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Reading of God’s Word this evening’s passage is from John chapter 3. We will be reading from verse 1 through verse 21. Hear now the word of the Lord. There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 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. The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?”

No one has ascended into heaven except the one who has descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe in him is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.

Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we pray that you would bless, O Lord, the reading of your Word and the exposition of it. We pray that your Spirit would work in us, that through your Word you would cause us to draw closer to you, that you would cause us to know you more and to love you more. We pray, O Lord, that as we read your Word we would be transformed more and more into the likeness of your Son, Jesus Christ. We pray that you would strengthen me as I expound your Word. I pray that I would speak only that which is true, that it would be an encouragement to your people, Lord.

We pray all this in your Son’s name. Amen. You may be seated. Well, as many of you know, Lord willing, in the not so distant future, my wife and I will be welcoming a little girl into this world. God, in his gracious providence, has seen fit to give unworthy souls a little girl to raise and care for as a child. At this point, our minds are full of thoughts about the birth itself: How painful will this birth be? Will my wife be safe? Will my daughter be safe? Will I faint at the sight of blood?

But the moment that baby is born, these concerns will change drastically. Our minds will be filled with questions about how to care for this newborn child, whom we love so dearly, and yet, this child is completely helpless. I am sure that in the coming months and years, these questions will not go away. But the child will grow, and the child will learn new things.

By God’s grace, we pray that she will grow in her love for her Creator, and will come to know her Savior, and that she will come to take hold of the faith that was passed down to her as her own. Now, spiritual new birth is in some ways similar to physical birth. When the Holy Spirit transforms us and gives us new hearts, we truly are beginning—only at the beginning of understanding the reality around us. And like physical birth, we have no control over when God gives life, and when he takes it.

Likewise, in our passage this evening, Jesus teaches that the Holy Spirit gives new life and transforms us so that we can be welcomed into the kingdom of God. In this passage, Jesus teaches two things, and he teaches these to Nicodemus. This is our outline for the passage this evening. First, you must be born again. Second, you must be born of water and the Spirit. First, you must be born again. Second, you must be born of water and the Spirit. Chapter two ends with the words: “Now when he was in Jerusalem, that is Jesus, at the Passover feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing.”

But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about humanity, for he himself knew what was in man.” Between these two significant interactions between Jesus and the Jews, John includes this brief statement about Jesus and his ability to understand the heart of humanity. Although we do not have time to consider that passage in detail, it is a powerful testimony to the divinity of Jesus. It shows that Jesus did not entrust himself to those who believed in him, because he knew what was truly in their hearts. He knew that their belief was not truly in Jesus as their Savior, but only as a teacher and a miracle worker.

In the very next chapter, for our passage this evening, John gives us an example of one such believer. Let us read verses one through two again. Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”

Nicodemus knew who Jesus was. He had seen the signs, he had witnessed the works, and he had heard Jesus teach. Yet he did not understand the significance of those signs. He saw them only as evidence that Jesus was a great teacher from God. He did not acknowledge Jesus as his Messiah.

There are several unusual aspects to this encounter between Nicodemus and Jesus. First, Nicodemus does not ask Jesus a question. He makes a statement. However, I believe this statement contains an implied question, something like, “We know you are a great teacher, but is that all you are?”

Also, Nicodemus came to Jesus at night, not during the day, not in the morning or afternoon. There is disagreement about why he came at night. Some scholars suggest that because Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin and a leader among the Jews, he was occupied during the day and had no time to meet with Jesus. Therefore, he came at night. Others suggest he came at night because he was afraid to be seen. I believe the second view is more likely. After all, other Jewish leaders had no hesitation in coming to Jesus during the day and speaking with him. But Nicodemus came to Jesus at night.

At that time in history, there were no street lamps and no flashlights. People could not simply call a friend to find out where he was. Jesus had to go and find Nicodemus in the darkness and seek him out in order to speak with him. Furthermore, remember what had just occurred earlier in the chapter. Jesus entered the temple and caused a disturbance among animals and people, creating chaos on one of the most sacred days of the year for the Jews. We do not know exactly how soon after this event the story took place, but it was likely soon after.

