Source: https://williamshiggins.net/tag/born-from-above/
Timestamp: 2019-04-23 14:52:04+00:00

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a) Doing signs/belief: 2:23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing.
b) Jesus knows all people: 24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about a person, for he himself knew what was in a person.
d) Enter the kingdom: he (she) cannot enter the kingdom of God.
c1) born of flesh/Spirit: 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
b1) Don’t marvel: 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You (all) must be born from above.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.
b) You do not understand these things: 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?
c) Testimony: 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you (all) do not receive our testimony.
a1) How can/these things?: how can you (all) believe if I tell you (all) heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
a) Whoever believes/eternal life: 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his beloved Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
c) Saved: but in order that the world might be saved through him.
a1) Whoever does not believe/condemned already: but the one who does not believe is condemned already, because he (she) has not believed in the name of the beloved Son of God.
– does not come to the light: 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his (her) works should be exposed.
– comes to the light: 21 But the one who does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his (her) works have been carried out in God.
We are continuing on in John 3 looking at Jesus’ interactions with Nicodemus.
We saw last week that Nicodemus thought that Jesus was merely a teacher come with some new teaching, based on the signs he performed, and so he went to him by night to see what he had to say. Jesus responded to him by saying that he is not simply a special teacher who is being authenticated by miracles. He has come to bring the new birth of the Spirit. This is what his miracles, or signs point to about his identity and purpose.
“9Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can these things be?’” He has already asked a how question in v. 4, how can one be born again? Crawl back in the womb and come out again? Jesus answered that it is a birth of the Spirit, and how the Spirit works is a mystery, even though you can know the effects of the Spirit’s work.
Now Nicodemus asks another how question, how can these things be? It’s a pretty broad question, but judging by how Jesus answers it, he means, “How can people now be born of the Spirit?” How is it possible that a person can have this experience?
“10Jesus answered him, ‘Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you (all) do not receive our testimony.’” Nicodemus has called Jesus a teacher come from God. Here Jesus calls Nicodemus “the” teacher of Israel, no doubt referring to his role on the Sanhedrin, as “a ruler of the Jews” – v. 1.
But he notes two key problems with Nicodemus. 1) Despite his role, he “doesn’t understand these things.” That is, how it is possible that the Spirit can now come and bring new life.
And Jesus is surprised that he doesn’t understand this, given his role. In several places in the Old Testament, the outpouring of the Spirit is promised (Joel 2:28; Isaiah 32:15; 44:3). And the Messiah is associated with the Spirit in Isaiah (11:1-2; 42:1).
And John the Baptist has testified that Jesus is “he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit” (1:33). And they have seen the signs that Jesus has done by the power of the Spirit.
2) And then, despite his lack of understanding, he doesn’t listen to Jesus who does understand these things.
Nicodemus had said in v. 2, “we know that you are a teacher come from God,” speaking of his and his group’s so-called knowledge. Jesus echoes this “we” language in his answer. “We,” that is, Jesus and here also John the Baptist – “speak of what we know and bear witness to what we have seen.” (Undoubtedly the “we” of Isaiah 53:1 is a part of this plural construction here. This broader passage is alluded to in 3:14).
But there’s more “12If I have told you (all) earthly things and you (all) do not believe, how can you (all) believe if I tell you (all) heavenly things?” This is an argument from lesser to greater. If you don’t understand or believe the earthly things – what is simple, how can you understand and believe heavenly things – what is more difficult?
“14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” There are two Scriptures that are alluded to here.
2) There is an explicit reference to Numbers 21:8-9. Jesus sees this story of a snake on a pole as an analogy for his death on the cross.
To be born from above; to be born of God; to receive new life, to be transformed in all your heart and life.
As we learn in v. 15 this is for everyone – “whoever.” It’s available to every single one of you. And you receive it by believing. This is what you must do. As v. 15 says, “whoever believes in him may have eternal life” Will you believe this morning??
We are continuing on today exploring Jesus’ interactions with Nicodemus in John 3. As you will remember Nicodemus was a devout and serious Jew, and he was a religious leader.
We also saw last time how Nicodemus represents a person with mere “signs faith.” These are people who see the miracles that Jesus performs, but don’t see what they point to about Jesus’ true identity and purpose. So they “believe” in a sense – there’s something special about Jesus.
But they don’t get who he truly is, the eternal Son of God. He is something less than this.
And they don’t get what he has truly come to do, bring eternal life. He does something less than this.
Nicodemus himself says to Jesus in v. 2, “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.” He has some measure of faith in Jesus, but for him Jesus is only a teacher, who perhaps has some special teaching from God. So he has come to Jesus, by night, to see what he has to say.
“3Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born from above he cannot see the kingdom of God.’” The phrase “truly, truly” means this is very important. “Listen up!,” Jesus is saying.
