John 3:4-6

Dr. Ronnie Wolfe

Jesus' answer to Nicodemus' question in verse four is divine and can be only divine. Nicodemus asked whether he would need to go back into his mother's womb and be born. I think he knew that was impossible, but he was entering into a dialogue with Jesus and thinking logically to see how Jesus would answer.

Jesus' answer was that he must be born of water and of the Spirit. The water birth, as we shall learn in the next verse (verse six), is the natural birth: "that which is flesh." The birth of the Spirit is the work of grace in our hearts that the Spirit of God brings about when he convicts us of our sins, grants us repentance, and gives us faith, and we turn from our sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

As a result of this new birth, we have an old man (that which is born of the flesh) and the new man (that which is born of the Spirit).

Thank God for the new birth, since without it we would still be completely in the flesh and not in the Spirit.

Notice this revealing verse:  Rom. 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.