Life From Above

John 3:4-6 “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” 5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”
 
AS we looked at born again in our previous lesson, let’s go one step further to understand a more literal translation of born again is “born from above”. Nicodemus. a learned student of God’s law (John 3:10) should have understood born again as God’s restoring work, not as a physical rebirth. Nicodemus’ misunderstanding led Jesus to open the Scriptures to transform Nicodemus’ head knowledge to become his heart’s truth.
   Thus, Jesus began with his powerful, attention-getting words, “I tell you the truth.” In this statement we know he is not a prophet saying, “The Lord says.” He is the Lord, saying, “I say.” Jesus then began to teach of a new life in the Kingdom of God. To be born of water and the Spirit refers to a single spiritual rebirth with two elements of water and the Holy Spirit. Jesus was reminding Nicodemus of the Old Testament images of water and the Spirit in unison bringing new life into the land: Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. Jesus is not yet teaching new testament baptism to this Pharisee. He is first reminding Nicodemus of Scripture’s lessons that water and Spirit are related to creation and re-creation in God’s sovereign authority. To be born again is to receive a pouring out from heaven to re-birth your soul into God’s kingdom. This is God’s purposeful plan to establish his eternal Kingdom. Born again, you are an essential element of God’s Kingdom now and to come.
   The conversation continues in our next reading.