Born of Flesh; Born of the Spirit

April 17th, 2026
by Lance Waldie

John 3:6-10 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?

Jesus used the flesh and the Spirit to illustrate true salvation to Nicodemus in v. 6. For as only a human being can create flesh, so too only the Spirit of God can create a new spirit within the human. Man may be able to calm his own spirit and produce joy or sadness in his own spirit, but only the Spirit of God can produce an entirely new spirit within man—a spirit that longs for God and strives to worship Him. Even if rebirth was possible for man whereby a human could enter again into his mother’s womb, the rebirth would only produce flesh! But spiritual renewal, known as “regeneration,” is wholly the work of God and cannot be accomplished through human means. It does not follow a prayer, good works, or monies given. It is God’s work, and it breathes spiritual life into a spiritually dead person (Eph. 2:1-2) giving them the ability to respond to the Spirit’s call to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation (cf. John 6:44).

The astonishment on Nicodemus’ face must have prompted Jesus to say what He did in v. 7. Don’t miss the wording, for Christ says that you “must” be born again. This strong Greek term is also used for the necessity of Jesus’ crucifixion (3:14; 12:34), of the necessity for John the Baptist to decrease while Jesus increased (3:30), of the correct means for worshipping God (4:24), of Jesus carrying out His purpose (4:4; 9:4; 10:16), and of the necessity of Christ’s resurrection (20:9). In other words, it was absolutely necessary for Nicodemus to get over his astonishment at how his works could not gain him entry into God’s kingdom. And given the necessity of all these examples, being “born again” is clearly a “must” apart from works.

Those “born of the Spirit” are like the wind which, although it can be observed to blow in certain directions, it cannot be manipulated by man. It blows wherever it wishes (v. 8), as if it had a mind of its own. Likewise, the Spirit of God which can neither be controlled nor harnessed by man. One might think that all serial murderers are forever doomed to hell, yet some of them repent and are saved. Equally, one might think that world renowned saints are bound for heaven only to realize later that they are charlatans, adulterers, and habitual liars when no one is around. Truly, the Spirit of God works in whom He wills to work, and He is as unpredictable as the wind.

Like many who hear the gospel message in clear terms yet cannot understand it, Nicodemus could not fathom what he was being told by Jesus. He had worked so hard to attain his status, and he thought his works were so good. Jesus, however, was telling him—and all others like him—that his works meant nothing. Salvation had nothing to do with being Jewish, looking pious, or doing good. It had only to do with the work of God in the heart of a sinner. But because Nicodemus was trained as he was, his confusion is confusing. He knew the prophecies of Ezekiel and Jeremiah that God Himself would soften the hardened hearts of His people and give them a new heart with the washing of the water by the word (36:25-27; cf. Jer. 31:31-34). So perhaps his legalistic religion had numbed and clouded his understanding of Scripture? After all, Nicodemus represents religionists who attempt to establish their own righteousness while failing to recognize God’s. These have zeal for God but not in keeping with truth (Rom. 10:2-3).

Nicodemus was known as “the teacher of Israel” (v. 10), so if he failed to understand Jesus, yet believed in Him as John 2:23-25 states, how much less the others who were believing in Him! No wonder Jesus didn’t entrust Himself to them. They weren’t yet born again.