You cannot save yourself. Unless you are born again, your moral resume is worthless at the gates of Heaven, so throw it away and receive the New Birth.
John 3:1-15 – 1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 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.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 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?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 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. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you 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.
Have you heard of the term, “born again?” Last week, when I was picking up a few items from Facebook Marketplace, I asked the seller if he was a born-again believer. He paused, hesitated, and said, “My wife is. I just go to church with her.”
The Problem
The problem is that people confuse born again with the ultra-religious or the exceptionally moral. They need to know that just as sitting in a garage does not turn anyone into a car, sitting in a pew does not make anyone born again. You can be religious, moral, and go to church, and yet not be born again.
In John 3:1–21, Jesus confronted Nicodemus, a man with a sterling reputation, religious clarity, high morality, and deep biblical knowledge, and told him in verse 3, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
The Big Idea
The big idea is that unless we are born again, we will not see the Kingdom of God, let alone enter it. The Kingdom of God is the eternal sovereign rule and reign of God that brings salvation, transformation, and the fullness of Eternal life.
The question is not “Are you good?” The question is, “Are you born again?” If you don’t know what it is, why we need it, and how we get it, John 3:1-21, answers those questions, as it explains that it is required for transformation, received through trust in Christ, and revealed in a transformed life. Today we will look at the first two and come back to the third next time.
It is Required for Transformation (John 3:1-7)
John 3:1-2 reads, “1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 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.””
As a Pharisee, he had head knowledge but lacked heart change. In John 3:10, even Jesus calls him “the teacher of Israel.” The irony is that the man who taught others about God could not see God standing in front of him because He had information without transformation.
He had light in his mind, but darkness in his soul. Some assume he came at night to protect his reputation, but the text never says that. In fact, later in John 7:50 and John 19:38-42, Nicodemus publicly associates himself with Jesus. In John’s Gospel, darkness represents spiritual blindness and total darkness of mind, heart, and soul. So, Nicodemus doesn’t just come at night; he comes in total spiritual darkness. Therefore, in the next few verses, Jesus highlights the necessity, nature, and newness of the birth that brings us into the light as born-again.
The Necessity of the New Birth
John 3:3 continues, “3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.””
It doesn’t say “might not” “probably not.” It says “cannot.” In Greek, anothen means born from above or from the beginning, not just improved, but reborn and transformed.
In other words, you do not need a tune-up; you need a takeover; not reform but resurrection; not religion but rebirth because, according to Ephesians 2:1, the reality is that we are not just spiritually weak; we are spiritually dead and dead people don’t need advice— they need life.
Nicodemus doesn’t get it.
John 3:4 reads, “4 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?””
That is the problem of spiritual blindness and total darkness of mind, heart, and soul. It sees the physical only, seeks a rational response, and relays on oneself.
Jesus confronts that in John 5:5, “5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.””
Some argue “born of water” refers to amniotic fluid in natural birth, and “born of Spirit” refers to spiritual rebirth. The problem is no Jewish or Greek sources use the expression “born of water” in this manner. It seems to me it is a modern western interpretation.
Other say “born of water” is a reference to Christian baptism combined with the internal working of the Holy Spirit to regenerate us. The problem is Nicodemus didn’t know anything about the Christian baptism.
What is it then? It’s another fulfillment of messianic prophecy where the Messiah will end religious striving to reach God.
Ezekiel 36:25–27 says, “25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”
So, God will end reliance on religious works to reach God by cleansing the heart, replacing the heart, and filling the heart. That is born again— not behavior modification but heart transformation from above. Titus 3:5 confirms it, “he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.”
The Nature of the New Birth
John 3:6 says, “6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Jesus asserts that, by nature, biological birth is different from supernatural birth and that flesh cannot fix what is dead; it needs rebirth. Only the Spirit can regenerate. This is different from conversion.
In conversion, we repent, turn away from sin, and turn toward God.
In a new birth, we contribute nothing because the process of regeneration is solely God’s. Regeneration is not that we choose God but rather God awakening us to choose Him. It is the process by which God reordered the love of our hearts from love of career, promotions, power, prestige, relationships, anything that is earthly and temporary, to the love of God. so that we may do what Deuteronomy 6:4-5 said, “…Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
The Newness of the New Birth
Jesus concludes in John 3:7, “7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” because the new birth creates something that never existed before. Just as we did not contribute to our physical birth, we cannot contribute to our spiritual birth. Therefore, we don’t just need self-improvement; we need divine intervention.
It’s like trying to fix a dead engine by polishing the car. You can wash it, wax it, make it shine, but if the engine is dead, it’s not going anywhere.
