Born of the Spirit: Knowing the Rules Isn't the Same as Driving

Introduction

Josias closes a series of sermons on personal growth with a word that hits hard: rebirth. Being born again, or born anew. He starts with an image everyone knows, the phoenix, that mythical creature that became a symbol of rebirth: a bird able to rise again from its own ashes after being consumed by fire. You know as well as he does that, as human beings, we don't have that ability. And yet, he says, what if I told you it's possible to be born again?

The passage studied is John 3:1-19. John, one of the twelve apostles, the one called "the disciple whom Jesus loved," stood at the heart of the events of Jesus' life. This passage comes near the start of his Gospel: Jesus is in Jerusalem for the Passover feast, he has performed many miraculous signs, many people believe in him, but Jesus doesn't really trust them because he knows what is in their hearts. That's when a man named Nicodemus comes to find him at night. And Jesus teaches him about the new birth.

Outline of the Message

1. Being Born of the Spirit to Enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:1-8)

• Nicodemus, a ruler who comes at night. Nicodemus is a Pharisee, one of those Jewish leaders with strong political influence. He has heard that Jesus has performed many miracles, and he comes to learn more about him. He greets Jesus with respect: "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 doesn't answer the question that was asked. He immediately announces a truth about the Kingdom of God: "Most certainly, I tell you, unless one is born anew, he can't see God's Kingdom." He doesn't pick up on what Nicodemus raised; he redirects straight to the Kingdom.
• Nicodemus stays down to earth. He exclaims: how can a man be born when he is old? He can't enter a second time into his mother's womb! Nicodemus is speaking of human things, while Jesus is already speaking of the Kingdom of God. The two aren't looking toward the same horizon.
• Jesus repeats himself a second time, with "most certainly." "Unless one is born of water and spirit, he can't enter into God's Kingdom." He restates the heart of his teaching and distinguishes human, natural things from the things of God, of the Spirit. We don't naturally pass from flesh to Spirit, from earthly existence to the Kingdom of God. It takes a supernatural intervention, a birth from above, brought about by the Spirit.
• The image of the wind. To speak to Nicodemus, Jesus uses an earthly image: the wind blows where it wants to, you hear its sound, but you don't know where it comes from or where it's going. Josias sees this as a comparison between faith and the wind: you feel its presence, but it would be impossible to bottle it up. You don't know where it comes from, you don't know where it's going, and yet you don't doubt that it exists.
• Our faith in a bottle. Sometimes we'd love to bottle up our faith: to have it neatly defined, to know its limits, to know exactly how much of it we have. Jesus says that's not a logical way to look at things. And maybe, sometimes, we wait until we have all the answers and know exactly where God wants to take us before we move toward him.
• The paradox of knowledge. When we look for a kind of security in knowledge, it always leads to more questions and more unknowns; we always end up looking for new answers. That's why Jesus says: you don't know where it comes from or where it's going, and yet you believe it exists. Like Nicodemus, we tend to focus on earthly things, within our limits down here, pouring all our energy into the problems of daily life, whereas Jesus invites us to shift our focus and set our sights on the Kingdom of God.

2. Knowledge Isn't Enough: You Have to Live Out Trust in Jesus (John 3:9-13)

• "You are the teacher of Israel, and you don't understand these things?" Nicodemus asks again: how can these things be? And for the third time, Jesus begins with "most certainly": "Most certainly I tell you, we speak that which we know, and testify of that which we have seen, and you don't receive our witness."
• Knowing for real. "We speak that which we know" means we should seek to know God, by praying and reading Scripture, for example. Jesus doesn't dismiss knowledge.
• Testifying to what we've seen. He adds: "We testify of that which we have seen." This means we must live out our trust in God. It's the experiences we go through along our walk that anchor our faith, so that we can then testify to it.
• Knowing the rules isn't the same as driving. Josias gives an illustration: it's not because you know how an engine works, or because you've memorized the rules of the road, that you know how to drive a car. It takes practice to learn how to handle it, and it's through experience that you gain confidence. Only then can you take your driving test and truly say you know how to drive.
• Starting with earthly realities. Jesus returns to our natural condition: "If I told you earthly things and you don't believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?" Nicodemus is already looking for answers on other subjects, even though he already struggles to accept what Jesus says about earthly realities. Let's learn faith and trust in God in the earthly things entrusted to us, seeking God and placing him at the center of what he has given us to steward down here.
• A relationship, not a body of knowledge. We tend to want to understand and know the things of God, believing we'll find our salvation there, when Jesus is inviting us into a relationship of trust.
• Who to turn to. Jesus shows Nicodemus who to turn to in order to be born of the Spirit: "No one has ascended into heaven, but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man." No human being has been able to ascend to heaven; it is the Son of God who descended to us.

