That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
What is produced by natural human birth is only natural human life, and what is produced by the Spirit is spiritual and divine life. No one can see or enter God's kingdom without being born again from above to become God's child and share its new life. Natural descent, good character, learning, position, or good deeds cannot give that life, and no human power, effort, or outward religion can create or nourish it. It is worked by divine power alone through the Holy Spirit when a person receives Christ by living faith, repents, humbles the heart, surrenders the will, dies to self, and yields fully to God. This is not a slight improvement of the old life but a complete transformation to a new heart, mind, and character, whose inward cleansing appears outwardly in purity, love, humility, obedience, and Christlike conduct.
Conversation with Nicodemus
Jesus spoke these words to Nicodemus, a Pharisee and ruler of the Jews who came to Him by night acknowledging Him as a teacher come from God because God was with Him. The visit belonged to a deliberate seeking of the rich and cultured as well as the poor, for Jesus studied to reach men of wealth and position, sought the acquaintance of such a Pharisee, accepted their invitations, attended their feasts, and made Himself familiar with their interests and occupations in order to gain access to their hearts and reveal imperishable riches. Nicodemus came thinking to enter a long discussion about points of minor importance, and answered with irritation and irony, asking how a man can be born when he is old and enter a second time into his mother's womb. He was not spiritually minded enough to discern the meaning of the new birth, found it humiliating and irritating, and needed a far more humble opinion of himself, with humility of heart and a teachable spirit and a new heart.
Christ did not meet argument with argument but, raising His hand in solemn quiet dignity, pressed home the truth with greater assurance and earnest love. He repeated the truth in solemn, quiet dignity to convince Nicodemus of its divine truth, without impatience or discouragement though Nicodemus did not comprehend it. The setting was the teaching that except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God, and except he be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God, so that flesh birth produces only flesh and Spirit birth produces spirit and all must be born again. That Spirit birth is like the wind blowing where it pleases, heard but not traced in its coming and going, mysterious and beyond human control or full tracing.
This wind-like working was presented as earthly and heavenly witness that Nicodemus questioned and did not receive, though as a master in Israel he should have known it. Nicodemus pondered the explanation of the plan of salvation and the work needed in the heart to inherit the kingdom of heaven, and later recognized it in the light of Christ's death and became a true believer. The testimony closely parallels that of John the Baptist concerning Jesus. The verse does not mean a second physical birth, nor a bodily resurrection, nor a nation born in a day, but an inward work of grace in which the Holy Spirit removes the sins that pollute the heart and renews it in true knowledge and holiness.
That inward work cannot be reduced to outward religious forms and rigid observance, which cannot make holy or take its place, for by faith and surrender the soul is delivered from burden and bondage and passes from death to life. The Spirit birth remains mysterious like the wind, unseen and uncontrollable and beyond precise human methods, ordained through heavenly communication with man's spiritual life, too deep for the human mind to fully explain or comprehend. Yet its power is evident and discernible in actions, in changed thoughts and conduct, in a righteous character and changed life that puts away evil thoughts and deeds and brings love, peace, humility, and heavenly peace pervading the soul.
Flesh and Spirit Contrasted
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, human and natural life only, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit, spiritual and divine life. Ordinary human birth gives rise only to what is human and fleshly, while birth from the Spirit gives rise to spiritual life, which is why a person must be born again to see and enter the kingdom of God. This new birth is not a second physical birth but an inward work of grace wrought by the effective power of the Holy Spirit and Christ, requiring a changed heart with new purposes, motives and springs of action. It molds and refines character, purifies the heart as the source of conduct so that the life flowing from it becomes pure, demands that self die with cherished faults and selfishness surrendered, and calls for imitating Christ, subduing the passions and bringing the will under His will in order to serve God acceptably.
Birth of the flesh produces hereditary tendencies to wrong, natural selfishness, bitterness of flesh and spirit, suspicious imagining that spoils the character and ruins the soul, an evil heart and carnal mind that Satan works through by natural inclinations, including hereditary peculiarities passed as a legacy. From that heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness and blasphemies, and left to itself it cannot make itself clean, bring forth what is clean, or reach heaven by its own works. Birth of the Spirit cleanses away that bitterness and selfishness by putting away and crucifying self and perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord, creating new motives through faith and the imputed righteousness of Christ so that hereditary defects can be overcome, old things pass away and all things become new. This change from flesh to Spirit is not a slight improvement or modification of the old life but a complete transformation involving death to self and sin and the beginning of an entirely new life, necessary to be pure and holy as God is holy and to see and enter the kingdom.
That which is born of the flesh has nothing in it that responds to spiritual things, for the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God and they are spiritually discerned. Without Spirit birth a person cannot judge correctly concerning spiritual things nor rightly appreciate or enjoy the high, exalted truths of God's Word, but regards them as foolishness, with religious experience left to chance. Controversy, discussion, theory, and dependence on obedience to the law to win favor cannot enlighten the soul; seeing the kingdom requires being born of the Spirit by looking to Jesus and living, searching the Scriptures to receive life, submitting to the Holy Spirit, believing salvation is by grace alone, entering as the chief of sinners, receiving grace through faith as the hand laying hold on Christ and appropriating His merits as the remedy for sin, with even repentance coming from Christ through the Spirit as truly as pardon does.
Natural birth, moral character, natural goodness, benevolence, many good deeds, exalted religious position, worldly learning, education and wisdom cannot give spiritual life or entitle anyone to heaven. Even those who consider themselves morally upright and learned, like Nicodemus with his honored position and learning, must humble themselves before God and enter life as sinners do, renouncing self-righteousness and relying wholly on Christ and receiving His righteousness by imputation, for all strength and goodness come from divine grace. Until this new birth the experience is shaped by worldly wisdom, work may be regarded as meritorious while selfishness corrupts it and the heart remains closed to Christ and not subject to God's law. The new birth gives new ideas and understanding of redemption, makes a person teachable like a little child, and feeding on Christ the bread of life brings the believer into oneness with Christ in God, which is necessary for teaching and dealing with minds in a Christlike way.
