Regeneration: The New Birth

**"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."** — John 3:3 (KJV)

Nicodemus came by night. A ruler of the Jews, a teacher of Israel, a man who had spent his life studying the Scriptures. He came to Jesus not with hostility but with respect — "Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God." He acknowledged the signs. He admitted the evidence. He was, by all outward measures, a devout man.

And Jesus told him something devastating: "Ye must be born again."

Not "you must try harder." Not "you must learn more." Not "you must keep the rules more carefully." You must be *born* — again. Not an improvement of the old nature but the creation of a new one. Not renovation but resurrection.

Nicodemus understood exactly what Jesus meant. He did not ask, "What does 'born again' mean?" He asked, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?" He understood that Jesus was speaking of something beyond his control, beyond his effort, beyond his religious achievement.

This is the doctrine of regeneration — the work of the Holy Spirit by which He imparts new spiritual life to the dead sinner. It is the first grace, the fountain from which all other graces flow.

The reason Nicodemus needed to be born again is the same reason every human being needs to be born again: the old birth is fatally flawed. We were born physically alive but spiritually dead. Paul writes that we were "dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1). Dead men do not need reform. Dead men need resurrection.

The natural man — the man who has only been born once — cannot see the kingdom of God. Not "will not" but "cannot." It is a matter of capacity, not merely of will. A blind man cannot see the sunset not because he refuses but because he lacks the organ of sight. The unregenerate man cannot perceive spiritual truth because he lacks the spiritual senses that regeneration provides.

It is not baptismal regeneration — the idea that the water of baptism somehow creates new life. Baptism is a sign and seal of what has already occurred, not the cause of it.

It is not merely a decision for Christ — the exercise of the will apart from the Spirit's enabling. The will is involved, but it is the will *renewed by the Spirit*, not the will operating in its natural state.

It is not a feeling or an experience — though it often produces both. Regeneration is a secret work of God, invisible to human eyes, known only by its effects.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism (Q. 32) defines effectual calling as "the work of God's Spirit, whereby, convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, He doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the gospel." Regeneration is the heart of that calling — the giving of new life.

John Piper summarizes it this way:

> "Regeneration is the work of the Holy Spirit that brings a person from spiritual death to spiritual life. It is not a work of man. It is not a decision. It is not a response. It is a creation — a new creation."

How do we know if we have been born again? John gives us the evidence in his first epistle:

**Faith in Christ:** "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God" (1 John 5:1). Not mere intellectual assent but heart-entrusting faith.

**Love for the brethren:** "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren" (1 John 3:14). The new birth creates new affections — a love for God's people that was not there before.

**Obedience to God's commands:** "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments" (1 John 5:2). Not perfect obedience, but a new direction — a heart that wants to obey, that grieves when it fails, that seeks forgiveness and restoration.

**Victory over the world:** "Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world" (1 John 5:4). The regenerate heart does not love the world as it once did. Its citizenship has changed. Its treasures have shifted.

Jesus did not say, "Unless you are born again, you cannot fully enjoy the kingdom of God." He said, "Ye cannot *see* the kingdom of God." Without regeneration, the things of God are not merely unattractive — they are unintelligible. The cross is foolishness. The gospel is nonsense. The church is a social club for the weak.

This is why evangelism must be spiritual, not merely informational. We can present the facts of the gospel clearly and compellingly, but unless the Holy Spirit regenerates the heart, the facts will bounce off like rain on granite.

For the believer, regeneration is the guarantee of final salvation. "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever" (1 Peter 1:23). The new birth is not a fragile work that depends on our maintenance. It is an incorruptible seed, planted by God Himself, sustained by His Spirit, guaranteed by His promise.

You did not regenerate yourself. You cannot unregenerate yourself. The life that God has given is eternal life — not merely long life, but the life of the age to come, the life that death cannot touch, the life that flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

Nicodemus came by night, but he left with the dawn breaking in his heart. Later, when Jesus was crucified, Nicodemus was there — no longer hiding in shadows but publicly identified with the One who had told him he must be born again (John 19:39). The teacher of Israel had become a student of Christ. The ruler of the Jews had become a citizen of the kingdom.

That is what regeneration does. It makes cowards brave. It makes scholars simple. It makes the old new.

Have you been born again? Not "have you prayed a prayer?" or "have you walked an aisle?" but has the Spirit of God breathed new life into your dead soul? Have you passed from death to life? Have you become a new creation?

If so, rejoice. The life you now live is not your own — it is the life of Christ in you. And if not, plead with God for the mercy you cannot generate yourself. Cry out with the tax collector: "God be merciful to me a sinner." The promise stands: "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

*Scripture quotations from the King James Version (KJV)*