YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN
JOHN 3:1-10

Nicodemus’ three appearances;
JOHN 7:50–52
50 Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, 51 “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” 52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

JOHN 19:39
39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight.

‘By night’;
JOHN 9:4
4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.

JOHN 11:10
10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”

JOHN 13:30
30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.

The “faith” of Nicodemus;
MATTHEW 12:24
24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.”

New birth: a central theme for John;
1 JOHN 2:29
29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

1 JOHN 3:9
9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.

1 JOHN 4:7
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

1 JOHN 5:1
1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.

1 JOHN 5:4
4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

1 JOHN 5:18
18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.



The necessity of the new birth;
JOB 14:4
4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? There is not one.

PSALM 51:5
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

ROMANS 5:19
19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

―Born of Water and Spirit―

The Scriptures taught that the people of God should expect to be begotten by the Father;
EXODUS 4:22
22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD, Israel is my firstborn son.

DEUTERONOMY 32:6
6 Do you thus repay the LORD, you foolish and senseless people? Is not he your father, who created you, who made you and established you?

HOSEA 11:1
1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.

The Scriptures taught that the Spirit of God was a life-giving Spirit, and the people of God should expect that this life would be ‘poured’ into them;
GENESIS 6:3
3 Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.”

JOEL 2:28
28 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh…

ISAIAH 44:3
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.

EZEKIEL 39:29
29 And I will not hide my face anymore from them, when I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, declares the Lord GOD.”

The Scriptures taught that ‘water’ was a figurative means of teaching of the renewal and cleansing brought by the life-giving Spirit;
EZEKIEL 36:25–27
25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

See also: Num. 19:17–19; Ps. 51:9–10; Is. 32:15; 44:3–5; 55:1–3; Jer. 2:13; 17:13; Ezek. 47:9; Joel 2:28–29; Zech. 14:8

11/9/2025