No human power, wisdom, effort, invention, legal religion or form of godliness can produce the remedy for the sinning soul or nourish spiritual life. The new birth is an inward change wrought by the Holy Spirit, not merely outward reform and not a change produced by human nature; the heart must be changed first and that change then works outward in a life of obedience, with Christ alone converting fallen human nature into harmony with God's kingdom and dwelling within as a vital, life-giving power known by faith in pardon. People submit to and cooperate with the Spirit's work but do not produce it themselves, for a person cannot regenerate himself and human effort cannot break the power of evil; new spiritual life must be given and nourished by God and the Holy Spirit, received when a person submits to Christ in faith and love so that obedience becomes willing choice, which is why earnest prayer for the Spirit is needed.
Necessity of New Birth
To see, enter and discern the kingdom of God a person must be born again, born from above, because ordinary human birth gives only what is human and fleshly while birth from the Spirit gives spiritual life. This is not a second physical birth but a work of the Spirit changing the heart with new purposes and motives, cleansing bitterness and selfishness by putting away and crucifying self and perfecting holiness, making the person pure and holy in order to see and enter the kingdom. It requires God's converting power in the heart now, imitating Christ and becoming like Him in character with passions subdued and will brought under His will, and it is mysterious like the wind blowing where it pleases, heard but untraced in its coming and going. By it people become God's children with His Spirit dwelling within and share its new life.
The need applies to all, even to rulers in Israel and those holding responsible positions, to the learned, to church members and workers, who must leave former ideas, training and inherited attributes. Though holding honorable position and learning, a teacher in Israel may not know the first principles and alphabet of the divine life and needs instruction to deal with minds in a Christlike way, for spiritual life does not come from natural birth or worldly learning but from the Spirit. Many serving in responsible places do not have the new heart that gives new life through the whole person and consecrates the will to the Master's service, but keep self with only a little of Christ and have never experienced the new birth. Those handling sacred things must have heart, soul and body converted and be broken and remade like a potter's vessel, for unbelief, fear to advance and open new territory, misshapen mold put on the work, perverted principles, and misappropriation of money raised for the neglected Southern field prove working in the flesh and inability to see the kingdom and to deal justly and faithfully.
The verse divides humanity into two births and two kingdoms. Those born of the Spirit are Christ's subjects, and only those who keep His commandments are counted as His. Those born of the flesh continue in transgression after light has come, and they are subjects of the kingdom of the prince of this world.
Without this new birth and entire transformation no one, whatever his position or good deeds, can receive heaven's blessing or be acquitted in the judgment, and he cannot be trusted as a leader unless he falls on the Rock and is broken, seeing clearly and confessing errors instead of justifying self. Without conversion and renewal of the whole mind and soul he cannot be made perfect in righteousness or enter the holy city, for entering the celestial city and being saved require a genuine new birth with the heart made right with God, the change real and not pretended. Without it a person cannot be counted complete in Christ or see God. A person must be born again before becoming subject to God's law and before his experience can be useful in God's work, for until then experience is shaped by worldly wisdom, work may be regarded as meritorious while selfishness corrupts it and the heart remains closed to Christ.
No merely outward form of Christianity has saving power or ability to reform the life; the transforming power of truth must change heart and character so the believer no longer takes the world's spirit but reflects Christ through meekness, faith, humility and love. Church membership and baptism alone do not mean a person has joined Christ, for baptism without death to self does not lead to rising to new life in Christ; those born of the Spirit reveal the Spirit's virtues and Christ's character, and the rarity of this experience explains perplexities in churches. Regeneration is an inward work of the Holy Spirit in each heart and conscience; accepting a reformed faith as a community or changing outward authority does not itself convert people, and conversion cannot be brought about by council decrees. True conversion is a new birth in which a new spirit takes possession of the soul and a new life begins with Christ revealed in character, not church membership or religious profession, and this new life comes not by merely seeking something novel but by purifying the soul through obeying the truth and living in harmony with Christ's instruction.
Even the ignorant and unlearned can give evidence of this birth from the Spirit rather than from human descent or the flesh, and be changed in mind and character by the truth to become a child of God. People must come to God in helplessness and be born again through Christ, bringing thorough conversion of soul changing character and speech so childish, self-willed traits are put away and Christ's character is formed within. Without spiritual rebirth even the worst sinner has no hope, for spiritual blindness must be removed so people recognize their true condition before God. One who returns to Christ and is accepted by Him, taking Christ as personal Saviour, can be renewed and qualified for the work God calls him to do, being born again to become sons and daughters of God by adoption.
How the Spirit Renews
The new birth is wrought by divine power alone, the effective work of the Holy Spirit and of Christ, for human birth produces only human, fleshly life while birth by the Spirit produces spiritual life, and no human power, invention, legal religion or form of godliness can find the remedy for the sinning soul or cleanse the evil heart. It requires God's converting power in the heart to enter the kingdom, molding and refining character until self dies and cherished faults and selfishness are surrendered so that service becomes acceptable, and it is received when people yield fully and receive the Spirit, sought by earnest prayer, with passions subdued and the will brought under Christ's will. The heart left to itself cannot make itself clean or reach heaven by its own works, for the carnal mind cannot be subject to God's law and evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness and blasphemies proceed from within, so the fountain must be purified before the streams can be pure, not by slight improvement or modification of the old life but by complete transformation involving death to self and sin and beginning of an entirely new life.
