<John 3:1-6 >


“There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, ‘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.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.’”

How can someone be born again? Jesus explained it to Nicodemus, the Pharisee, saying, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said, “How can we be born again of water and the Spirit? Can we enter our mother’s womb again and then be born again?” Obviously, he took it literally and couldn’t figure out how a man could be born again. Jesus said to him, “You are a teacher, and you don’t even know what it means?” Jesus told him that unless one is born again of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of Heaven nor even see it. Jesus told Nicodemus the truth of being born again. It is true that there are many people who believe in Jesus without being born again. Most Christians like Nicodemus are not really born again. Nicodemus was a spiritual leader of Israel at that time, similar to the leaders of the church today. In modern terms, he was comparable to a state congressman. By religious standards he was a teacher, a rabbi of the Hebrews, He was a religious leader of the Jews. He was also an accomplished scholar. In Israel in those days, there was no institution comparable to the schools of today, so all the people went to the temple or the synagogues to study under “the learned men.” They were the teachers of the people. Just as today, there were many false teachers then too. And they were teaching people without having been born again themselves. Nowadays there are so many religious leaders, church officials, teachers, preachers, elders and deacons, who have not been born again. Like Nicodemus, they do not know the truth of being born again. Many even think that we have to enter our mother’s womb a second time to be born again. They know that they have to be born again, but they do not know how. And because of their ignorance, like a blind man touching an elephant to try vainly to perceive with their hands alone, their instruction is based on their own personal feelings and experiences. They preach of worldly values in church. Owing to this, many faithful people are prevented from being born again. Being born again has nothing to do with our good deeds. We are born again through belief in the words of the water, the blood and the Spirit that God gave us. It is God’s gospel that changes us from being a sinner to being righteous. Jesus spoke these words, “If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” Indeed, people did not believe when Jesus told them the truth that atonement for all our sins was completed through His baptism. What didn’t they believe? They didn’t believe that their redemption was made possible through the baptism of Jesus and His death on the Cross. This is what He meant when He said people wouldn’t believe Him if He told them about “heavenly things.” To cleanse us of all our sins, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and died on the Cross, and then was resurrected from the dead to pave the way for sinners to be born again. Therefore Jesus explained it to Nicodemus by quoting the Old Testament. “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:13-15). As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up to allow whoever believes in Him to have eternal life. What did Jesus mean when He said, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up?” He quoted this passage from the Old Testament to illustrate how His baptism and blood would bring atonement for all the sins of humankind. For Jesus to die on the Cross, for Him to be lifted up, He first had to take away the sin of the world by being baptized by John the Baptist. Because Jesus was without sin, He could not be crucified on the Cross. In order for Him to be crucified on the Cross, He had to be baptized by John the Baptist and thus take all the sins of the world upon Himself. Only by taking on our sins and paying for them with His blood, could He save all sinners from damnation. Jesus gave us the salvation of being born again of water and the Spirit. Therefore those who believe in Jesus as their Savior wear the clothes of His baptism, die with Him, and are born again with Him. Later, Nicodemus came to understand this.


THE MEANING OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT

What is meant by water and the Spirit?

Water means the baptism of Jesus and the Spirit His being God.

The Bible tells us that when we believe in the baptism of Jesus and His blood on the Cross, we have been born again. Becoming children of God, being born again, is achieved through the written words of God, the gospel of the water, the blood and the Spirit which is the compensation for our sins. According to the Bible, “the water” means the baptism of Jesus (1 Peter 3:21), and “the Spirit” means that Jesus is God. And this is the truth of being born again, that Jesus came to this world in the flesh of humankind to pay for our sins through His baptism and blood. He took away all our sins through His baptism and paid the wages of sin by dying on the Cross. By being baptized and bleeding on the Cross, He saved all those who believe in Him. We have to realize that the baptism and the blood of Jesus represent our salvation in that they saved us from our sins. Only those who have been born again of water and the Spirit can see and enter the kingdom of Heaven. Jesus saved us with the water of His baptism, His blood and the Spirit. Do you believe in this? Jesus is the heavenly High Priest who came down to this world to pay for the sins of the world. He was baptized, bled on the Cross and was resurrected, thus becoming the Savior to all those who believe in Him. Jesus said in John 10:7, “I am the door of the sheep.” Jesus stands at the door of heaven. Who opens the door for us? It is Jesus Christ. He turns His face away from those who believe in Him without knowing the truth of His salvation. He doesn’t allow those who do not believe in His baptism, blood and the Spirit to be born again. He turns His face away from anyone who does not believe in His written word, who refuses to accept His holiness, and who will not recognize Him as God. The written truth is that He came to this world in the flesh, was baptized, and died on the Cross to compensate for all the sins of the world, that He died at the Cross to receive judgment on our behalf, that He was resurrected on the third day after the crucifixion. Anyone refusing to believe in this truth is cast out by Him and will perish. As it is written, “The wages of sin is death.” Those however, who believe in the blessing of redemption through His baptism and blood, those who have become holy in their hearts, are allowed to enter the kingdom of Heaven. This is the true gospel of being born again, the gospel which came to us by water, blood and the Spirit. To be born again of water and the Spirit is the heavenly gospel. Only those who believe in the baptism and the blood of Jesus can be born again. Those who believe in the gospel of the water, the blood and the Spirit are without sin; they are the ones who are truly born again. Today, just as Nicodemus wasn’t aware of the truth, most people believe in Jesus without knowing the true gospel. What an upstanding member of society Nicodemus was! However, he heard the true gospel from Jesus, and later, when Jesus was crucified, he was the one who came to bury His body. By that time Nicodemus had fully come to believe. Nowadays, there are too many of us who do not know the truth about the water and the Spirit of Jesus. Moreover, there are so many people who do not accept the truth when they have a chance to hear the true gospel. It is such a pity. Please complete the reading by downloading the ebook from www.nlmission.com