WONDER OF THE NEW BIRTH

“How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” – John 3:4                                                                         

God alone has full comprehension of the WONDER of the NEW BIRTH: “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” (Jh.3:4b). Nicodemus clearly did not understand what Jesus meant by being born-again! The New Birth in Christ has remained a mystery and wonder to humanity over the ages! As important as this event is in the trajectory of life, seldom do we celebrate our new birth as we do our physical birth on earth. Some sceptics even question the reality of the New Birth, assuming it to be mere emotional hysteria or the excesses of fanatical believers. I used to thing so until I encountered the undeniable reality!

The New Birth is essentially a supernatural, spiritual rebirth; it is the awakening and inner transformation of the human spirit from a state of spiritual slumber or deadness to a state of life! Reason cannot comprehend this phenomenon. Nicodemus, a teacher of the Jews and one of the spectators to the ministry of Jesus, could not fathom the Master’s words when he said: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (v.3). The Lord was speaking to all of us in these words. Nicodemus was not a singular case. We must be born again for us to be saved from sin and see the Kingdom of God. This message is central to Christianity. Eternity hangs in the balance when we talk about the new birth!

The wonder of the New Birth is puzzling to every sinner in the world for at least three reasons:

First is humanity’s hopeless spiritual, moral, and legal condition apart from God’s regenerating grace. Before the new birth, we are spiritually dead, morally selfish and rebellious, and legally guilty before God’s law and under His wrath. Without the new birth, humanity is hopelessly unresponsive, corrupt, and guilty, apart from amazing grace in our lives.

Second, is that we cannot save ourselves. The new birth cannot be humanly arranged! It is something that is done to us, not what we do. The children of God are those who “who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (Jh.1:13). It is according to His great mercy that God caused us to be born again (1Pet.1:3).

Third, is that God has freedom to make our new birth real. Apart from Him, we are spiritually dead in selfishness and rebellion; being by nature children of wrath (Eph.2:3). To be born again, we must rely ultimately on God. Here are three realities of the new birth stated in reverse forms::

The new birth is NOT getting new religion but getting new life (vv.1-3).

The new birth is NOT merely affirming the supernatural in Jesus but experiencing the supernatural in ourselves.

The new birth is NOT the improvement of our old human nature but the creation of a new human nature – forgive, cleansed, and totally new being formed by the indwelling Spirit of God.

To be born again literally means “born from above.” Nicodemus had a real need for a change of heart or spiritual transformation – as all humans do. The New Birth is an act of God whereby eternal life is imparted to us who believe: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come” (2Cor.5:17). Being born-again means “becoming a child of God” through trust in the name of Jesus Christ (Jh.1: 12-13). This comes by grace through faith, not by our works of righteousness (Eph.2: 8-9).

This is the royal route to Heaven. Any other way may end in regret and destruction! I experienced the WONDER of the NEW BIRTH in March 1984, and never turned back from trusting in the Lord Jesus. Yesterday, I celebrated my sixtieth year on planet earth, but the day I crossed from the kingdom of darkness into light means even more to me!