It comes through genuine faith receiving Christ as personal Saviour, which makes a person soundly converted and a new creature overcoming the world and fitted for eternal life, and through repentance and confession with humility and submission to God and practical acceptance of divine truth. It requires yielding will and way to Him, rendering obedience to His lessons, breaking Satan's yoke and taking Christ's yoke to learn His meekness, and receiving His transforming grace to cut away evil traits, for soul cleansing and change of character constitute conversion that makes a true son of God. When a person yields fully and is born again through the Spirit, the character of Christ may be imputed to that person.
It requires putting away and crucifying self, cleansing away natural selfishness and bitterness of flesh and spirit and suspicious imagining with hereditary tendencies to wrong that spoil character and ruin the soul, in order to perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord and be pure and holy and see and enter the kingdom. Like Nicodemus even those counting themselves morally upright must humble themselves and enter as sinners, renouncing self-righteousness, relying wholly on Christ and receiving His righteousness by imputation, for all strength and goodness come from divine grace. It means falling on the Rock and being broken, seeing clearly and confessing errors instead of justifying self or shielding wrong by misstatement, since no lie is of the truth, and without it no one whatever his position or good deeds can receive heaven's blessing or be acquitted in judgment or be trusted as a leader, for only revealed truth studied, obeyed and brought into practical life has power inflexible as God's character to reclaim from sin and make right and keep so.
It gives a new heart with new purposes, motives and springs of action making all things new, for entrance requires a changed heart brought by the Spirit and not merely more evidence or argument, and until that change the strongest evidences are useless because the want is in the heart. The new heart gives new life sending pure spiritual life through the whole person and consecrates the will to the Master's service, changing mind, heart, will and character, purifying life and ennobling character so human nature can harmonize with the holy kingdom. Thus the person becomes a new creature and new being in covenant fellowship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, partaking of the divine nature with God's law written in mind and heart, possessing heavenly peace and sanctification by cooperation of the three powers of heaven, returned to allegiance to Christ's kingdom in willing obedience and bearing real fruits that testify to divine life in humility and submission by beholding Christ's grace and glory.
The verse lays before Nicodemus the conditions of divine life, the very alphabet of conversion and first principles of true Christian experience, which must be received into the soul to give higher intelligence and deeper spiritual knowledge of what constitutes a disciple and sincere follower, lest without digging deep and making the foundation sure on the eternal Rock test and trial bring apostasy and turning away. Being born again must be known through personal experience and not merely as reasons for the faith, making a person teachable like a little child, and feeding on Christ the bread of life brings the believer into oneness with Christ in God with new ideas and understanding of truth that worldly learning and education cannot give. Though Nicodemus was a learned teacher holding honorable position he did not know these things and needed instruction in them, and this instruction is the most essential part of education for those in responsible places as teachers, physicians, ministers, Sabbath-school workers, youth and children, fitting them to deal with human minds in a Christlike manner as those who learn truth at Jesus' feet and abide in Him.
Evidence in Transformed Life
That which is born of the Spirit is spirit because the Spirit enters and purifies the heart, removing the sins that pollute it and renewing it in true knowledge and holiness. This birth cleanses away natural selfishness and bitterness of flesh and spirit with its suspicious imagining, by putting away self and crucifying it and perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord. It softens natural inclinations and implants new thoughts, feelings and motives, giving a new capacity to know and love God. When the heart, the source of conduct, is thus purified, the life flowing from it becomes pure and develops a righteous, balanced character.
It is not a slight improvement or modification of the old life but a complete transformation of nature. It is a death to self and sin and to the old sinful, self-indulgent character, and the beginning of an entirely new life in which old things pass away. No human invention can find the remedy for the sinning soul, for by nature the heart is evil and cannot bring forth what is clean, and the carnal mind with its evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness and blasphemies cannot be subject to God's law; the fountain of the heart must be purified before the streams can become pure, and mere legal religion and a form of godliness give no safety. This decided change requires truth finding a place in the heart with sanctifying power upon life and character, producing fruits of righteousness, a living connection of the soul with God, and a living faith laying hold upon the merits of the blood of the crucified and risen Saviour, with resurrection of conscience rather than merely keeping up a form of worship.
The inward renewal governs motives and produces a changed outward life in which evil thoughts and deeds are renounced. Love, peace and humility replace anger, envy and strife, and the believer no longer takes on the world's spirit but reflects Christ through meekness, faith, humility and love. This cleansing from sin and renewal in knowledge and holiness is necessary to participate in God's kingdom and to be fit for spiritual life and obedience, which outward holiness and strict attention to the letter of the law cannot replace. The change is shown by the fruits of the Spirit in willing obedience and service to God and watchfulness, as those who share the divine nature escape worldly corruption.
This Spirit-given life is true worship, for religion that comes from God is the only religion that will lead to God, not seeking a holy mountain or sacred temple nor confined to external forms and ceremonies. Being born of the divine Spirit purifies the heart, renews the mind, and gives a new capacity to know and love God with willing obedience to all His requirements. By the Spirit every sincere prayer is indited and such prayer is acceptable to God. Wherever a soul reaches out after God, there the Spirit's working is manifest and God will reveal Himself to that soul, for such worshipers He is seeking, and He waits to receive them and to make them His sons and daughters.
Genuine conversion takes possession of the soul, with Christ revealed in character and woven into it, without which human character is valueless. It is a real change of heart experienced and shown in life, purifying the heart and sanctifying the affections, so that old habits and selfishness do not remain in control. The renewed share Christ's divine life and join God's work, becoming converted and enlightened souls who can tell others of His power, with life purposes changed and principles shaping daily conduct. It is proved by Christlike conduct, pure speech, a good conscience and good fruit, sound Christlike principles without harshness, faultfinding, discouragement and unbelief, upright dealings without cunning or dishonesty, forbearance, unselfish service, brotherly kindness, unity, heavenly-mindedness, and light shining in good works through cooperation of invisible and visible agencies.
