Why We Need To Be Born Twice? John 3:1-18

About this Episode

Why We Need To Be Born Twice? John 3:1-18 is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast.

Not only was Benjamin Franklin a great statesman and inventor, but he was also a great correspondent and received letters from famous people from all over the world.

One day, he received what could well have been the most important letter ever to come across his desk. It was from the well-known British preacher named George Whitefield. He said, “I find that you grow more and more famous in the learned world. As you have made such progress in investigating the mysteries of electricity, I now humbly urge you to give diligent heed to the mystery of the new birth. It is a most important and interesting study and, when mastered, will richly repay you for your pains.”

George Whitefield did not want Benjamin Franklin to do all that work and lose his soul. He understood that like all of us, Benjamin Franklin needed to be born again, with new birth.

We will discuss this key topic today in our reading of John 3:1-18. In it we will see Jesus as the role of a teacher; He will be teaching a Pharisee named Nicodemus about understanding things of the Spirit.

In chapter 2 we talked about Jesus doing many miracles at Passover and we believe this is when Nicodemus most likely became interested in Jesus and His ministry. We will also read today the most famous bible verse ever in John 3:16. We will put context to this verse and Lord is willing to do justice by it.

Read John 3:1-7

Birth - Jesus began with that which is familiar, birth being a universal experience, we can all relate to it. In verse 3 the word again also means from above. Though all human beings have experienced natural birth on earth, if they expect to go to heaven, they must experience a supernatural spiritual birth from above.

Being a patient teacher, Jesus picked up on Nicodemus' words and further explained the new birth. To be born of water is to be born physically (enter the second time into his mother’s womb) but to be born again means to be born of the Spirit. Just as there are two parents for physical birth, so there are two parents for spiritual birth. The spirit of God as we see here John 3:5 and the word of God James 1:18. The spirit of God takes the word of God and when the sinner believes imparts the life of God.

Another thing to observe here is human birth involves pain and so does the birth from above. Jesus said in Luke 9:23 "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. Jesus suffered until death on the cross so that we might become members of His family.

A child inherits the nature of the parents, and so does the child of God. We become partakes of the divine nature. Our nature determines appetite, which explains why the Christian has an appetite for the things of God 1 Peter 2:2-3 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Birth involves a future, and we are born again to a living hope? A newborn baby cannot be arrested because he or she has no past! When you are born again into God's family, your sins are forgiven and forgotten, and your future is bright with a living hope.

The key thing to notice in our next verses is Jesus brings up the wind. It must have been blowing at the time and Jesus used it as an illustration.

Read John 3:8-13

The word wind in both Hebrew and Greek can also be translated as spirit. One of the symbols of the spirit of God in the bible is the wind or breath.

Everyone who is born of the Spirit is like the wind. You cannot fully explain or predict either the wind or the child of God. Like the human birth, it is a mystery, any new birth is exciting and different.

Jesus said I have used earthly illustrations and you cannot understand. If I began to share the deep spiritual truths with you, you still would not believe.

Read John 3:14-18

The story that Jesus uses here is in Numbers 21:4-9 and we are sure Nicodemus knew this passage well. It is a story of sin, for the nation rebelled against God and they had to be punished. God sent fiery serpents that bit the people so that many died. It is also a story of Grace, for Moses interceded for the people, and God provided a remedy. He told Moses to make a brass serpent and lift it up on a pole for all to see. Any stricken person who looked at the serpent would immediately be healed. Lastly, it is also a story of Faith, when the people looked by faith, they were saved.

We have a serpent problem sin, and many will go to hell because of it, but if they look to Jesus they can be saved.