson 7

Introduction

A very pleasant good day to you, and welcome to Let the Bible Speak. Have you been born again? Are you a born again Christian? Well, the answer to those questions are really very vital to your salvation. And unfortunately, if you were to ask a lot of different preachers, how can a man be born again, or really, what must I do in order to be saved, you’d probably get several different answers to that same question. But in our lesson today from John chapter 3, we’re going to see the answer that Jesus gave to the question, How can a man be born again? I hope that you have your Bibles that you’ll open with me to the reading found in John chapter 3, where our lesson today will be over the first five verses, John chapter 3, verses 1 through 5, as we continue our verse by verse study of the gospel of John.

1. Nicodemus Came to Jesus by Night

The time of this occasion was when Jesus was in Jerusalem. The scripture says there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God, for no man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him. This man Nicodemus came to Jesus, and he’s simply identified here as a ruler of the Jews. In John chapter 7 and verse 50, he is identified as as a ruler, a member of the Sanhedrin Council. And that simply means that he was of the highest court of law, that is, of the Jews at that particular time. It would sort of be comparable to the Supreme Court of the Jewish nation.

And he was therefore a very distinguished and prominent man. He was a man who was a student of the scriptures, in fact, and was a teacher of the Word of God. This knowledgeable man, therefore, came to Jesus. Now the scripture says he came by night, and some have questioned why he came by night. Some have inferred that possibly he was afraid of the criticism that he might have received from the other Jewish rulers. But really, there’s nothing in the text to indicate that that’s the reason. He may have come simply because he was too busy in the day, or he might have come because at night time he he would be free from the press of the crowd and could talk to Jesus in an informal way.

Whatever the reason. The scripture says that Nicodemus, this ruler, came to Jesus by night. And he made a significant observation. He called Jesus rabbi, or that is to say, teacher. He recognized that that this Jesus was a man who himself had some ability to teach the word of God. And he said, in fact, we know that thou art a teacher come from God. For no man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him. A very good definition, really, of what a miracle is. In Bible times, that is the Bible kind of miracles were those works, those powerful works, that man could not do, only God could do. They did not go according to the law of nature. But rather they were such significant, powerful works, that as Nicodemus here observed, it proved, it was convincing proof that God was with the one who worked them.

2. Except a Man Be Born Again

That’s really the purpose for the miracles. They were as signs and they were as wonders from God, as bearing testimony. They were God’s certificate of approval. And what Jesus had done had convinced Nicodemus that he was of God. But in verse 3, Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily to verily I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Now that must have struck a vital cord in the heart of Nicodemus. Every Jew was looking forward to the kingdom. In fact, the kingdom of God had been prophesied many years before. The Jews were looking forward to the kingdom being established. In the days of David, in fact, in 2 Samuel chapter 7, verses 12 through 16. God had promised David that even after he died, that he would raise up of his own lineage, one to sit on his throne.

And he had reference not only to Solomon, who immediately followed David, but he talked about establishing the throne of David forever. And that was a promise that looked into the future, really, to the coming of Jesus Christ, who is the promised Messiah, who is to sit on David’s throne. Now the Jews, since the days of David, had looked forward to the establishment again of David’s throne. They did not know who the Messiah was, but Jesus came in fulfillment of the prophecies. Now Nicodemus was looking for the kingdom like every other Jew. And Jesus speaks about how a man can enter it. He said a man must be born again. Now, again, the kingdom was something that was to be established according to prophecy in the days of the Roman Empire.

In Daniel chapter 2 in verses 44 and 45, at a time when the Jews were in Babylonian captivity, and Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that the prophet Daniel interpreted. Daniel had said in the fourth kingdom from the time of Nebuchadnezzar, that is counting the Babylonian as the first. In the days of the fourth kingdom, since that time, that God would set up a kingdom that would never be destroyed. Now the Roman Empire was the fourth kingdom from the time of Nebuchadnezzar. And it is the appropriate time according to Scriptures. That the kingdom of God was to be established. The very time was right. Jesus, in fact, in Mark chapter 1 and verse 15 said, The time is fulfilled. The kingdom is at hand. Repent ye and believe the gospel.

Jesus came in fulfillment of the prophecies. The time of the Roman Empire was there. The seed of David is Jesus Christ. And the kingdom is now with you. But he told Nicodemus, Except a man be born again, he cannot enter or he cannot see the kingdom of God. That must have baffled Nicodemus. Well, the Jews, looking forward to that kingdom that had been prophesied, thought of it as though it were an earthly material kingdom. They had through their history remembered the days of David and the glorious days of the of the empire of David and Solomon, and they looked forward to a physical king on a literal earth, and thinking perhaps he would overthrow that Roman Empire and all the other enemy nations about, they were looking forward to a physical kingdom, thinking perhaps that even as a Jew, because of their physical lineage and heritage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they were going to be in first place in that kingdom.