A superficial change in habits does not amount to the new birth, nor do church membership, religious profession, outward religious language, or claim to be Christian. Resentment, bitterness, malice and persistent downward tendencies show that this new birth has not taken place, for without it a person keeps the spirit he has cherished unchanged and remains controlled by old, downward tendencies. A person whose character remains untransformed can become a source of trouble and division in the church. Only revealed truth, the word of God that reveals the guilt of sin, has power to reclaim a man from sin and to make him right and keep him so, and it must be studied and obeyed and brought into the practical life, being as inflexible and unchangeable as the character of God.
Call to Church and Leaders
What comes from human nature stays human nature, and only what comes from the Spirit becomes spiritual, so those handling sacred things must be born again with heart, soul and body converted. This means men in responsible positions as managers and directors of the Review and Herald office must be broken and remade like a potter's vessel. Their unbelief, fear to advance and open new territory, misshapen mold put on the work, perverted principles, and misappropriation of money raised for the neglected Southern field prove working in the flesh and need for spiritual rebirth to see the kingdom of God and to deal justly and faithfully.
Being born again is essential and must be known through personal experience, for knowing the reasons for the faith is not enough. This lesson lays before all the conditions of divine life, the very alphabet of conversion, which must be received into the soul to give higher intelligence and deeper spiritual knowledge of what constitutes a disciple and sincere follower. It is the first principles of the divine life and the most essential part of education for those holding responsible positions as teachers, physicians and ministers of the gospel, fitting them to deal with human minds in a Christlike manner, since even a learned teacher holding an honorable position did not know these things and needed instruction. Gospel ministers and medical missionary workers must learn meekness and lowliness, become thoroughly converted and born again, which is sanctification through the truth giving a willing heart to receive truth and grace into the soul to impart to others, so that lives testify to a world dead in trespasses and sins and influence becomes a power in the world. Teachers, Sabbath-school workers, youth and children must learn truth at Jesus' feet and abide in him, and fathers and mothers must have this real experience in the divine life and testify it in words and acts in the home, with immediate change, throwing off lethargy, humbling the heart, and arousing to solemn responsibilities that test whether one can be called an overcomer. Without digging deep and making the foundation sure and being riveted to the eternal Rock, test and trial bring apostasy, murmuring when the word comes through chosen messengers that the way is made too strait, and turning away like those displeased who walked no more.
The new birth is a reconversion and transformation of character, and without that reconversion a person who has run a strong course in disbelief and deception cannot see the kingdom of heaven. Those who have not been born again, or who have returned to old sinful habits, need to be converted and renewed by God to become children of God and members of His family. One who has hindered God's work needs this birth, meaning falling on the Rock and being broken, seeing clearly and confessing errors instead of justifying self, since no lie is of the truth and no self-shielding misstatement cleanses wrong, and without it no one whatever his position or good deeds can receive the blessing of heaven or be acquitted in judgment, nor be trusted as a leader. Crooked characters that keep the work from advancing must be made all over again by taking the individual self in hand, conquering wicked feelings that rise in the heart instead of letting their venom flow forth in words, humbling the heart, and confessing sin. In the same way a leader must be reconverted in speech and spirit so he can distinguish light from darkness, for what is born from human nature remains flesh while what is born through the Holy Spirit receives a spiritual nature requiring real transformation. The unconverted must stop rushing and driving in work and business and be converted by receiving a new heart and entire conversion, becoming sound in the faith and acknowledging and educating others including the youth in the truth that made the people what they are in numbers and strength instead of denying the faith, for only when that new heart is received is a person worked by the Holy Spirit.
Conversion must reach soul, body and spirit as a whole, for salvation is not a partial or divided work. Without this new birth and an entire transformation of character, a person cannot be counted complete in Christ or see God. Genuine conversion is more than profession, for the whole nature must be transformed by the Holy Spirit, and even advocacy of true beliefs without the Spirit's power is insufficient, so conversion must go deep and be repeated until that transformation takes place. A person must be born again before being able to cooperate with the Lord Jesus, and conversion is needed before correcting others. Until then words and actions cannot be depended on.
Teaching souls to seek the new birth in Christ is a precious work for God and a form of service to Him, since birth from the flesh is physical while birth from the Spirit is a distinct spiritual birth necessary to enter the spiritual condition described. This new birth changes the heart so that a person acts for God's glory, with humility and distrust of self, and valuable character traits become useful in Christian service when the heart is sanctified. One who returns and is accepted can be renewed by receiving the love of Christ that sanctifies the soul and be qualified for the work called to do.
Without a new birth a person keeps the spirit cherished unchanged, so those untrue who are now first will become last unless they repent, fall upon the Rock and be broken, and be born again. Only revealed truth, the word of God that reveals the guilt of sin, has power to reclaim from sin and to make right and keep so, and it must be studied and obeyed and brought into practical life, being as inflexible and unchangeable as the divine character. The new birth is soul cleansing and change of character that constitutes conversion, making a true son of God, requiring receiving Christ as personal Saviour, believing, yielding will and way, rendering obedience to His lessons, and receiving transforming grace to cut away evil traits such as covetousness, and without this birth one like Judas was not converted, was not clean, was not chosen, and had never possessed sonship to lose. It separates those born of the Spirit, who have the oil of grace feeding the lamp and causing the light of life to shine to those in darkness, from those who have only the theory of the truth and belief in the theory of the third angel's message, whose pride and weakness of faith deprive them of rich blessings and leave them with no oil in their vessels with their lamps, surprised and disappointed when the cry is heard, Behold, the Bridegroom cometh.
