In John 3 a man named Nicodemus a great teacher of the Jews (3:10) encounters God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, Jesus Christ. It is hard to imagine what it would have been like for Nicodemus, a man who had worked hard to study, learn, and obey the Holy Scriptures from his childhood to be told he needed to be "born again." Christ's point was clear, it was not more studying that Nicodemus needed, but the new birth resulting in the eyes of his heart to be opened to the things of God. Sinful man is blind to the things of God, unable to comprehend the glory of Christ (Eph. 4:18). In fact Christ is foolishness to sinful man (1 Cor. 1:18.) For this reason sinners apart from the grace of God remain hostile to the Gospel. Man is corrupt, man is lost, and for this reason God will not great them to enter His Kingdom unless they are born again.
One can only imagine how shocking this news must have been to Nicodemus considering how much the Jews prided themselves being physical descendants of Abraham. According to Jesus Nicodemus needed a Divine work in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Physical reproduction serves as a powerful illustration of spiritual reproduction. First like physical reproduction spiritual reproduction requires two parents (the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit.) Just as a child can not chose to be born, so a spiritual child can not chose to be born, but must be born through the actions of his or her parents. Lastly just like physical birth spiritual birth is the creation of a new creature. When a person is born again they are a new creature in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17.) Unlike physical life spiritual life is eternal. What I find most comforting about spiritual life is that unlike physical birth (a possession that can be taken away,) spiritual birth is a permanent possession that no man can take away from the child of God.
One can only imagine how shocking this news must have been to Nicodemus considering how much the Jews prided themselves being physical descendants of Abraham. According to Jesus Nicodemus needed a Divine work in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Physical reproduction serves as a powerful illustration of spiritual reproduction. First like physical reproduction spiritual reproduction requires two parents (the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit.) Just as a child can not chose to be born, so a spiritual child can not chose to be born, but must be born through the actions of his or her parents. Lastly just like physical birth spiritual birth is the creation of a new creature. When a person is born again they are a new creature in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17.) Unlike physical life spiritual life is eternal. What I find most comforting about spiritual life is that unlike physical birth (a possession that can be taken away,) spiritual birth is a permanent possession that no man can take away from the child of God.
