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Jn. 3. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again (Revised Version and several others = from above) , he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus, who doesn't have the rest of the gospel in front of him as we do, is justifiably puzzled.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
You can't mean physically, can you?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Jesus now expands on the statement, expecting, I think, that Nicodemus would understand at least some of the statement. Clearly, I'm not talking of a literal 'birth', Nicodemus.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh [and is going to perish, as v 16 makes clear]; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. [What does this mean?]
John has already remarked on this in ch 1, and points us in the right direction of understanding. Now notice what is meant by 'of the spirit'
:
1. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
So being born of God = receiving Him and believing on Jesus' name = being born of the spirit.
3. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee [singular], Ye [The plural here is very surprising. Did one or 2 other people come here with Nicodemus, such as Joseph of Arimathea? Or is it the nation as a whole that Jesus is talking about?]
must be born again.
'The Spirit ' is put here for God. "...nor of the will of man, but of God."
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. [i.e. of the will of God]
'The Spirit ' is again put here for God. "...nor of the will of man, but of God."
It may be that Jesus is referring to His own birth. Nicodemus of course knew that He had been apparently born out of wedlock. Everybody did. How was Jesus born? In a way Nicodemus (and the rest of the nation) had no idea about:
Lk 1. 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
This is what being born from above meant in Jesus' case.
Just so, everyone who receives Jesus, is selected and chosen by God personally:
1. 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Just how far this selection process goes is shown powerfully in:
Rom 8. 29 ¶ For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
And:
Eph 1. 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
[...]
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
So just what does being born of the spirit mean? All of the above.
What I don't think it can mean, is that there is a pentecostal outpouring of the spirit. Why not?
1 ¶ When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,
2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)
3 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.
Jesus (through the agency of his disciples) was baptising. Clearly they had His full authority to do so, and they did, or He would have stopped them.
Or if they were doing so wrongly, He would have corrected them too. He was never backward about coming forward!
So whatever they were doing, they were fulfilling the words of 3. 5: and the people were being born "...of water and of the spirit"
People were being born of water (ie by going into the Jordan and being immersed) AND OF THE SPIRIT. Without any pentecostal outpouring. If what they were doing was wrong, He would have stopped them
So how were they being born of the spirit if there wasn't any pentecostal outpouring?
The previous exposition shows how. BECAUSE THEY BELIEVED THAT HE WAS THE MESSIAH, THE LAMB OF GOD, THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD and received Him as such, they were obeying His command, which He obviously gave frequently, TO BE BAPTISED.
They were born, of water (in the Jordan) AND OF THE SPIRIT, 'the spirit' is being used for the receiving of Christ as the Saviour of the world, and for their acceptance by God.
Nicodemus, who doesn't have the rest of the gospel in front of him as we do, is justifiably puzzled.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
You can't mean physically, can you?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Jesus now expands on the statement, expecting, I think, that Nicodemus would understand at least some of the statement. Clearly, I'm not talking of a literal 'birth', Nicodemus.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh [and is going to perish, as v 16 makes clear]; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. [What does this mean?]
John has already remarked on this in ch 1, and points us in the right direction of understanding. Now notice what is meant by 'of the spirit'
:
1. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
So being born of God = receiving Him and believing on Jesus' name = being born of the spirit.
3. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee [singular], Ye [The plural here is very surprising. Did one or 2 other people come here with Nicodemus, such as Joseph of Arimathea? Or is it the nation as a whole that Jesus is talking about?]
must be born again.
'The Spirit ' is put here for God. "...nor of the will of man, but of God."
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. [i.e. of the will of God]
'The Spirit ' is again put here for God. "...nor of the will of man, but of God."
It may be that Jesus is referring to His own birth. Nicodemus of course knew that He had been apparently born out of wedlock. Everybody did. How was Jesus born? In a way Nicodemus (and the rest of the nation) had no idea about:
Lk 1. 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
This is what being born from above meant in Jesus' case.
Just so, everyone who receives Jesus, is selected and chosen by God personally:
1. 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Just how far this selection process goes is shown powerfully in:
Rom 8. 29 ¶ For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
And:
Eph 1. 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
[...]
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
So just what does being born of the spirit mean? All of the above.
What I don't think it can mean, is that there is a pentecostal outpouring of the spirit. Why not?
1 ¶ When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,
2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)
3 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.
Jesus (through the agency of his disciples) was baptising. Clearly they had His full authority to do so, and they did, or He would have stopped them.
Or if they were doing so wrongly, He would have corrected them too. He was never backward about coming forward!
So whatever they were doing, they were fulfilling the words of 3. 5: and the people were being born "...of water and of the spirit"
People were being born of water (ie by going into the Jordan and being immersed) AND OF THE SPIRIT. Without any pentecostal outpouring. If what they were doing was wrong, He would have stopped them
So how were they being born of the spirit if there wasn't any pentecostal outpouring?
The previous exposition shows how. BECAUSE THEY BELIEVED THAT HE WAS THE MESSIAH, THE LAMB OF GOD, THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD and received Him as such, they were obeying His command, which He obviously gave frequently, TO BE BAPTISED.
They were born, of water (in the Jordan) AND OF THE SPIRIT, 'the spirit' is being used for the receiving of Christ as the Saviour of the world, and for their acceptance by God.
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