NICODEMUS was a high-ranking Pharisee – one of the rulers of the Jews. He knew Jesus was a miracle-working prophet sent by God, and was deeply interested in His teachings.
But because Nicodemus did not want to be seen speaking with this man most of the other Pharisees called a “heretic” and a “deceiver of the people,” he came to Jesus secretly at night.
During that meeting, Jesus told Nicodemus a profound truth – something that completely mystified the man.
“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,” said Jesus (John 3:3).
Nicodemus, thinking of physical birth, was totally perplexed. He asked Jesus: “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?” (Verse 4.)
Jesus went on to show He was talking about a completely different kind of birth (verses 5-6). “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again,” He told the Pharisee (verse 7). But Nicodemus simply did not understand (verses 9-12). How like so many people today!
Most professing Christians think they were born again when they “accepted Christ.” But what it really means to be “born again” they do not know.
The second birth described in the Bible is FAR MORE than most in traditional Christianity have assumed. When Jesus spoke of being “born again,” He did not mean what most people think He meant. It is vital that we understand.
Nicodemus was familiar with the process of physical birth. Therefore he understood when Jesus told him, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh."
But then Jesus explained that to enter the Kingdom of God we must be born again – not again of the flesh; not again entering the womb and being born again physically, as Nicodemus thought He meant. Jesus explained that we must also be born of the Spirit – born of God! God must be our Father this time! As we were born of the flesh through fleshly human parents, even so we must be born of the Spirit of our spiritual heavenly Father.
Jesus showed that there are two different kinds of birth – one physical, the other spiritual. When you were born of your parents you were composed of flesh. But “that which is born of the Spirit is SPIRIT” (John 3:6) – no longer composed of flesh, but of spirit!
There will be no blood in the body of one “born of the Spirit.” He will not have to breathe air to exist. He will literally be COMPOSED OF SPIRIT, declared Jesus.
That's the plain teaching of your Bible! The second birth is not an emotional experience, but a literal birth!
To further clarify to Nicodemus the meaning of being born of the Spirit, Jesus continued to explain: “The wind bloweth where it listeth [where it wills], and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit" (verse 8).
Notice that carefully. When you are “born again” – born of the Spirit of God – you will be invisible to mortal eyes like the wind (unless you choose to manifest yourself as Jesus sometimes did after He was resurrected). The effects of the wind are easily discerned, but the wind itself cannot be seen.
Clearly, Jesus compared the spiritual birth to the physical birth – the physical being a type of the spiritual. Human parents pass on a physical nature to their children; when we are born of our heavenly Father, we will possess His spiritual nature in its fullness!
God formed the first man, Adam, not out of spirit, but “of the dust of the ground” (Gen. 2:7). God said to Adam: “DUST thou art” (Gen. 3:19), not immortal spirit – just plain earth! Man is mortal, physical, not yet immortal or spiritual.
What God created was a physical, fleshly man – a mortal flesh and blood human being. Adam was a perfect physical specimen. He was the perfect “clay model” which God – the Master Potter – planned to mold and reshape spiritually into a perfect SPIRITUAL Son of God!
Adam was a complete physical creation, but incomplete spiritually. He was created to need a SPIRITUAL birth! And so is everyone who has ever lived.
But how? When? Why? All of these tremendously important questions will be answered from the Bible with the guidance of this lesson.
So be sure to turn to and read the scriptures cited in answer to the questions asked in this lesson. (Also, it is highly recommended that you copy these verses in your notebook so you can easily refer to them later.) PROVE to yourself from the pages of your Bible exactly what Christ meant when He said we must be “born again.”