What is produced by natural human birth is only natural human life, and what is produced by the Spirit is spiritual and divine life. No one can see or enter God's kingdom without being born again from above to become God's child and share its new life. Natural descent, good character, learning, position, or good deeds cannot give that life, and no human power, effort, or outward religion can create or nourish it. It is worked by divine power alone through the Holy Spirit when a person receives Christ by living faith, repents, humbles the heart, surrenders the will, dies to self, and yields fully to God. This is not a slight improvement of the old life but a complete transformation to a new heart, mind, and character, whose inward cleansing appears outwardly in purity, love, humility, obedience, and Christlike conduct.
Conversation with Nicodemus
Jesus spoke these words to Nicodemus, a Pharisee and ruler of the Jews who came to Him by night acknowledging Him as a teacher come from God because God was with Him. The visit belonged to a deliberate seeking of the rich and cultured as well as the poor, for Jesus studied to reach men of wealth and position, sought the acquaintance of such a Pharisee, accepted their invitations, attended their feasts, and made Himself familiar with their interests and occupations in order to gain access to their hearts and reveal imperishable riches. Nicodemus came thinking to enter a long discussion about points of minor importance, and answered with irritation and irony, asking how a man can be born when he is old and enter a second time into his mother's womb. He was not spiritually minded enough to discern the meaning of the new birth, found it humiliating and irritating, and needed a far more humble opinion of himself, with humility of heart and a teachable spirit and a new heart.
Christ did not meet argument with argument but, raising His hand in solemn quiet dignity, pressed home the truth with greater assurance and earnest love. He repeated the truth in solemn, quiet dignity to convince Nicodemus of its divine truth, without impatience or discouragement though Nicodemus did not comprehend it. The setting was the teaching that except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God, and except he be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God, so that flesh birth produces only flesh and Spirit birth produces spirit and all must be born again. That Spirit birth is like the wind blowing where it pleases, heard but not traced in its coming and going, mysterious and beyond human control or full tracing.
This wind-like working was presented as earthly and heavenly witness that Nicodemus questioned and did not receive, though as a master in Israel he should have known it. Nicodemus pondered the explanation of the plan of salvation and the work needed in the heart to inherit the kingdom of heaven, and later recognized it in the light of Christ's death and became a true believer. The testimony closely parallels that of John the Baptist concerning Jesus. The verse does not mean a second physical birth, nor a bodily resurrection, nor a nation born in a day, but an inward work of grace in which the Holy Spirit removes the sins that pollute the heart and renews it in true knowledge and holiness.
That inward work cannot be reduced to outward religious forms and rigid observance, which cannot make holy or take its place, for by faith and surrender the soul is delivered from burden and bondage and passes from death to life. The Spirit birth remains mysterious like the wind, unseen and uncontrollable and beyond precise human methods, ordained through heavenly communication with man's spiritual life, too deep for the human mind to fully explain or comprehend. Yet its power is evident and discernible in actions, in changed thoughts and conduct, in a righteous character and changed life that puts away evil thoughts and deeds and brings love, peace, humility, and heavenly peace pervading the soul.
Flesh and Spirit Contrasted
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, human and natural life only, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit, spiritual and divine life. Ordinary human birth gives rise only to what is human and fleshly, while birth from the Spirit gives rise to spiritual life, which is why a person must be born again to see and enter the kingdom of God. This new birth is not a second physical birth but an inward work of grace wrought by the effective power of the Holy Spirit and Christ, requiring a changed heart with new purposes, motives and springs of action. It molds and refines character, purifies the heart as the source of conduct so that the life flowing from it becomes pure, demands that self die with cherished faults and selfishness surrendered, and calls for imitating Christ, subduing the passions and bringing the will under His will in order to serve God acceptably.
Birth of the flesh produces hereditary tendencies to wrong, natural selfishness, bitterness of flesh and spirit, suspicious imagining that spoils the character and ruins the soul, an evil heart and carnal mind that Satan works through by natural inclinations, including hereditary peculiarities passed as a legacy. From that heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness and blasphemies, and left to itself it cannot make itself clean, bring forth what is clean, or reach heaven by its own works. Birth of the Spirit cleanses away that bitterness and selfishness by putting away and crucifying self and perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord, creating new motives through faith and the imputed righteousness of Christ so that hereditary defects can be overcome, old things pass away and all things become new. This change from flesh to Spirit is not a slight improvement or modification of the old life but a complete transformation involving death to self and sin and the beginning of an entirely new life, necessary to be pure and holy as God is holy and to see and enter the kingdom.
That which is born of the flesh has nothing in it that responds to spiritual things, for the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God and they are spiritually discerned. Without Spirit birth a person cannot judge correctly concerning spiritual things nor rightly appreciate or enjoy the high, exalted truths of God's Word, but regards them as foolishness, with religious experience left to chance. Controversy, discussion, theory, and dependence on obedience to the law to win favor cannot enlighten the soul; seeing the kingdom requires being born of the Spirit by looking to Jesus and living, searching the Scriptures to receive life, submitting to the Holy Spirit, believing salvation is by grace alone, entering as the chief of sinners, receiving grace through faith as the hand laying hold on Christ and appropriating His merits as the remedy for sin, with even repentance coming from Christ through the Spirit as truly as pardon does.
Natural birth, moral character, natural goodness, benevolence, many good deeds, exalted religious position, worldly learning, education and wisdom cannot give spiritual life or entitle anyone to heaven. Even those who consider themselves morally upright and learned, like Nicodemus with his honored position and learning, must humble themselves before God and enter life as sinners do, renouncing self-righteousness and relying wholly on Christ and receiving His righteousness by imputation, for all strength and goodness come from divine grace. Until this new birth the experience is shaped by worldly wisdom, work may be regarded as meritorious while selfishness corrupts it and the heart remains closed to Christ and not subject to God's law. The new birth gives new ideas and understanding of redemption, makes a person teachable like a little child, and feeding on Christ the bread of life brings the believer into oneness with Christ in God, which is necessary for teaching and dealing with minds in a Christlike way.
