Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3:1-18 NIV)
Are you a “born again” Christian? I bet you’ve heard that phrase: “Born again.” I don’t know about you, but when I hear those words, they make me a little uneasy. It seems like that phrase “born again” can mean a lot of different things in Christianity. Often, it’s a political thing: “Those born again Christians…” What does it really mean to be born again? We need to know.
Today we hear the answer straight from Jesus himself, all thanks to a man named Nicodemus. “Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night…” Nicodemus was a Pharisee. Remember who the Pharisees were? They were the really good people—the religious leaders of the Jews. Pharisees were the most righteous people around, at least in their own eyes. Yet, Nicodemus must have had some doubts. So he came to Jesus. At night, of course, so that his Pharisee friends didn’t know.
To me it seems like Nicodemus tries to butter Jesus up. “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” In other words, “I’ve seen your miracles. You must be from God. I’m all about God too, so you and me are pretty much the same.” What do you think he expected Jesus to say to him? “You’re a good guy, Nicodemus. I’m glad I get to talk with you. I wish everyone were more like you! Thanks for being such a good person.” I bet that’s what Nicodemus expected Jesus to say.
So what Jesus said must have felt like a slap in the face: “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” That’s harsh! Jesus got right to the point. To Jesus, Nicodemus wasn’t a good person. Jesus saw something in Nicodemus’ heart needed changing—sin. Jesus told him the truth: “You come to me thinking you are good. Well, here is the truth. If you want to enter God’s kingdom, you need to be completely changed! You need to be born again!” Can you imagine what a shock that was to a man who thought he was good? He wasn’t!
This was totally unexpected. Don’t be surprised when Jesus or the Bible say things that are totally unexpected. Nicodemus said, “How can someone be born when they are old? Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Self-righteous Nicodemus had no understanding of what it meant to be born again. The word to describe him is flabbergasted. “Born again? Jesus, that’s nonsense. Come on! No one can be born again. I’m too big!”
But Jesus didn’t back down. He said, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” Everyone needs to be born again. It doesn’t matter if you’re as outwardly good as a Pharisee. It doesn’t matter if you’re as self-righteous as a Pharisee. Everyone needs to be born again of water and the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God. We need to be born again!
What is Jesus talking about? What does it mean to be born of “water and the Spirit”? Baptism! The way that God has chosen to give us new life is through baptism. By a miracle of God’s grace, when that water washed over you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, you became a different person. That’s how God gives us new life—through baptism.
That’s hard to believe. So the Bible is full of passages that talk about the power of baptism. Here are three: First, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38-39). What do you receive when you are baptized? The forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit. Second, “When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:4-5). How did God save us? “Through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” That sounds like what Jesus said about being born again, doesn’t it? Third, “This water [of the flood] symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God” (1 Peter 3:21). Baptism saves by giving us a clear conscience toward God. We all need to be born again through baptism!
I bet you know there’s a lot of people who deny that. “Why are you talking about being born again? That’s foolish! We’re good on our own. Just be kind. Love. That’s all you need!” Right? No! At least, not according to Jesus. He explains, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’” If two sinful people give birth to a child, how will that child be? Sinful! From birth. We’re not good on our own. This is the starting point for Christianity. The Bible says that by nature we are dead in sin.
But I see people walking around. I see people doing good things. How can the Bible say that people are dead? Well, you can walk around physically but really be dead inside. There’s a name for that. What do we call a person who is walking around but is dead inside? A zombie. You’ve heard of zombies, right? You and I have lived like zombies. How often do we go through life craving physical things? Not one bit concerned about God or heaven or forgiveness or true life. Just money. Or food. Or sleep. Or sex. Or relaxation. Or fame. You know this is true. You can be alive physically, yet be totally dead spiritually. Like a dead person walking around—a zombie.
