John 3:3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again (From above) he cannot see (specific point in time, sudden climatic experience, implying not the mere act of seeing but the actual perception of the kingdom, “‘to experience, encounter, participate in the kingdom) the kingdom (the invisible realm of God’s rule inside and outside of us) of God.
4Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of (of is not repeated suggesting that water and Spirit form a single conceptual unit, the cleansing and renewing role of the Holy Spirit) water (water speaks of the moving of the Spirit of God in the illumination and cleansing of the word) and Spirit, he cannot enter (to come into that spiritual realm) into the kingdom of God.
6That which is born of the flesh (human nature, natural descendant) is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Marvel (to wonder, marvel, be struck with admiration or astonishment) not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8The wind bloweth (the Spirit moves) where it listeth (desires), and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
Must mean’s that it is absolutely necessary, unless we are born again we cannot see or enter into the kingdom of God.
The word again-means from above, from a higher place, from heaven, it also means a second time.
From above-refers to the invisible realm where the kingdom of God is. It is a step above the natural realm; it is the spiritual realm of the kingdom. We cannot see it unless God opens our eyes to it. It is outside of us, and we must have spiritual eyes to see it.
2kings 6:17 and Elisha prayed, and said, Lord I pray, open his eyes that he may see. Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of chariots of fire all around Elisha.
Unless we are born of His Spirit-(from above) we cannot see, understand, enter into or experience the realm He operates in.
There is a door in our spirit that must be opened for the Spirit of God to flow into it, so that our spiritual senses are activated and become aware of the life of God moving in us.
It is absolutely necessary that we be born from above, or a second time! When we were born the first time, we received human life from our parents. The seed of our human father impregnated the egg of our human mother and we were conceived in the womb of our natural mother. About nine months later we were born into another realm, as we came out of our mother’s womb and took our first breath of air. We were born a human being. We were born a baby, and we began to grow and become aware of our earthly existence. We began to SEE and HEAR in the earthly realm. We were totally HELPLESS and POWERLESS and TOTALLY DEPENDANT upon our earthly parents. That which is born of flesh is flesh.
That which is born of Spirit is spirit. We must be born a second time, we must be born of God. When we were born the first time, we received a natural human life from our human parents. When we are born the second time we receive a heavenly life from our Heavenly Father! We receive a DIVINE NATURE. We are born a baby, and we begin to grow and become aware of our heavenly existence, we begin to become aware of God. We begin to SEE and HEAR in the SPIRIT REALM. We are totally HELPLESS and POWERLESS and TOTALLY DEPENDANT upon the Spirit of God. That which is born of the SPIRIT IS SPIRIT.
Just like we received a human life from our parent’s, we must receive a divine life from God the Father. We receive the life of God through the word of God.
The word of God is living. When God speaks, His Spirit is released in the words He speaks, and His words become eternal containing the Spirit in which He spoke. Once God speaks, the words released from His mouth, have the living substance of His Spirit in them and accomplish what He has said. When God speaks, the words that are released contain His life. When God speaks, He imparts himself in what He says.
The word of God is like a seed, it contains His life and His Spirit .And when it is received in our spirit, it will begin to grow and produce the God kind of life.
1peter 1:23 being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible (not capable of wear, waste, perishing, deterioration, fading away), by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.
The word of God expresses the will and life of God which is eternal.
In order to be born again, the word of God must be conceived in our spirit. In order for the word of God to be conceived our spirit, we first must receive the Word. Jesus is the word.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh (human body), and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
To receive the word, is to receive the testimony that is recorded in the written word of God-(the bible). The bible is a concealed revelation. It was written by the Holy Spirit through chosen vessels, and must be revealed by the Holy Spirit to the individual, or it will remain a mystery or seem to be foolish.
To be born again we must receive the Word of God in such a way, that it is conceived in our spirit. Conceived means to be formed in the womb, the word must be revealed by the Holy Spirit to our spirit. When the word of God is conceived in our womb (in our spirit) it gives understanding to our mind (soul), and becomes the structure (frame) of our lives.
Many people believe in God with their mind, but their spirit is not aware of the presence of God.