3. A Spiritual Kingdom Entered by a Spiritual Birth

That very misunderstanding about the kingdom was one of the reasons why they rejected Jesus as the Christ. And why they ultimately crucified him. Because he never sought to gather an army about him. He never sought to establish a throne on earth. Jesus Christ did not come to establish an earthly kingdom. He came to establish a spiritual kingdom on the earth. Ultimately have heaven as its abode. And in fact, in this very text he teaches Nicodemus that.

Physical kingdom that man might enter by physical birth. And when Jesus said, Except a man be born again, he can’t enter the kingdom. Nicodemus thinking only in the physical realm, thought, well, does a does a man have to be born a second time, fleshly birth, entering his mother’s womb and be born a second time? It did not make sense to him, obviously. But Jesus spoke about a spiritual birth, didn’t he? Just as the kingdom itself is spiritual, so we enter it by a spiritual birth. A man must be born of water in the spirit in order to enter the kingdom of God. To be born again today is not a physical second birth, but a spiritual birth. But it puts us into a spiritual kingdom. And that’s the very nature of the kingdom Jesus Christ came to establish.

In fact, even when he was before Pilate, in John chapter 18 and verse 36, when Pilate had asked him the question, Are you a king? Jesus said to this end was I born, for this cause came I into the world. But he said, My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight that I should not be delivered to the Jews, but my kingdom is not. From hence. You see, there are those today who make the same mistakes of the Jews, the first century. Premillennialists, we call them, who are looking forward to a second coming of Christ to reign on the earth for a literal thousand years with his throne in Jerusalem. And they misused many of the Bible prophecies, prophecies that have already been fulfilled in Christ Jesus.

But Jesus Christ, you see, came not to establish an earthly throne. There’s only one passage in the Bible in Revelation 20 that even talks about a thousand year reign, and that’s in a book where the language is figurative. A book in which many of the symbols throughout that book represent a spiritual truth. Even the dragon that is to be bound is bound with a chain, and everyone observes that that chain isn’t a literal chain, it’s a figurative chain. But so it is for a thousand years, for a full complete period of time, Jesus Christ is to reign. That’s what Revelation 20 teaches. But through that book of Revelation, it also teaches that Jesus Christ is now Lord of lords and King of kings. It is not something future.

Jesus Himself had said the time is fulfilled, the kingdom is at hand. That was during the days of the Roman Empire that the kingdom was to be established. And Jesus said in Mark 9 and verse 1, there are some who are standing here who will not taste the death till they see the kingdom come, to come with power. The rule of Christ was established. Even when he ascended from the grave and was set at the right hand of God in heavenly places. Read Ephesians chapter 1, verses 20 through 23, where he says that he is now far above all principality, power, might, and dominion in every name that is named. Christ is now Lord of Lords. And you can be in his kingdom under his rule.

That is a spiritual kingdom that you enter by a spiritual birth, with Christ as the king, ruling over God’s people, just as the prophets had predicted. So it is Jesus on earth finished the work God gave him to do. That’s what he said in John 17 and verse 4. What more would he have to accomplish that he has not already accomplished if he were to come a second time? What more is there for him to do? He has brought sin to death. That is, he’s overcome the power of sin. He’s overcome the power of death by being raised from the grave. Listen to the passage. In Colossians chapter 1, verses 13 and 14, for the scripture speaks how that we are translated out of the power of darkness into the kingdom of his dear son, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sin.

Those who have come to Jesus Christ are no longer under the bondage of sin, but now are in the kingdom of his dear son. That’s the way the New Testament language speaks about the kingdom already in existence, Colossians 1 13. And in Revelation chapter 5 and verses 9 and 10, there the Bible speaks of how that we enter that kingdom by the precious blood of Christ. He says, Thou art worthy of the song being sung to the Lamb of God, thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof. For thou was slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation, and has made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth.

We’re made a kingdom, or we’re made a priesthood through the precious blood of Christ. But those in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ are that kingdom. As Acts 20 and verse 28 also speaks how that the church has been purchased by the blood of Christ. As you’re redeemed by his blood, so you come into the citizenship of God’s kingdom. Under his rule, under his reign. Now Nicodemus didn’t understand all that at this point, and certainly there are many today who do not understand. But if you’ve been born again, you are a citizen in God’s kingdom under the rule of Christ. Looking forward to the second coming of Christ is to be looking forward to that time when the kingdom shall be delivered up to the Father.

4. Born of Water: Water Baptism

But in John 3 and verse 5, Jesus taught that this birth involved being born of water and the Spirit. This spiritual birth was not to be something that is done in a fleshly birth, but rather in a spiritual birth. Except a man be born of water in the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. There are those who read John 3 and verse 5, and they want to quibble over this word water. Somehow another that that bothers them. And they see that the word water it it they just do not think it could involve water baptism. And we hear men who sort of want to get figurative scissors and they would just cut out this passage. But my beloved, whenever you read in the Bible about water and salvation, it talks about baptism.