3. We Are Saved by Placing Our Trust in Jesus (John 3:14-19)

• The bronze serpent. In verses 14 and 15, Jesus refers back to Numbers 21:8-9. Several people had been bitten by venomous snakes, and as soon as they looked at the bronze serpent Moses had set up on a pole, their lives were spared. Jesus' words are both metaphorical, it's by looking to him in faith that we are saved, and a reference to the cross, where he would be lifted up to pay the price for our sins in our place.
• John 3:16, the well-known verse. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life." Sin separates us from God, and worse, it wounds God. Because of this, the price to be paid is death. But God loves us so much that he gave his only Son as a sacrifice to pay in our place.
• The key to the new birth. Jesus explains to Nicodemus the reason for his coming to earth and gives him the key: it's by accepting that Jesus died in our place that we escape perishing. Jesus came down to earth to save us; he simply asks us to believe that he died for us. Romans 6:23 sums it up: "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
• Not come to condemn (v. 17). God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that the world would be saved through him. If we choose Jesus as our model, we should sometimes question our own behavior: do I want to condemn the people around me, the world, or do I want to show them that Jesus went as far as dying for them?
• Light and darkness (v. 18-19). Jesus concludes: we are all condemned by the penalty of our sins, in a state of death as long as we haven't accepted his sacrifice in our place. The light has come into the world, and everyone is invited to accept Jesus into their life, but because we prefer evil deeds, we aren't always ready to accept him, ready to let him take our place.

4. So What Did Nicodemus Do?

• The text doesn't tell us what Nicodemus did with this teaching. Since the passage ends with this exchange, we can guess that it didn't produce an immediate change of attitude.
• Josias then turns the question back to us: are we content just to see the path Jesus shows us, or will this sacrifice produce repentance and a change of attitude?
• Let's seek to truly know Jesus and become aware of the power of his sacrifice, instead of just coming to him to see miracles.
• Let's cultivate trust in Jesus by inviting him into every area of our lives. He offers us a relationship with God, and to that end, he invites us to let ourselves be transformed by walking after him in trust.

Key Takeaways

• We don't naturally pass from flesh to Spirit. Being born from above is a supernatural intervention from God, not an act of personal growth.
• Faith is like the wind: you can't bottle it up or measure how much of it you have. Waiting until you have all the answers before turning to God is doing what Nicodemus did.
• Looking for security in knowledge always produces more questions. Jesus doesn't dismiss knowledge, but knowledge alone isn't enough: you have to live out trust.
• Knowing the rules isn't the same as driving. It's by practicing trust in God in the earthly things entrusted to you that your faith takes root and that you can testify to it.
• Like the bronze serpent Moses lifted up, Jesus was lifted up on the cross. It's by looking to him in faith, by accepting that he died in your place, that you escape perishing.
• Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to save it. Your attitude toward others should reflect the value of his sacrifice.

Personal Application

1. Would you say it's necessary to know everything about something before you can trust it in a relationship? What do you need in order to trust someone?
2. Would you say you sometimes seek the things of God more than God himself, and a relationship of trust with him?
3. What does it produce in you, the fact that God's only Son died to save you? Do you trust Jesus?
4. "God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that the world would be saved through him." As Christians, we sometimes tend to forget that Jesus came to earth to save the world. What attitudes would you like to change in order to better reflect the value of his sacrifice?
5. In what area of your life have you not yet invited Jesus? What would it mean, concretely, to trust him there too this week?

Verses Cited

• John 3:1-19 · Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus about the new birth.
• John 3:16 · God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.
• Numbers 21:8-9 · the bronze serpent Moses lifted up in the wilderness.
• Romans 6:23 · the wages of sin is death; the free gift of God is eternal life.

FAQ

What does it mean to be "born from above" in John 3?

Jesus explains to Nicodemus that we don't naturally pass from earthly existence into the Kingdom of God. It takes a supernatural intervention, a birth from above brought about by the Spirit. What is born of a natural birth is human life; what is born of the Spirit is animated by the Spirit. To be born of the Spirit is to receive this new life that God gives.

Do you have to understand everything to believe in Jesus?

No. Jesus compares faith to the wind: you feel its presence, but you can't bottle it up. Looking for security in knowledge always produces more questions and more unknowns. Knowing God through prayer and Scripture is still necessary, but knowledge alone isn't enough: just as knowing the rules of the road doesn't give you a driver's license, you have to live out trust in Jesus for faith to take root.

Why does Jesus mention the bronze serpent to Nicodemus?

In Numbers 21:8-9, the Israelites who were bitten by venomous snakes were healed by looking at the bronze serpent Moses lifted up on a pole. Jesus says that he too must be lifted up: it's by looking to him in faith that we are saved, and this word points ahead to the cross, where he would pay the price for our sins in our place.