Actually, the Bible says that all of us were like that without Jesus. “Flesh gives birth to flesh.” Before you ever lied, you were a sinner. Before you ever were angry, you were a sinner. Before you ever hit or swore or robbed or cheated, you were a sinner. According to the Bible, from the moment you were conceived, you were a sinner. And every idea, word, thought that comes from our sinful flesh is wrong. And we say: “Come on, Jesus, we’re not that bad!” But God says that we are sinful to our very cores. This is why we needed to be born again. We need baptism.
But people—especially many Christians—raise another objection. “But you can’t save yourself. So stop talking about being baptized. You can’t save yourself.” When people say that, what are they assuming baptism is? Something that we do for ourselves. When many Christians hear that we are to be baptized, they think that we need to do something to save ourselves. Is that true?
Of course not! Baptism isn’t our work. Baptism is all God’s work. Just think of how Jesus describes it: “Born again.” When you were born the first time, how much work did you do? Nothing. Not one bit. Who did everything? Your mother did! Why would we think it’s any different with God’s rebirth? You can’t give birth to yourself. Someone else has to give birth and life to you. Baptism isn’t our work for God. That’s foolishness! Baptism is God’s work in you.
This is what makes baptism so special—a sacrament. From the passages we’ve already heard, in baptism God forgave your sins and gave you the Holy Spirit. Who did that? God did. For you! In baptism, God gave you a clear conscience by washing your sins away. Who did that? God did. For you! In baptism, God gave you rebirth into a new life, not as a physical person but as a spiritual child of God. Who did that? God did. For you! Baptism is God’s gracious work for you.
But people—especially many Christians—say, “No, it’s just water. Salvation is found only through Jesus. Baptism has nothing to do with it.” To me, this is one of the saddest things. People make it sound like there’s baptism over here and Jesus over there. They make it sound like it’s one or the other: “Do you believe in Jesus or do you believe in baptism?” Which is it?
Well, what’s the most famous Bible passage about being saved by believing in Jesus? John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Wait a minute. What chapter is it where Jesus tells us to be born again of water and the Spirit? John 3. Baptism and faith go together. Baptism connects us to Jesus. He says so! Don’t ever let anyone separate Jesus from baptism or baptism from Jesus. Jesus says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16). Baptism isn’t separate from faith in Jesus. It’s through baptism that God gives us new life and faith in Jesus.
In 1859, a man named Blondin became famous for walking across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. Ever heard of Blondin? After he walked across a couple times alone, he needed an even bigger trick. So he decided to walk across that tightrope carrying his manager—Harry—on his back. As Blondin took his first steps, Harry looked down and was terrified. He began to shake. He tried to shift his weight back and forth to keep them both steady. But Blondin stopped on that tightrope and calmly said: “Stop trying to help me. I am going to get us across this rope, not you. Just close your eyes and hold onto me.” So Harry closed his eyes, held on, and they made it across.
That’s the way it works with us and our God. When you think, even for a minute, that you can save yourself, you are going to fall. When you think, even for a minute, that you’re good or righteous like Nicodemus did, you’re outside the kingdom of God. Because this is what faith is: Closing our eyes, holding on to God’s Word, and letting God carry us to the other side. That faith doesn’t come to us naturally. Where do we get faith like that? Through water and the Spirit.
Have you been baptized? Then you are a born-again Christian! That means that every morning when you wake up, you can tell yourself, “I am a baptized child of God. I have new life in Jesus. No matter what has happened in my past, by the Spirit’s power I want to live for Jesus today.” Wouldn’t that be a great way to start every day? Every morning you can hear Jesus say, “Don’t worry. I’ve got you!” Being a born-again Christian means each day is a new day to live for Jesus.
And being a born again Christian means every night you can sleep at peace. Every day, no matter how hard we try, we sin. But do you know what your baptism means? You’re forgiven. Your sins have been washed away in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Every evening you can hear Jesus say, “Don’t feel guilty. You are forgiven!” God the Father loves you so much that he sent his Son for you. God the Son loves you so much that he gave his life for you. God the Holy Spirit loves you so much that through a little water and the power of God’s Word he made you into the child of God. There is nothing better. You are born again!
(To listen to this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior podcast, please click HERE. To watch this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior YouTube channel, please click on the link below.)
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