The word for “born from above” (anothen) can also be translated as “born again.” Born from above is the best translation overall in the Gospel of John (see 3:31), but it does have a double meaning as we will see, which includes the idea of being born again.
To be “born from above” is another way of saying “born of God” which John talks about in chapter 1. “From above” is a reference to God. “Born from above” also means the same thing as “born of the Spirit,” a phrase that is used three times in our verses (vs. 5, 6, 8).
Where does this idea come from? Well in the Old Testament there were many promises that God would one day pour out his Spirit on his people. For instance Ezekiel 36:26-27 says in part, “And I will give you a new heart, and a new Spirit I will put within you. . . . And I will put my Spirit within you . . ..” So Jesus is saying, the promises are coming true ! This is the age of the Spirit that was foretold and this is the new birth I am talking about.
This fits also with the language here of seeing and entering the Kingdom of God (which is quite rare in John and is usually replaced with the language of eternal life). That’s because it is when the kingdom comes, that the Spirit is to come.
So Jesus isn’t saying that Nicodemus should have already experienced new birth. This is the new thing that Jesus has come to bring – the kingdom of God, the time of the Spirit, when all can be born of the Spirit.
Notice that Jesus takes the last part of Nicodemus’ statement in v. 2 and uses it to make his point here. Nicodemus had said 1. no one is able (translating more literally); 2. to do these signs that you do (that he has seen); 3. unless God is with him.
Jesus reworks these phrases. 1. no one is able (same word for able, with a negative); 2. to see the kingdom of God – what Jesus is really about, not signs but the coming of the kingdom and the Spirit; 3. unless one is born from above. It’s not about Jesus being authenticated by miracles as a teacher. The signs point out that Jesus is the one who brings the new life of the kingdom of God.
“4Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can a person be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’” He takes Jesus’ word here as “born again,” and in a natural sense, as another physical birth later in life. (Is he being sarcastic? It is hard to hear the tone in a written document).
This is a common mistake noted in John. People misunderstand Jesus in an overly literal way.
Jesus responds that it is another birth, or second birth, that comes after our physical birth (so it is being born again). But it is a birth of the Spirit, not a physical one.
Our physical birth is represented in v. 5 by the phrase, “born of water,” the idea is that a child comes out of the waters of the womb. We all have this. But not all are born of water and “born of the Spirit.” This is another, different kind of birth.
Again, our physical birth is represented in v. 6 by the phrase, “that which is born of the flesh” (in parallel with “born of water”). We have all been born of the flesh. But not all are also “born of the Spirit.” This is another, different kind of birth.
John has already made this point in 1:12-13. “12But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” This is a birth that is of God, not of the flesh.
Only those who have the life of God in them now, and are a part of the kingdom begun, will be bodily raised on the last day to have eternal life in the fullness of the kingdom.
“You” is plural, which is why I have it as “you all.” Here we see that Nicodemus represents a larger group or groups.
Even though he has signs faith it is inadequate. He, and all those like him, must be born from above.
Even though he is a Pharisee and religiously devout, he, and all those like him, must be born from above.
Even though he is a ruler and leader among the people of God, he, and all those like him, must be born from above.
And of course, Jesus has already made the point that “no one” can see or enter the kingdom of God without being born from above. That’s why it is a “must” or as it can be translated, a “necessity.” Everyone must receive the gift of new life that Jesus brings.
There is a wordplay in these verses. The same word is used for wind and Spirit, in both Hebrew and Greek. Like the wind, so the Spirit.
The wind is mysterious. You hear it, the effect of it, but there’s a lot you don’t know about it – where it comes from and where it goes.
When he goes on to say, “so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit,” he doesn’t mean that we are mysterious, but that how we are born of the Spirit is mysterious. Those born of the Spirit can’t explain everything, but they can see and know the evidences of the Spirit’s work in their lives.
These verses teach us that Jesus is not just a special teacher from God, come to give some special teaching – although he does this in our passage. Nicodemus and the other signs faith believers have it wrong. Jesus has come to bring the new birth of the Spirit; he has come to bring in the beginning of the kingdom of God.
Are you born of the Spirit?
Jesus is saying to each one of us, “You are not an exception!” As he said, no one can see or enter the kingdom unless they are born from above.
You can be a good person. Nicodemus was. But he didn’t have it yet.
You can be deeply religious. Nicodemus was. But he didn’t have it yet.
You can be a part of the church or even a leader. Nicodemus was. But he didn’t have it yet.
You can think that Jesus is special and sent from God. Nicodemus did. But he didn’t have it yet.
There can be no exceptions, because it is an impossibility that we are dealing with. Flesh alone cannot possess the life of the kingdom. This is why it is absolutely necessary that you be born of the Spirit.
If you want the new life that Jesus brings, you must believe that he is the eternal Son of God who has come to give this to you. You must believe and then act on this belief by receiving the new life that he gives.

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