And so Nicodemus, understandably, would be worried about how the other leaders would see him if he approached Jesus in a non-aggressive way. Whatever the ultimate reason is that he came at night, what is clear from Nicodemus’ own words is that he was not just physically in the dark, but he was spiritually still in darkness. His question shows, and his statement shows, that he clearly misunderstood Jesus and the Old Testament scriptures. As Jesus says later in the passage, he was a leader of the Jews and yet he did not understand the very scriptures that he had spent decades studying. All that Nicodemus had gleaned from the teachings of Jesus and his wondrous signs was that he was a good teacher and that he was sent by God. Ironically, this kind of thinking resembles many of the interpretations held by people today.

We hear many say, well, Jesus was a good teacher, but he is not actually God. But that is not what Jesus claimed. If all Jesus was, was a good teacher, then in fact, he was not even a good teacher, because that would make him a liar. Because he claimed not just to be a good teacher, but to be the very Son of God. One of the only things that Jesus could not have been was merely a good teacher.

Returning to our text this evening, Jesus’s response is quite peculiar. Let us read verse three again. Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” This response seemingly has no connection to what Nicodemus said. Nicodemus wants to know whether he has correctly interpreted the signs of Jesus. But instead of addressing what Nicodemus said, Jesus addresses a completely different matter.

This short interaction gives us insight into the nature of these two men. First, we see that Jesus, as John wrote in chapter two, verse 24, knew what was in man. That is, Jesus could see the heart of Nicodemus, and he perceived the heart of his statement. He perceived the question that was behind his statement. Before Nicodemus even opened his mouth, Jesus already knew exactly what he was going to say and why he said it. Jesus knew what Nicodemus needed to hear in that very moment. And thus, Jesus’ answer, while it does not answer Nicodemus’ exact statement, does answer the heart of the matter.

Jewish leaders and Nicodemus were so focused on these signs. Remember in chapter two, verse 18, the Jews asked for a sign from Jesus to know on what authority he was doing these things. They asked him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” Likewise, Nicodemus made everything about these signs. He saw great signs that Jesus was doing, and instead of connecting them with the Old Testament and what John the Baptist was teaching, he merely concluded that Jesus was a good teacher. But Jesus’ response shifts the conversation away from the signs to what those signs point to. And that is salvation that is brought through faith in Jesus. The Jewish leaders and the crowds were so focused on these signs that they were missing the important truth that the signs were pointing to. John writes this in John chapter 12: “When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them. Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him. So that the words spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: ‘Lord, who has believed what he heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?’ Therefore, they could not believe. Nicodemus had seen the signs and had heard Jesus’ teaching, yet he still did not understand this fundamental issue.”

The fundamental issue with man is not outward cleanliness or outward righteousness, but the inner cleansing of the soul. So Jesus answered him, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. This can be translated as either “unless one is born again” or “unless one is born from above.” In either case, the meaning is the same: in order for anyone to enter the kingdom of God, in order for anyone to be saved, it must be a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit from above. It is not about ethnicity. It is not about being Jewish or not Jewish. It is not about race. It is not about one’s sex.

There is nothing in man or in what he can do that can change or gain entry into the heavenly kingdom. According to Jesus, what must happen is a complete transformation of our hearts, of our minds, and of our souls. There must be a complete rebirth of an individual in order for him to be allowed into the kingdom of God.

Every aspect of man is tainted by sin according to the scriptures. Our thoughts wander constantly. Our minds are filled with hateful thoughts. Our minds are filled with judgments against others, greed, lust, coveting, fear, and many other sins. Our hearts and our affections are likewise marked by desires for that which God calls abominable. As Calvin wrote, man’s heart is a factory of idols. We are constantly substituting the worship of our one true eternal God, our Creator, and our blessed Savior Jesus Christ, for that which does not fulfill us, for those things that drag our eyes away from Christ.

There is not one aspect of us that is deserving of God’s mercy. But the point of confessing this, of course, is not to whip ourselves to show how repentant we are. We are not like Luther, who prior to his conversion would whip himself because he felt guilty about his sin. That is not the point.

The reason we confess our sinfulness and the depth of that sin is to acknowledge the reality that we are truly in. We must understand this reality in order to understand the proper remedy. The reality we face as sinful human beings is that there is nothing good in us. We are dead in our trespasses and sins.

