Born Again?

Greg Mason

Fact: When we are Born Again we are made Spiritually Alive.

Key Scripture: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (Jesus speaking in John 3:5)

There are those who say there are many paths to heaven, but Jesus clearly tells us there is only one path or way to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven is opened to all who will come by the way of Jesus, and the way of Jesus is for one to be Born Again.

God has given us His Word (the Bible) to show us the reason we need to be Born Again and how to be Born Again. 

Nicodemus Comes to Jesus by Night

In the Gospel of John chapter 3 Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews comes to Jesus by night. 

“There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 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.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:1-3). 

Jesus came right to the point explaining to Nicodemus the necessity of being born again. 

Nicodemus is confused and questions Jesus, and Jesus goes into more detail explaining to Nicodemus that this is not another physical birth but is a spiritual birth (John 3:4-16). 

We are going to look at the meaning of the spiritual birth in a moment, but first let’s look at why a person must be born again to enter heaven.

Mankind was Created Spiritually Alive

After God created all things including mankind (Adam and Eve), He said everything was very good (Genesis 1:31). There was no sin, no death, and all things were in order just as God had planned. 

God had created mankind in His own image, and God had fellowship with Adam and Eve the first two persons He created. 

God created mankind as a triune being; spirit, mind, and body. The spirit of man was made alive by the Spirit of God, and the spirit of man was then able to rule over his mind and body.

Mankind Spiritually Died

But sadly, Adam and Eve broke fellowship with God when they disobeyed His command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:6). For Adam was told that he could eat of any tree in the Garden of Eden except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God also told Adam that in the day he ate of that tree he would surely die (Genesis 2:17).

Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the forbidden tree, but they didn’t die physically immediately, although it did start the clock ticking that would eventually lead to a physical death. 

What did happen is they immediately died spiritually. Their spirits which once ruled over their mind and body met with a spiritual death, which led to the mind being ruled by the body (or flesh). No longer did the mind follow after the spirit, but now the mind would be ruled by the body (flesh). Where the spirit was once uppermost and ruled over the mind, now the body was uppermost and now ruled over the mind. 

This act has caused the spiritual death of all mankind, and all mankind is born into this world with a sin nature. We all need to be born again spiritually to enter the kingdom of heaven. 

This is why Jesus is telling Nicodemus that he must be born again to see the kingdom of God. Jesus is saying to Nicodemus you must be made spiritually alive to regain fellowship with God.

Jesus ultimately wanted Nicodemus to know that He had come to restore what Adam had lost through his disobedience. 

Jesus Gives Nicodemus an Illustration

In the discussion with Nicodemus Jesus reminds him of an Old Testament event found in the book of Numbers chapter 21. Nicodemus being a religious leader would have been well acquainted with this passage.

In this passage of scripture God’s people whom He had rescued out of Egypt were in the wilderness and became discouraged. They began to speak against God and against Moses, so God sent fiery serpents among the people, and many were bitten by the serpents and died. 

The people came to Moses and confessed they had sinned by speaking against God, and asked Moses to pray for them which Moses did. 

God told Moses to make a fiery serpent of bronze, and to set it on a pole. When anyone was bitten, they were to look upon the fiery serpent on the pole, and they would live.

I once heard an illustration concerning this passage of scripture by a Bible teacher. It went something like this: 

Imagine you could travel back in time, and you were there in the wilderness when the snakes came into the camp. You happened to be in your friend’s tent when a snake slithers in and bites your friend. You remember that if anyone was bitten, they were to look at the serpent on the pole, so you say to your friend let me help you out of the tent. If I get you out of the tent and you look at the serpent on the pole you will live. 

But your friend says what's the use, I don’t believe looking at the serpent on the pole will save me.  You frantically try to persuade him to let you help him, but he won’t go and look. A few minutes later your friend dies. 

You are left thinking all he had to do was look at the serpent on the pole, but he wouldn’t believe.

The Son of Man Must Be Lifted Up

Today, the same scenario is sadly being played out as many people die daily without looking to Jesus. They will not believe, and in so doing they seal their destiny because they are spiritually dead, and they can’t enter the kingdom of heaven spiritually dead. They must be Born Again and be made spiritually alive. 

Jesus in his discussion with Nicodemus tells him, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:14-17).”

Jesus was telling Nicodemus that He had to be lifted up. Jesus was explaining the necessity of Himself being lifted up on the cross and that He would bear the sins of the world.   

We have all been bitten by the serpent, and the poison is causing physical death, but most importantly it has caused a spiritual death. Jesus is the cure for the poison. It is His cleansing blood that washes away the deadly poison of sin. 

Look upon Jesus!