To receive Jesus is like a wide receiver in a football game receiving a pass. He must lay hold of the ball and hold it fast, or it will slip away from him and he will fumble it.
John 1:12 But as many as received (specific point in the past, active voice, to take, get hold of) Him, to them gave (impartation of His Spirit) he the power (authority) to become (specific point in time, middle voice. To come into a spiritual state, to begin to be) the sons (children, it gives prominence to the fact of birth) of God, even to them that believe (continuous tense, active voice. The inflowing of God’s faith into our spirit) on( motion into) his name.( person, character, who he is) Which were born, not of blood( physical origin), nor of the will of the flesh( lust of the flesh), not of the will of man(human desire to have children), but of God.( His determination to have sons).
We must receive the word as God’s personal word to us, as coming from Him and not the imagination of some man.
2Thes 2:13 For this cause also we thank( to praise God showing oneself grateful, to be well pleasing in His sight) God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God, which ye heard of us, ye received it( receive in order to embrace and follow what is given and imparted) not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectively worketh(the energy of God’s Spirit at work within producing an effect) also in you that believe
We first must be drawn of the Lord; we must have a desire to know the Lord. Our desire to know God must be stronger than any other desire.
John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which has sent me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him
Then we must be convicted by His Spirit. Unless we are willing to allow the Spirit of God to search out heart, we will not come to Him, or seek a relationship with Him.
John 16:8 and when he will come he will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement.
To receive Jesus Christ as the Lord of our lives is the most important decision of our lives. We must be willing to count the cost. No one is born of the Spirit of God, unless they are first convicted of their need for a savior. We may not understand anything about God, but we must be willing to surrender our lives to Him, we must be willing to say an unconditional yes to God’s will for our life in order for the word of God to be conceived in our heart.
John 7:17 If any man will do the will of God he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether it be of man.
When the word of God is conceived in our spirit, God opens our spiritual eyes and we receive an understanding that we never had before.
1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given (impart by the Spirit) us an understanding, that we may know (to know experientially, continuous action subject to a condition) him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
John 1:4 In him was life; and the life (divine nature) was the light (to shine, to sound. To enlighten, spiritual light and knowledge, the true knowledge of God and spiritual things.) of men. And the light shinneth (to enlighten, become visible, make an appearance) in the darkness (human nature, sin and its consequences.) and the darkness (self will.) comprehended (perceive, find, to seize with the mind, comprehend for oneself, to possess.) it not. (The darkness did not admit or receive the light; the darkness was so thick that the light could not penetrate it.)
Receiving the life of God through the conception of the word-seed produces a spiritual understanding that is different from the natural thinking of a human being. It is the Spirit of God revealing a knowledge that is contrary to natural thinking. It enables us to believe in the impossible, that which is contrary to natural laws-miracles.
John 3:27 a man can receive nothing, except it be given (imparted, granted.) him from (out of) heaven.
God has to open our spiritual eyes to understand spiritual things, and He only grants this to those who are willing to do His will. These are the ones who receive the life that is contained in His word, by their willingness to act upon it. These are the ones who are born a second time, receiving His Spirit into their hearts.
John 1:16 And of His fullness (abundance, complete provision.) have all we received, (specific point past, to actively take.) and grace (the impartation of a new nature, the divine influence of His Spirit.) for (constant renewal.) grace. (The increase of His Spirit)
When God quickens our spirit we receive a new understanding, the anointing of God’s Spirit in us begins to teach us. As we become obedient to the Word, it begins to be written upon our heart.
The quickening of our spirit is the conception of God’s word in our spirit. As the word is engrafted into our soul, it produces the fruit of God’s Spirit. Fruit has to do with our soul. Unless our soul is yielded to the life of God in our quickened spirit, there will be no fruit. When it talks about being born again, it is not talking about just the conception of God’s word in our spirit, but the expression of God’s life through our soul.
Gal 2: 20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
To be born again means it is no longer I who live, But Christ (God’s anointing-His Spirit) who lives through me!
The quickening of our spirit means to be once and for all enlightened, but we have to walk in the light in order for the Word of God to produce fruit in our life-this is what it means to be born again! It means that you are sanctified-Jesus is the Lord over your life, you have been bought with a price and are no longer your own person, you have been born again!