In John 3:1-15, Jesus tells Nicodemus that one must be born again to enter the Kingdom. Nicodemus’s response was asking how he would go back into his mother’s womb and be born again. He is not dense; he knows this is a metaphor, but he responds to its application. Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a well-trained religious leader, knew that Jesus didn’t mean being born again literally. He would have been familiar with Ezekiel 36:26-27, which prophesies the coming of the Holy Spirit to transform people’s hearts. That is the spiritual rebirth process itself, and the only people who receive the Holy Spirit are those who receive it from Jesus by believing in Him (John 14:15-17, Romans 8:5-11). This is why, in John 3:16-21, Jesus says that only those who believe in Him receive eternal life, while others receive condemnation. Eternal Life is only given to those whom the Holy Spirit transforms.
John 3:5 (NLT) Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’
Nicodemus’ struggle was more about the idea that even he, a religious leader, needed salvation. He likely thought his Torah knowledge, good deeds, and spiritual status made him righteous. Jesus never treated religious leaders as if they were any holier than ordinary people, because all men need to be saved from their sinful nature, which exists in all of us. After all, Adam, the first human, failed to trust God’s instructions, and we inherited his rebellious nature. The Nicodemus conversation explains that no one can earn their salvation, and to enter the kingdom, we must receive the Holy Spirit (“be born of the Spirit”) by believing in Jesus. It’s not about what we can do for God; it’s about what God did for us. We can only love God if we recognize that He first loved us (1 John 4:18). Then, we can receive His Spirit, and the Spirit of God will transform us so that we can live holy (Rom 2:29, Col 2:11).
How does one initiate a new birth, and what are the benefits? Are there consequences if we don’t get born again? Well, Jesus explains that in John 3:16-21.
John 3:16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. 18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.