looking again at being born again

If you have spent any time in the evangelical world, you will have heard the phrase born again. It is usually used as a synonym for becoming a Christian or experiencing salvation from the condemnation of sin. Many times the emphasis is on spiritual rebirth through the Holy Spirit. But is this what Jesus means when he uses the phrase? The concept itself comes from a conversation between Jesus and a religious leader, so let's take another look at the original context.  

In the second chapter of John's gospel, we find Jesus clearing the temple of the opportunistic moneychangers and performing signs in Jerusalem during the Passover festival. In other words, Jesus is doing some pretty controversial public stuff and, no doubt, word gets around to the religious leaders. In the next chapter, one of those leaders, Nicodemus, decides to approach Jesus. He is an esteemed man, a man serious about religious devotion, a member of the Jewish ruling council, socially and politically involved in his community. Jesus intrigues him. Something about Jesus' words and actions makes him wonder, what is he missing? What does this rogue teacher know that he doesn't? Nicodemus decides to ask Jesus directly and approaches him after dark in order to ensure some privacy. 

Nicodemus begins by acknowledging that Jesus is closely connected to God, but he doesn't get the chance to pose any questions before Jesus tells him that "unless someone is born anew, it's not possible to see God's kingdom" (John 3:3, CEB). Jesus relates being born again (born anew, born from above) to being able to see. He implies that Nicodemus is blind in some way, that he cannot recognize what God is doing. Jesus is telling Nicodemus that he needs a paradigm shift.

Daniel Hill writes: "How discombobulated Nicodemus must have felt when he heard those words! He didn’t perceive himself as a newborn looking for direction but as a seasoned practitioner who had long ago solidified the religious foundation of his life. As a Pharisee, he had a structured routine of the rules, regulations, and religious practices. All that was missing was that last bit of advice, that extra something ...." [1] 

Nicodemus comes to Jesus to question him, but instead, finds his religious assumptions being questioned. He is understandably confused and concerned. How does rebirth happen, he wonders. And how does one start again? Jesus replies: "I assure you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, it's not possible to enter God's kingdom (John 3:5, CEB)." 

There are different interpretations about what it means to be born of water and spirit (human birth and spiritual birth, baptism and spiritual renewal), but instead of parsing the two ideas separately, it might be helpful to reference another biblical text where these two concepts are presented together. In Ezekiel, we read, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be cleansed of all your pollution. I will cleanse you of all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove your stony heart from your body and replace it with a living one, and I will give you my spirit so that you may walk according to my regulations and carefully observe my case laws” (Ezekiel 36:25-27, CEB). In this passage, the two words together, water and spirit, refer to cleansing and newness which result in a new heart, a living, flexible heart which is aligned with God's heart. This sounds a lot like being born anew. 

Jesus' explanation does not make things any clearer for Nicodemus. He continues to ask, "How are these things possible?" It seems that the religious leader is looking for a more concrete response, a plan of action, a rule, regulation, or guideline. The question that his paradigm has trained him to ask is: "What am I supposed to do?" Jesus operates in a different paradigm, so he does not give Nicodemus a rule to follow. Instead, he tells him how to recognize the movement of the Spirit of God: "God's Spirit blows wherever it wishes. You hear its sound, but you don't know where it comes from or where it is going. It's the same with everyone who is born of the Spirit (John 3:8, CEB).

Being born again (starting over, undergoing a reboot, changing our perspective) requires great humility and vulnerability. It is a big ask. Daniel Hill observes: “When Jesus told Nicodemus that no one can see the kingdom without a spiritual rebirth, he said something pervasive and far-reaching as well as confrontational, potentially insulting, and even inflammatory. Jesus told Nicodemus that while he may be religiously, socially, and politically accomplished, none of those accomplishments could obscure the fact that he was spiritually blind. Nicodemus was a big shot in his world, but if he wanted to enter into Jesus’ world, he would have to start from the very beginning.” [2]

It seems that being born again is less about escaping eternal punishment or gaining a personal Saviour and more about a change of perspective, a letting go of underlying assumptions, a completely different way of seeing. When we come to Jesus with Nicodemus' unspoken question, "What am I supposed to do?” we assume that we are ready to spring into (unexamined) action. A better question might be, "Where am I blind?" This second question helps us to take an honest look at our perspectives, our paradigms, and our assumptions. It leads us to pray, "Jesus, will you help me to see?" 

It is never to late to be born anew, to become a beginner again. 

"Let’s embrace the reality that, like Nicodemus, we are stumbling toward Jesus in the dark. 

Let’s embrace the reality that we don’t know the right questions, much less the right answers. 

Let’s embrace the fact that God’s kingdom is at stake and that we need revelation from Jesus Christ in order to see what the kingdom of God is.

Let’s enter this journey with new eyes – eyes like a child.

Let’s pray like the blind man: 'Lord, help me to see.'" [3] 

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1. Daniel Hill, White Awake (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2017), ch. 2.

2. Ibid.

3. Ibid.

Image from millennialpastor.ca