Born from Above

Nicodemus was a lifelong observer of the law — a respected Pharisee and a teacher of Israel. Yet something about Jesus drew him in. Jesus had a kind of power and authority that Nicodemus had never encountered — not in himself, nor in any of the religious leaders he knew. So Nicodemus came to Jesus, recognizing him as “a teacher sent from God.” Still, he wasn’t sure if Jesus was anything more than that. He came at night, perhaps to avoid being seen, or perhaps to have a private conversation away from the crowds. Whatever his reason, Nicodemus came with questions — wanting more evidence, more understanding of who Jesus really was. But Jesus immediately turned the conversation around:

“Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born from above.”

In other words, Nicodemus could not reason his way into the truth of the kingdom. Inquiry and intellect alone could not lead him to spiritual understanding. He had to become receptive — ready to receive the kingdom, ready to receive the Messiah — through a new birth from above. Nicodemus was confused. As an Israelite, he already believed he was part of God’s covenant people and would inherit the kingdom at the end of the age. What could Jesus possibly mean by saying he must be “born again” — and born again now? Jesus pressed further:

“No one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.”

This points back to Ezekiel 36:25–27, where God promises to cleanse His people and give them a new heart and spirit. To be “born of water and the Spirit” means to be cleansed, renewed, and transformed by the Holy Spirit — that is the only way to truly enter God’s kingdom. Jesus gently rebuked Nicodemus: “You are Israel’s teacher, and you do not understand these things?” Spiritual birth, He explained, is God’s work, not human control. The wind blows where it will — unseen, uncontrollable — yet its effects are visible. So too with the Spirit. The transformation that the Spirit brings is real and visible, even if its inner workings are mysterious. Jesus then drew a contrast between two realities:

“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

Our physical life — born of the flesh — is natural and visible. But spiritual life is different; it is given by the Spirit of God. Every believer lives in these two realities: the physical world, where we work and move, and the spiritual world, where Christ reigns as King. We are citizens of both — but our physical life must come under the rule of the Spirit. Our loyalty to Christ’s kingdom must shape how we live, think, and act in the visible world. Just as these two kingdoms coexist, we also carry within ourselves two realities — the flesh and the spirit. Paul later uses “flesh” to describe our sinful nature, while John simply uses it to describe our natural life. Either way, the point is clear: if we wish to live in the reality of God’s kingdom, our physical, earthly life must be brought continually under the authority of the Spirit. Finally, Jesus reminds Nicodemus of the story in Numbers 21, when the Israelites in the wilderness looked upon the bronze serpent that Moses lifted up — and were healed. In the same way, the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who looks to Him in faith may have eternal life. At the heart of the gospel, there is no distinction between Nicodemus the scholar and the sinner in the street. All of us stand equal at the foot of the cross. “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” Jesus said, “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” It is God’s Spirit who awakens, cleanses, and transforms us. When we are born from above, we become spiritual infants — dependent on Jesus for sustaining grace, even as we learn to live as citizens of His kingdom. May God help us to recognize these two realities — the seen and the unseen, the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of God. And may He help us to continually bring our earthly life under the authority of His Spirit.

Which kingdom do I serve? Whose voice do I obey? May God make us new, again and again, by His Spirit.