No human power, wisdom, effort, invention, legal religion or form of godliness can produce the remedy for the sinning soul or nourish spiritual life. The new birth is an inward change wrought by the Holy Spirit, not merely outward reform and not a change produced by human nature; the heart must be changed first and that change then works outward in a life of obedience, with Christ alone converting fallen human nature into harmony with God's kingdom and dwelling within as a vital, life-giving power known by faith in pardon. People submit to and cooperate with the Spirit's work but do not produce it themselves, for a person cannot regenerate himself and human effort cannot break the power of evil; new spiritual life must be given and nourished by God and the Holy Spirit, received when a person submits to Christ in faith and love so that obedience becomes willing choice, which is why earnest prayer for the Spirit is needed.
Necessity of New Birth
To see, enter and discern the kingdom of God a person must be born again, born from above, because ordinary human birth gives only what is human and fleshly while birth from the Spirit gives spiritual life. This is not a second physical birth but a work of the Spirit changing the heart with new purposes and motives, cleansing bitterness and selfishness by putting away and crucifying self and perfecting holiness, making the person pure and holy in order to see and enter the kingdom. It requires God's converting power in the heart now, imitating Christ and becoming like Him in character with passions subdued and will brought under His will, and it is mysterious like the wind blowing where it pleases, heard but untraced in its coming and going. By it people become God's children with His Spirit dwelling within and share its new life.
The need applies to all, even to rulers in Israel and those holding responsible positions, to the learned, to church members and workers, who must leave former ideas, training and inherited attributes. Though holding honorable position and learning, a teacher in Israel may not know the first principles and alphabet of the divine life and needs instruction to deal with minds in a Christlike way, for spiritual life does not come from natural birth or worldly learning but from the Spirit. Many serving in responsible places do not have the new heart that gives new life through the whole person and consecrates the will to the Master's service, but keep self with only a little of Christ and have never experienced the new birth. Those handling sacred things must have heart, soul and body converted and be broken and remade like a potter's vessel, for unbelief, fear to advance and open new territory, misshapen mold put on the work, perverted principles, and misappropriation of money raised for the neglected Southern field prove working in the flesh and inability to see the kingdom and to deal justly and faithfully.
The verse divides humanity into two births and two kingdoms. Those born of the Spirit are Christ's subjects, and only those who keep His commandments are counted as His. Those born of the flesh continue in transgression after light has come, and they are subjects of the kingdom of the prince of this world.
Without this new birth and entire transformation no one, whatever his position or good deeds, can receive heaven's blessing or be acquitted in the judgment, and he cannot be trusted as a leader unless he falls on the Rock and is broken, seeing clearly and confessing errors instead of justifying self. Without conversion and renewal of the whole mind and soul he cannot be made perfect in righteousness or enter the holy city, for entering the celestial city and being saved require a genuine new birth with the heart made right with God, the change real and not pretended. Without it a person cannot be counted complete in Christ or see God. A person must be born again before becoming subject to God's law and before his experience can be useful in God's work, for until then experience is shaped by worldly wisdom, work may be regarded as meritorious while selfishness corrupts it and the heart remains closed to Christ.
No merely outward form of Christianity has saving power or ability to reform the life; the transforming power of truth must change heart and character so the believer no longer takes the world's spirit but reflects Christ through meekness, faith, humility and love. Church membership and baptism alone do not mean a person has joined Christ, for baptism without death to self does not lead to rising to new life in Christ; those born of the Spirit reveal the Spirit's virtues and Christ's character, and the rarity of this experience explains perplexities in churches. Regeneration is an inward work of the Holy Spirit in each heart and conscience; accepting a reformed faith as a community or changing outward authority does not itself convert people, and conversion cannot be brought about by council decrees. True conversion is a new birth in which a new spirit takes possession of the soul and a new life begins with Christ revealed in character, not church membership or religious profession, and this new life comes not by merely seeking something novel but by purifying the soul through obeying the truth and living in harmony with Christ's instruction.
Even the ignorant and unlearned can give evidence of this birth from the Spirit rather than from human descent or the flesh, and be changed in mind and character by the truth to become a child of God. People must come to God in helplessness and be born again through Christ, bringing thorough conversion of soul changing character and speech so childish, self-willed traits are put away and Christ's character is formed within. Without spiritual rebirth even the worst sinner has no hope, for spiritual blindness must be removed so people recognize their true condition before God. One who returns to Christ and is accepted by Him, taking Christ as personal Saviour, can be renewed and qualified for the work God calls him to do, being born again to become sons and daughters of God by adoption.
How the Spirit Renews
The new birth is wrought by divine power alone, the effective work of the Holy Spirit and of Christ, for human birth produces only human, fleshly life while birth by the Spirit produces spiritual life, and no human power, invention, legal religion or form of godliness can find the remedy for the sinning soul or cleanse the evil heart. It requires God's converting power in the heart to enter the kingdom, molding and refining character until self dies and cherished faults and selfishness are surrendered so that service becomes acceptable, and it is received when people yield fully and receive the Spirit, sought by earnest prayer, with passions subdued and the will brought under Christ's will. The heart left to itself cannot make itself clean or reach heaven by its own works, for the carnal mind cannot be subject to God's law and evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness and blasphemies proceed from within, so the fountain must be purified before the streams can be pure, not by slight improvement or modification of the old life but by complete transformation involving death to self and sin and beginning of an entirely new life.