We must be made alive in Christ. We are not floating in the ocean waiting for someone to throw us a lifeboat. We are dead at the bottom of the ocean, with no life in us and no hope left. Yet God, in his rich mercy, offered a way for us to be made alive in Christ Jesus. Therefore, the bad news is that humanity lies at the bottom of the ocean, rotting away.

The good news is that through water and the Spirit, there is indeed hope for new birth, and this new birth is possible. This brings us to Jesus’ second statement: you must be born of water and the Spirit. You must be born of water and the Spirit. Please read with me again verses four through eight. Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 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. The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus appears to take Jesus’ words literally. Whether he truly believed that was what Jesus meant, or whether he was simply asking for clarification, it is clear that he did not understand the spiritual meaning behind Jesus’ words. Once again, this is one of the central themes of the Gospel of John. Jesus’ teaching is not difficult to understand for those who have been given eyes to see and ears to hear. But for those whose hearts have been darkened and whose eyes are blind, it sounds like foolishness.

So naturally, Nicodemus asked, “How can someone who has already been born, especially someone who is old, be born again? Can a person enter their mother’s womb a second time?” Once again, Jesus does not answer Nicodemus’ question directly. Instead, he focuses on explaining what he has already said. Nicodemus is focused on the physical aspects of the signs and on physical birth, but Jesus wants him—and wants us—to see the spiritual realities that these signs represent.

So Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Our situation is so dire that a complete transformation is necessary. Jesus teaches that this transformation, this new birth, is brought about only by the work of the Holy Spirit. There are several different interpretations of these verses. What does it mean that water and the Spirit are necessary? As Calvin wrote, we ought to take the words in the simplest sense of their meaning.

The simplest understanding of Jesus’ words is that he is speaking of baptism and what baptism signifies: the Holy Spirit’s transforming the unbeliever’s heart, removing the heart of stone, and giving a heart of flesh. The Westminster Confession teaches that baptism is a sacrament of the New Testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, not only for the solemn admission of the party baptized into the visible church, but also as a sign and seal of the covenant of grace, of his ingrafting into Christ, of regeneration, of remission of sins, and of his giving up unto God through Jesus Christ, to walk in newness of life. And this sacrament is, by Christ’s own appointment, to be continued in his church until the end of the world.

Baptism, then, as the Westminster Confession goes on to clarify, does not actually cause regeneration or cleanse from sin. Rather, baptism points to and signifies the spiritual reality of what the Holy Spirit is truly doing in the heart of the believer.

You might be quick to say: if this is speaking of baptism, does that mean that Jesus is requiring us to be baptized in order to be saved? Would that not mean that Jesus is teaching what some call baptismal regeneration? I submit to you that such a reading is unnecessary. Jesus’ emphasis in these verses is not on the outward sign of baptism.

He does in fact mention the water, but only to connect the outward sign of baptism with the inward reality of the Spirit. Remember in chapter 1 when we saw the baptism that John the Baptist gave. John the Baptist’s baptism represented the forgiveness of sins that the believer received through repentance and faith. But it was not the water itself that caused the cleansing. And that is why John says when he sees Jesus: “I baptize with water, but Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit.”

The Holy Spirit is the one who truly changes the believer’s heart, removing the heart of stone and giving a heart of flesh. Notice in verse eight of our passage this evening that the emphasis is again not on water, but on the Spirit. Jesus says, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” The sole basis upon which one enters the kingdom of God is not whether or not he has been baptized, nor is it his own works, but whether or not the Holy Spirit has changed his heart.

This is indeed a sobering and humbling reality for man. We want to believe that we can find peace for ourselves. Man arrogantly believes that the answers to the world’s problems can be solved by spending more money or by discussing these issues. Most destructively, perhaps most relevant to our passage this evening and to the Jewish man speaking with Jesus, man believes that he can earn his way into the kingdom of God. If I just avoid these few major sins, if I just do enough good deeds for those in need, God will see that I am a good person and allow me into his kingdom. But the Scriptures, as we were reminded this morning, do not allow us to believe such things for several reasons.

First, God cannot tolerate even the smallest sin. Not because God is overly strict, but because sin is truly evil and God is truly holy. Therefore, no sin can remain unpunished in the presence of God. Second, the Bible teaches that man’s nature is in far worse condition than even we realize. The Bible teaches that man, prior to being saved, is dead in his trespasses and sins and is incapable of doing what is good. He is incapable of seeking God.