In fact, listen to the language in Ephesians 5 and verse 26, where there the scripture speaks about how Christ would sanctify and cleanse the church with the washing of water by the word. I suggest to you that’s a pretty good parallel of the very text we’re studying in John 3 5. That just as men are born again by water and the spirit, so we are sanctified and cleansed with the washing of water by the word. What does that mean? I hope you’ll stay with us. We’re going to pause for just a moment. We’ll come back and we’re going to discuss the question. How are we born of water and the spirit? How are we sanctified and cleansed with a washing of water by the word? We’ll be back in a moment.

How can a man be born again? Well, Jesus answered Nicodemus that question in John 3 and verse 5 by saying, Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. To be born of water and the Spirit is an interesting answer. There are those today who would like to cut that verse out, at least they quibble with this word water. But the only time that you ever read about water involved with man’s salvation, and that would be being born again, is only in the act of water baptism, as one obeys. So it is that water baptism is commanded. It is commissioned, it is exemplified throughout the Word of God. For example, it is commissioned by Jesus Christ. You remember when Jesus gave the great commission to his disciples, he said, Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.

That’s Matthew 28 and verse 19. That shows that baptism is something that one man can administer to another person. The disciples were to go teach and they were to baptize. Now, Holy Ghost baptism is never just spoken of as that which one man can administer to another person. I recognize Matthew 28 does not say literally water baptism, but it does say go teach and go baptize. And the only kind of baptism you ever read about where one man administered to another is in water baptism. Holy Ghost baptism is that which fell from heaven. It came directly from God and fell upon the apostles in Acts 2 and in Acts chapter 10 on the house of Cornelius. The only other times that you find that the Spirit being imparted was when the apostles would lay hands on believers and impart certain spiritual gifts.

And some were given, for example, the gifts of healing, the gifts of tongue speaking, the gift of interpretation of tongues, the gifts of prophecy, these spiritual gifts that were necessary during the infancy stage of the Lord’s church in order to reveal the word and to confirm the word. But never is that described as baptism of the Holy Spirit. Rather, it is what one man would simply, or the apostles would lay hands on the other in imparting gifts. But water baptism is that which was commissioned by Christ, one man could administer to another. And as an illustration of that, in Acts chapter 8, in verses 35 through 39, you have the Philip teaching about Jesus to the Ethiopian eunuch. And the scripture said as they went on their way, they came to a certain water.

And the eunuch said, See, here is water what that hindered me to be baptized. Philip said, If thou believest, thou mayest. He answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He commanded the chariot to stand still. They both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. You see, water baptism was obeyed, Acts 8, 35 through 39. But also, water baptism is that which is commanded of the Lord. In Acts chapter 10, after the uh the Holy Spirit had fallen on the house of Cornelius. The scripture says in verse 47, Peter asked, Can any man forbid water that they should not be baptized who’ve received the Holy Ghost as well as we? Verse 48 said he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.

Even after the Holy Ghost had fallen on Cornelius, he was commanded to be baptized in water. Water baptism was that which was commanded. You see, Holy Ghost baptism did not save Cornelius. In fact, in Acts chapter 15, verses 7 through 9, later Peter explained the purpose for the Holy Ghost falling on the house of Cornelius, and that is that it served as God’s witness, as heaven’s testimony that the Gentiles could be purified by faith just as well as Jews. Up until that point in time, no Gentile, that is, who was not a con uh was not uh converted to Judaism, no Gentile had before been taught the gospel and had been received in the fellowship of Jesus Christ. But now the Lord from heaven is teaching by the baptism of the Holy Spirit that the Gentiles could be purified by the same process as Jews were, that is by faith.

And therefore now, realizing this principle, Peter commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. It is water baptism that saves. In 1 Peter chapter 3, verses 20 and 21, the scripture says, When once the long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah while the ark was preparing, wherein few that is eight souls were saved by water, the like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us. Not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Water baptism is more than just a washing away of outward filth. He said it is the answer of a good conscience toward God. It’s an act of faith. And therefore, in obedience to the commandment of Jesus Christ, one is baptized in order to be saved.

Baptism doth also now save us. That’s exactly the wording of the passage. You see, we’re saved. We’re born again by water. But by water and spirit. It isn’t water alone that saves. If water alone would save a man, we’d take a rope and force somebody to be immersed or to be baptized. But that wouldn’t save anyone. Baptism is an act of faith. It must come from the heart of the believer. It must be one who hears and understands and responds to the gospel of Christ. But even in being baptized, he does so because the word of God has taught him to do so. He’s learned from Christ the will of heaven. And notice again, and that’s a very important point, how the Word of God is involved in this.

Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. You notice in the King James Version it says born of water and of the Spirit, but the word of is an italic. That means it’s really not there in the original.

5. Born of the Spirit, Begotten by the Word

And so it is, this birth in the very grammar of John 3 and verse 5 has two elements of the one birth. Except a man be born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Water baptism by itself won’t save. That is, if a man is not a believer and doesn’t know what he’s doing and doesn’t respond as the answer of a good conscience, it is of no value. But he responds in obedience to the word of God, and this is where the birth of the Spirit is involved. You may find it interesting to note that there’s only two passages in the Bible that speak about being born again. This is one of them, John 3, 3 through 5. And the other is in 1 Peter chapter 1, where in verses 22 and 23, the apostle said, seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit and the unfeigned love of the brethren, see that you love one another with a pure heart fervently, being born again, not a corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth forever.

The Bible says we’re born again by the word of God. Now, how does that tie in? Well, you see, the word of God is in our hands today because of the work of the Holy Spirit. If you want to have the Holy Spirit to lead you and guide you, you need to be filled with the Word of God. It is the Word which has been revealed by the Spirit. In fact, in John 16 and verse 13, Jesus spoke about the Spirit of truth who would guide you into all truth, not speaking of himself, but what he would hear, that’s what he would speak. And there’s no contradiction, but rather there is a coordination when you see in the passages that speak about salvation as being by the process of a new birth and being born of the word.

We’re saved by the word. That’s the language in James 1 21. Receive with meekness the engraduate of the implanted word which is able to save your souls. How does the word of God save you? You can buy the finest of Bibles and sleep on it every night, and it won’t save you unless you you hear it and respond to it. Just as 1 Peter 1, that we just read in verse 22, you purify your souls in obeying the truth. So we’re saved by the Word. But that word which has been revealed by the Spirit. In James 1 and verse 18, it speaks about being begotten by the Word. And in 1 Corinthians 4 15, Paul spoke about how he had begotten some by the gospel. You see, there are two elements.

There is the water and there is the Spirit.

Begotten by it. Let’s compare it to physical birth. When a baby is born, there may be only the mother present. But we know it. One time earlier, there was father and mother. It took the two. There had to be a begettle period. And some nine months usually has passed, and the baby is born. But we know there were two, father and mother there. And so it is when one is born again. We may only see an outward sign of a person being immersed or buried in water. But if he is being truly born of water and spirit, we know that he’s had a begettle, begotten by the word. How are we begotten by the word? Somebody asked the question, are you spirit filled? Have you been born again?

Well, you can answer yes to both of those questions. When somebody says, Are you a born again Christian? That’s really an unnecessary kind of question because if you’re born again, you are a Christian. If you’re Christian, you are born again. But so often when people ask those questions I’ve just raised, they are talking in terms of, can you speak in tongues? Have you had some kind of Holy Ghost baptism? And that is language that you don’t really read about. Even Jesus didn’t hear say, Except the man be born of Holy Ghost baptism. He said, Except the man be born of water in the Spirit. And never do you find in the Bible that a Christian in order to show he was saved could speak in tongues.

Tongues were not a sign of salvation. They were a gift, a miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit, enabling disciples to speak the word to other people. They were languages, not gibberish. But they were languages miraculously given to Christians in order that they could teach unbelievers. 1 Corinthians 14 22 says, Tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not. Tongues were enable Christians in order to teach the unbelievers. There’s such a misuse today of that very subject that some have so confused being born of the Holy Spirit, as though tongue speaking is all involved, but that isn’t what Jesus taught Nicodemus. You want to be born of water and the Spirit? Hear the Word of God. Here’s how you can be born of the Word of God, be born of the Spirit.

6. How You Can Be Born of Water and the Spirit

Here’s how you can be born of water and the Spirit. As you hear the gospel. Jesus taught that we ought to go preach the gospel. In Romans 10 17, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. So it is that men who hear the word of God believe in Christ, Mark 16 and 16. Repent of their sins, Acts 17 and 30. Confess their faith in the Christ. In Acts 17 and 30, we’re to repent, and Matthew 10, 32, we’re to confess. But we have newness of life when we rise from baptism. Romans 6 3 and 4 says, Don’t you know that so many of us as were baptized into Christ were baptized into his death. Therefore we’re buried with him by baptism into death.

Conclusion

That like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. That’s when the new birth takes place. Born again, because we’re cleansed by his blood, we reach his death in baptism. By the Spirit we find that instruction. And that’s why 1 Corinthians 12 and 13 says, By one Spirit are we all baptized into one body. By the instruction of the Spirit, we obey. We’re washed, sanctified, and cleansed with a washing of water by the Word. Ephesians 5 26. Have you been born again? I hope that you will be, if you haven’t already. Until our next study, may the grace and peace of our Lord be with you.