John 3:1-16

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

The visit of Nicodemus, a Jewish ruler, to our Lord was evidently early in our Lord’s ministry. We know little of the man, except that on various occasions he manifested sincerity and considerable faith in our Lord and sympathy with his cause. It was this same man who defended our Lord in a discussion amongst the Pharisees and priests respecting him. He said, “Does our Law judge any man before it hears him?” whereupon his fellow-rulers said, “Art thou also one of his disciples?” Nicodemus was not ready to affirm discipleship even then, but that his sympathy continued with the Lord is evidenced by the fact that he was one of the prominent men who requested the privilege of burying our Lord’s body after the crucifixion. We know not what may have been the end of his course, but we fear that while he was too good to be an opponent of the Truth, he had not enough stamina of character to be one of the Lord’s disciples. Herein we have a lesson which each should apply to himself. The Lord is seeking disciples who are willing to take up their cross and follow him, after having counted the cost. Such as shrink from paying the cost of discipleship cannot be disciples, cannot share in the Kingdom (that is, in the heavenly phase of the kingdom, the ruling phase as joint heirs with Christ), whatever blessings the Lord may have in reservation for them in connection with or UNDER the Kingdom (in the earthly phase of the kingdom).

We cannot reasonably find fault with Nicodemus for coming to Jesus by night. Throughout the day our Lord was busy teaching, and a visit then would have been more or less an interruption; besides, Nicodemus had no right to cast the influence of his presence and office on the side of our Lord until he had in some degree satisfied himself on the subject. Nevertheless, the entire character of Nicodemus seems lacking in courage, for even at the time he presented himself to our Lord on this occasion he declared his conviction that he was a teacher sent from God and that he believed the miracles to be genuine. With that much evidence in hand he would have been fully justified in going to our Lord in a public way, acknowledging as much as he saw, and asking for further proofs.

BEGOTTEN AGAIN – BORN AGAIN.

Nicodemus had the Jewish hopes, and evidently was one of those in expectation of Messiah, and the Kingdom which Messiah was to establish for the blessing of Israel and the world. The entire conversation is evidently not given, but the Lord’s answer implies that the inquiry of Nicodemus was along these lines – the Messianic Kingdom (the ruling phase of it) and the conditions of membership therein.

Our Lord promptly put the matter in a very plain light, assuring his visitor that no one could enter the Kingdom unless BORN AGAIN.

“…Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Verse 3

A little later in the conversation he added that no one could enter into the Kingdom except by being born again.

“…Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” Verse 5

The word “born” is properly enough used in both these instances, and thus we learn that the Lord had reference to the future – reference to the resurrection birth described by the Apostle in 1 Cor 15:42-44

“So also, is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.”

…born from the dead to the glory, honor and immortality, and a share in the (Heavenly or ruling phase of the) Kingdom, assured to those who have part in the first resurrection. These all will be spirit beings, and with their Lord will constitute the spiritual Kingdom, which will be invisible to mankind in general – invisible to all its earthly subjects, as Satan the prince of this world is invisible to mankind.

Nicodemus discerned that there was something here far beyond anything he had contemplated. As a Jew he had been looking for and waiting for an earthly kingdom and an earthly King, but now he was informed that only by passing through a change, a begetting and a new birth to a new nature, could he hope ever to participate in or even to see the Kingdom of God.

No wonder he was astonished and inquired further respecting the new birth. Would it be like the first birth?

Would those who would be heirs of the Kingdom be born again as they once had been born of a mother?

Our Lord’s answer to the query is given. To be begotten of an earthly father and later to be born of an earthly mother would ensure that the progeny would also be earthly – that which is begotten and born of the flesh is flesh. There is, however, a likeness between such an earthly birth and the new birth necessary to a share in the (Heavenly) Kingdom.

There must be a begetting, “not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:13) There must also be a period of gestation (development, growth) for this spiritual new creature that will precede its resurrection birth. Thus, all who will share in the spiritual phase of the Kingdom as spirit beings must first be begotten of the Spirit and subsequently be developed of the Spirit, growing in all of its fruits and graces, and ultimately be born of the Spirit, born from the dead a spiritual being like the Lord and a sharer in his glory, honor and immortality. That which is begotten and born of the Spirit is spirit, is not flesh – “flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of heaven.”

Nicodemus still marveled at such teaching. Could it be possible that himself and all the great teachers of the Jewish nation had such a misconception of the Kingdom! This was indeed true, and similarly we might say that a great many today have equally erroneous conceptions of the Kingdom, although not in every particular the same errors that beclouded the mind of Nicodemus and others of the prominent Jews. The difficulty today in this harvest of the Gospel age is that our Lord’s words above quoted and which seem so plain are misunderstood, and supposed to refer not at all to the resurrection but entirely to the begetting of the present time.

This is in part at least the fault of the translators of our common version Bible, who, knowing that the same Greek word is translated both “begotten” and “born” in our English language, have not properly distinguished between these, nor given English readers the proper knowledge that there are two thoughts behind this one word – the thought of begetting and, after gestation, ultimately birth.

Few enough of Christian people have any clear conception of what begetting of the Spirit signifies, and their confusion is doubled when they are told that they are now BORN of the Spirit (i.e. born-again Christians). No wonder that the majority of believers are in such perplexity on this subject, and would not know what to say if asked whether or not they were begotten of the Spirit, or what they mean when they express the hope that they have been born of the Spirit.

Every true Christian should know of the Lord’s promise to accept him to a new nature through begettal of the holy Spirit; – should know that if his justified heart has been fully consecrated to the Lord, should know that he has been begotten of the holy Spirit, which is the earnest or begetting to the new nature, which, if maintained, will ultimately be born of the Spirit in the resurrection.

Continued with next post.