Application
We are not spiritually sick, needing treatment; we are spiritually dead, needing resurrection. Some of you are exhausted. You’ve been trying to live better, do better, be better. The good news is this: you cannot behave your way into a new life. You don’t need a new routine; you need a new nature. You don’t need a better life; you need a brand new one. Now the tension is: If a new birth is required and cannot be achieved, then how is it received? Jesus doesn’t leave Nicodemus there. He moves from requirement to provision.
It is Received through Trust in Christ (John 3:8-15)
In John3:8, Jesus makes it plain, “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. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Jesus uses the wind as a metaphor to show that just as you don’t control or create the wind, you feel it. The same is true of the Spirit. You don’t manufacture a new birth; you receive it.
Just as you have never seen electricity, but you’ve seen lights turn on. The power is invisible, but the results are visible. That’s the Spirit.
Nicodemus still does not get that self-righteousness, external religious rites, and ritual do nothing to save or usher people into heaven but only the grace of God. John 3:9 reads, “9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?”
Jesus answers in John 3:10-15, “10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you 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.”
Jesus points back to Moses lifting the serpent in the wilderness in Numbers 21 at the command of God. People were dying of venomous bites, but God didn’t say, “Work harder,” “look for treatment.” He simply said, “Look and live.” They simply had to believe and look and live. No merit to earn, just look, believe, and live.
That foreshadowed when Christ would be lifted up on the cross to save the world. Salvation is not about what you do; it’s about what Christ has done. You believe, you receive, and you rely on Jesus for obedience and good work. It is like sitting in a chair; you don’t test it endlessly. You trust it. You rest your full weight on it.
Application
When our faith rests fully on Christ, we find Him sufficient. We don’t achieve a new birth; we receive it by trusting in Christ. Next time, we will learn that when we truly receive it, it does not remain hidden but is revealed in transformed life because the tension is, you do nothing to be saved, but you do much more than the law demands once you are saved. It is like the natural birth— you do nothing to be born, but you do so much once you’re born.
Closing Thought
As I close, imagine being bitten by a deadly snake. You are weak, fading, and dying. Then someone tells you, “Don’t run. Don’t work. Don’t fight. Just look.” It sounds too simple. Too easy. Too foolish. But it is the only way. That is the gospel. The Gospel is a gift. You don’t earn it, you don’t pay for it; you simply open your heart and receive it.
Action Step
Stop spiritually managing a corpse by observing external religious rites and rituals. If you’ve spent years trying to resuscitate a version of yourself that God has already sentenced to death, stop.
So, the action step today is not to do more, but to die to the idea that you can save yourself. You cannot save yourself. Unless you are born again, your moral resume is worthless at the gates of Heaven, so throw it away and receive the New Birth.
Appeal
If you are leaning on your spouse’s faith, your parents’ legacy, or your good works, you are still in the dark. The light is here. Jesus was lifted up to save you, to usher you into the kingdom of God. Look to the Cross. Look and live. If you want to see and enter the Kingdom of God, you must be born again; it is required for transformation, received through trusting in Christ, and revealed in a transformed life.
Inductive Bible Study: Observation, Interpretation, Application
- Observation https://www.kathyhoward.org/10-observation-tips-for-better-bible-study/
- Interpretation https://www.kathyhoward.org/4-tips-to-help-you-understand-the-bible/
- Application https://www.kathyhoward.org/4-ways-you-can-apply-scripture-to-your-life/
Observation: What Does the Text Say?
- What do we learn about Nicodemus (his position, knowledge, and character) in John 3:1–2?
- What statement does Jesus repeat in John 3:3 and 5? What does He say is required to “see” and “enter” the Kingdom of God?
- How does Nicodemus misunderstand Jesus’ words in John 3:4?
- According to John 3:5–6, what contrast does Jesus make between “flesh” and “Spirit”?
- What analogy does Jesus use in John 3:8 to describe the work of the Spirit? What characteristics of the wind are highlighted in this verse?
Interpretation: What Does the Text Mean?
- Why is Nicodemus’ religious status insufficient for entering the Kingdom of God?
- What does “born again” (or “born from above”) reveal about the nature of salvation?
- How does Ezekiel 36:25–27 help explain what Jesus means by being “born of water and the Spirit?”
- Why can’t human effort (“flesh”) ever produce spiritual life?
- How is regeneration different from self-improvement or behavior modification? Why is the new birth entirely an act of God rather than human cooperation?
Application: How Should This Change Us?
- In what ways might people today rely on religion, morality, or family faith instead of experiencing the new birth?
- Where are you tempted to “polish the outside” instead of seeking true spiritual transformation?
- How does understanding that you are spiritually dead (not just sick) change how you view your need for Christ?
- Have you ever asked someone if he is a born-again believer? If you have, share how it went. If you haven’t, write down the names of three people that you might ask.
- Are you a born-again believer? Share with your group what it means to you.
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