In John 3:3, Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again [or from above] he cannot see the kingdom of God” (ESV). Clearly, the phrase “born again” did not originate with TV preachers but with our Lord. We would do well to understand what He meant since He reiterates it in verse 7: “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” You must! Our Lord requires this!
Jesus is giving us a glimpse of a glorious reality—that we are a new creation in Him. “Born again” implies not only a repetition of birth but a birth originating from a different place, as in “born from above.” This is a spiritual rebirth.
King David wrote (or sang!), “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51:5, ESV). David is not saying that procreation is sinful; he is declaring that even at the point of conception, he had a sinful nature, a fallen nature. Living under the tyranny of a fallen nature dominates our life, thinking, choices, and actions and keeps us in a broken relationship with God. We do have free will, but the tyranny of that fallen nature corrupts it. When the Holy Spirit intervenes and transforms us from the inside out, our spiritual DNA changes: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). With this new spirit and heart, everything about us changes—our thinking, choices, actions, and worldview. We are liberated from the tyranny of sin, not only freed from the penalty of sin but also its domination of our life. True freedom that genuinely enables us to choose Christ—this is the new birth that Jesus says is a must.
Once this new birth has manifested itself, the Holy Spirit continues to shape us and deepen our relationship with Him. We grow in faith, and our identity constantly becomes more defined by Jesus than by this world’s things. Indeed, we can continue to enjoy the blessings of our earthly life but not depend on them for meaning. We are given a more encompassing spiritual sight; seeing our life’s purpose, security, and ultimate joy depends on our relationship with Jesus. And we can say with the Apostle Paul, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20, ESV).
There was a time when I would have identified myself first and foremost as a musician. At other times I have been delighted to say, “I am an American!” I am also blessed to be able to say, “I am Nanette’s husband and Evan’s father.” Praise God! But while I still am all these things and feel very blessed to be them, these remain second and are shaped and defined by the foremost aspect of my identity: a disciple of Jesus. That is who I am, first and ultimately.
Once we embrace our identity in Christ, all other aspects of our individuality are reformed and lived out in new ways, all glorifying God. Being a disciple of Jesus first enables us to be our best self, the most exemplary practitioner of the life work for which we were created and gifted. This enhanced “becoming” is the result of our new birth, the infusion of our spiritual DNA. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again’” (John 3:6-7, ESV).
by Pastor Steven Grant