It is not only that our actions are sinful. It is every aspect of our nature—our thoughts, our words, our feelings, our emotions, our desires, and our hearts. Everything about us is tainted by sin. Everything about us is tainted by sin and must be transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit in us.

The effects of sin upon humanity are so severe that no part of human nature can stand before a holy God and be considered good. As Pastor Paul Washer once said, salvation must be entirely the work of God. It cannot be 99% God and 1% human, because if even a small part were left to human effort, we would fail in that part as well. We would all be destined for hell. This is precisely why Jesus uses such strong language in our passage.

Reformation is not sufficient for sinful humanity. It is not enough to change one thing here or another thing there. We must be truly and completely transformed in our inner being. There is an old self, an old nature, that must be put to death, and a new self must be born.

The only way this can happen, according to Jesus, is through the work of the Holy Spirit in the unbeliever. This must be so, as John says in verse 6: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” All that sinful humanity can produce is more sin. The flesh of humanity is tainted by sin and cannot produce what is pure and unstained.

Therefore, new birth through the work of the Holy Spirit in us is necessary for humanity to move from a state of sin and misery into the kingdom of God. At this point, if you are an unbeliever, this language may seem unfamiliar, because we tend to believe that we are not as bad as the Scriptures teach. But the truth is that every aspect of us must be transformed by the Holy Spirit. The old self remains until we are glorified. However, the Holy Spirit must change us and grant us a new heart so that we can believe in Christ Jesus.

Now this, of course, does not give you permission to continue living in sin or to ignore the gospel call. Please do not think that because the Holy Spirit must work in you, you can disregard the gospel call. No, today God is calling you to place your faith in Jesus Christ and to rest in His grace. The gospel call is offered to all without discrimination. If you hear that Jesus, the eternal Son of God, has come to this earth, lived a perfect life, and bore your sin upon the cross, believe. Do not turn away today. Rest in this glorious truth. Rest in the promises of God that all who come to Jesus will find rest and eternal life. Turn to Him, even this day, to find rest and comfort in Him.

And for those who already know the Lord, this doctrine of regeneration is one of the most comforting truths for us. Brothers and sisters, the gospel is not merely about Jesus dying for our sins so that we may be forgiven for what we have done. The gospel is also about us being fundamentally different from who we were before we were saved. Although the old self still remains in us, and we still struggle with sin in this life, the glorious truth is that we, you and I, are truly free from the power of sin. Paul writes this in Romans 6: What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means. How can we who died to sin still live in it?

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death. In order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin, for one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we have also lived with him. We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again. Death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. What a glorious reality this is. The sins you struggle with—the anger, the lust, the anxiety, the hatred, the lack of faith, the addictions, the self-hatred, or whatever else you are struggling with—dear brother or sister, you have died with Christ and have been raised with him into eternal life. Your old self was truly nailed to the cross, and you have been given new life by the work of the Holy Spirit. You are no longer a slave to sin. This does not mean that we will not continue to struggle, but it does mean that, thanks be to God, by his grace and mercy toward us, there is hope that one day you will be freed from this burden, even in this life.

And we can know with absolute confidence that one day the new man will be all that remains, and the old man will fall away. God will glorify you. He will wipe away every tear from your eyes. He will cleanse all sin from you. So that with complete harmony, we can love one another and worship our triune, eternal, blessed Father, Son, and Holy Spirit with one unbroken voice.

And so we pray, Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for who you are and what you have done for us. We thank you that you have loved us before the foundation of the world. We thank you that you have chosen us and that you have sent your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to come to this earth to save us from our sins. And we thank you, O Lord, for sending the Holy Spirit so that our hearts and our minds may be transformed, so that we can trust in you, so that we can have a right relationship with you, so that we can worship you once again.

We pray, O Lord, that as we are reminded of these beautiful gospel truths, they would not remain in our hearts only, but as we go forth from this place, they would be upon our lips, so that the gospel may be shared with those who do not know you, so that the gospel may be shared with believers who need encouragement, so that the gospel would be a reminder to us of what you have done for us. And I pray all of this in your Son’s name, amen. Please stand as we sing our closing hymn, hymn 221. Hymn 221, O Light That Knew No Dawn.