It comes through genuine faith receiving Christ as personal Saviour, which makes a person soundly converted and a new creature overcoming the world and fitted for eternal life, and through repentance and confession with humility and submission to God and practical acceptance of divine truth. It requires yielding will and way to Him, rendering obedience to His lessons, breaking Satan's yoke and taking Christ's yoke to learn His meekness, and receiving His transforming grace to cut away evil traits, for soul cleansing and change of character constitute conversion that makes a true son of God. When a person yields fully and is born again through the Spirit, the character of Christ may be imputed to that person.
It requires putting away and crucifying self, cleansing away natural selfishness and bitterness of flesh and spirit and suspicious imagining with hereditary tendencies to wrong that spoil character and ruin the soul, in order to perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord and be pure and holy and see and enter the kingdom. Like Nicodemus even those counting themselves morally upright must humble themselves and enter as sinners, renouncing self-righteousness, relying wholly on Christ and receiving His righteousness by imputation, for all strength and goodness come from divine grace. It means falling on the Rock and being broken, seeing clearly and confessing errors instead of justifying self or shielding wrong by misstatement, since no lie is of the truth, and without it no one whatever his position or good deeds can receive heaven's blessing or be acquitted in judgment or be trusted as a leader, for only revealed truth studied, obeyed and brought into practical life has power inflexible as God's character to reclaim from sin and make right and keep so.
It gives a new heart with new purposes, motives and springs of action making all things new, for entrance requires a changed heart brought by the Spirit and not merely more evidence or argument, and until that change the strongest evidences are useless because the want is in the heart. The new heart gives new life sending pure spiritual life through the whole person and consecrates the will to the Master's service, changing mind, heart, will and character, purifying life and ennobling character so human nature can harmonize with the holy kingdom. Thus the person becomes a new creature and new being in covenant fellowship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, partaking of the divine nature with God's law written in mind and heart, possessing heavenly peace and sanctification by cooperation of the three powers of heaven, returned to allegiance to Christ's kingdom in willing obedience and bearing real fruits that testify to divine life in humility and submission by beholding Christ's grace and glory.
The verse lays before Nicodemus the conditions of divine life, the very alphabet of conversion and first principles of true Christian experience, which must be received into the soul to give higher intelligence and deeper spiritual knowledge of what constitutes a disciple and sincere follower, lest without digging deep and making the foundation sure on the eternal Rock test and trial bring apostasy and turning away. Being born again must be known through personal experience and not merely as reasons for the faith, making a person teachable like a little child, and feeding on Christ the bread of life brings the believer into oneness with Christ in God with new ideas and understanding of truth that worldly learning and education cannot give. Though Nicodemus was a learned teacher holding honorable position he did not know these things and needed instruction in them, and this instruction is the most essential part of education for those in responsible places as teachers, physicians, ministers, Sabbath-school workers, youth and children, fitting them to deal with human minds in a Christlike manner as those who learn truth at Jesus' feet and abide in Him.
Evidence in Transformed Life
That which is born of the Spirit is spirit because the Spirit enters and purifies the heart, removing the sins that pollute it and renewing it in true knowledge and holiness. This birth cleanses away natural selfishness and bitterness of flesh and spirit with its suspicious imagining, by putting away self and crucifying it and perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord. It softens natural inclinations and implants new thoughts, feelings and motives, giving a new capacity to know and love God. When the heart, the source of conduct, is thus purified, the life flowing from it becomes pure and develops a righteous, balanced character.
It is not a slight improvement or modification of the old life but a complete transformation of nature. It is a death to self and sin and to the old sinful, self-indulgent character, and the beginning of an entirely new life in which old things pass away. No human invention can find the remedy for the sinning soul, for by nature the heart is evil and cannot bring forth what is clean, and the carnal mind with its evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness and blasphemies cannot be subject to God's law; the fountain of the heart must be purified before the streams can become pure, and mere legal religion and a form of godliness give no safety. This decided change requires truth finding a place in the heart with sanctifying power upon life and character, producing fruits of righteousness, a living connection of the soul with God, and a living faith laying hold upon the merits of the blood of the crucified and risen Saviour, with resurrection of conscience rather than merely keeping up a form of worship.
The inward renewal governs motives and produces a changed outward life in which evil thoughts and deeds are renounced. Love, peace and humility replace anger, envy and strife, and the believer no longer takes on the world's spirit but reflects Christ through meekness, faith, humility and love. This cleansing from sin and renewal in knowledge and holiness is necessary to participate in God's kingdom and to be fit for spiritual life and obedience, which outward holiness and strict attention to the letter of the law cannot replace. The change is shown by the fruits of the Spirit in willing obedience and service to God and watchfulness, as those who share the divine nature escape worldly corruption.
This Spirit-given life is true worship, for religion that comes from God is the only religion that will lead to God, not seeking a holy mountain or sacred temple nor confined to external forms and ceremonies. Being born of the divine Spirit purifies the heart, renews the mind, and gives a new capacity to know and love God with willing obedience to all His requirements. By the Spirit every sincere prayer is indited and such prayer is acceptable to God. Wherever a soul reaches out after God, there the Spirit's working is manifest and God will reveal Himself to that soul, for such worshipers He is seeking, and He waits to receive them and to make them His sons and daughters.
Genuine conversion takes possession of the soul, with Christ revealed in character and woven into it, without which human character is valueless. It is a real change of heart experienced and shown in life, purifying the heart and sanctifying the affections, so that old habits and selfishness do not remain in control. The renewed share Christ's divine life and join God's work, becoming converted and enlightened souls who can tell others of His power, with life purposes changed and principles shaping daily conduct. It is proved by Christlike conduct, pure speech, a good conscience and good fruit, sound Christlike principles without harshness, faultfinding, discouragement and unbelief, upright dealings without cunning or dishonesty, forbearance, unselfish service, brotherly kindness, unity, heavenly-mindedness, and light shining in good works through cooperation of invisible and visible agencies.
A superficial change in habits does not amount to the new birth, nor do church membership, religious profession, outward religious language, or claim to be Christian. Resentment, bitterness, malice and persistent downward tendencies show that this new birth has not taken place, for without it a person keeps the spirit he has cherished unchanged and remains controlled by old, downward tendencies. A person whose character remains untransformed can become a source of trouble and division in the church. Only revealed truth, the word of God that reveals the guilt of sin, has power to reclaim a man from sin and to make him right and keep him so, and it must be studied and obeyed and brought into the practical life, being as inflexible and unchangeable as the character of God.
Call to Church and Leaders
What comes from human nature stays human nature, and only what comes from the Spirit becomes spiritual, so those handling sacred things must be born again with heart, soul and body converted. This means men in responsible positions as managers and directors of the Review and Herald office must be broken and remade like a potter's vessel. Their unbelief, fear to advance and open new territory, misshapen mold put on the work, perverted principles, and misappropriation of money raised for the neglected Southern field prove working in the flesh and need for spiritual rebirth to see the kingdom of God and to deal justly and faithfully.
Being born again is essential and must be known through personal experience, for knowing the reasons for the faith is not enough. This lesson lays before all the conditions of divine life, the very alphabet of conversion, which must be received into the soul to give higher intelligence and deeper spiritual knowledge of what constitutes a disciple and sincere follower. It is the first principles of the divine life and the most essential part of education for those holding responsible positions as teachers, physicians and ministers of the gospel, fitting them to deal with human minds in a Christlike manner, since even a learned teacher holding an honorable position did not know these things and needed instruction. Gospel ministers and medical missionary workers must learn meekness and lowliness, become thoroughly converted and born again, which is sanctification through the truth giving a willing heart to receive truth and grace into the soul to impart to others, so that lives testify to a world dead in trespasses and sins and influence becomes a power in the world. Teachers, Sabbath-school workers, youth and children must learn truth at Jesus' feet and abide in him, and fathers and mothers must have this real experience in the divine life and testify it in words and acts in the home, with immediate change, throwing off lethargy, humbling the heart, and arousing to solemn responsibilities that test whether one can be called an overcomer. Without digging deep and making the foundation sure and being riveted to the eternal Rock, test and trial bring apostasy, murmuring when the word comes through chosen messengers that the way is made too strait, and turning away like those displeased who walked no more.
The new birth is a reconversion and transformation of character, and without that reconversion a person who has run a strong course in disbelief and deception cannot see the kingdom of heaven. Those who have not been born again, or who have returned to old sinful habits, need to be converted and renewed by God to become children of God and members of His family. One who has hindered God's work needs this birth, meaning falling on the Rock and being broken, seeing clearly and confessing errors instead of justifying self, since no lie is of the truth and no self-shielding misstatement cleanses wrong, and without it no one whatever his position or good deeds can receive the blessing of heaven or be acquitted in judgment, nor be trusted as a leader. Crooked characters that keep the work from advancing must be made all over again by taking the individual self in hand, conquering wicked feelings that rise in the heart instead of letting their venom flow forth in words, humbling the heart, and confessing sin. In the same way a leader must be reconverted in speech and spirit so he can distinguish light from darkness, for what is born from human nature remains flesh while what is born through the Holy Spirit receives a spiritual nature requiring real transformation. The unconverted must stop rushing and driving in work and business and be converted by receiving a new heart and entire conversion, becoming sound in the faith and acknowledging and educating others including the youth in the truth that made the people what they are in numbers and strength instead of denying the faith, for only when that new heart is received is a person worked by the Holy Spirit.
Conversion must reach soul, body and spirit as a whole, for salvation is not a partial or divided work. Without this new birth and an entire transformation of character, a person cannot be counted complete in Christ or see God. Genuine conversion is more than profession, for the whole nature must be transformed by the Holy Spirit, and even advocacy of true beliefs without the Spirit's power is insufficient, so conversion must go deep and be repeated until that transformation takes place. A person must be born again before being able to cooperate with the Lord Jesus, and conversion is needed before correcting others. Until then words and actions cannot be depended on.
Teaching souls to seek the new birth in Christ is a precious work for God and a form of service to Him, since birth from the flesh is physical while birth from the Spirit is a distinct spiritual birth necessary to enter the spiritual condition described. This new birth changes the heart so that a person acts for God's glory, with humility and distrust of self, and valuable character traits become useful in Christian service when the heart is sanctified. One who returns and is accepted can be renewed by receiving the love of Christ that sanctifies the soul and be qualified for the work called to do.
Without a new birth a person keeps the spirit cherished unchanged, so those untrue who are now first will become last unless they repent, fall upon the Rock and be broken, and be born again. Only revealed truth, the word of God that reveals the guilt of sin, has power to reclaim from sin and to make right and keep so, and it must be studied and obeyed and brought into practical life, being as inflexible and unchangeable as the divine character. The new birth is soul cleansing and change of character that constitutes conversion, making a true son of God, requiring receiving Christ as personal Saviour, believing, yielding will and way, rendering obedience to His lessons, and receiving transforming grace to cut away evil traits such as covetousness, and without this birth one like Judas was not converted, was not clean, was not chosen, and had never possessed sonship to lose. It separates those born of the Spirit, who have the oil of grace feeding the lamp and causing the light of life to shine to those in darkness, from those who have only the theory of the truth and belief in the theory of the third angel's message, whose pride and weakness of faith deprive them of rich blessings and leave them with no oil in their vessels with their lamps, surprised and disappointed when the cry is heard, Behold, the Bridegroom cometh.