As a Birth
Once a person is born, they’re born. No matter what happens after that, they cannot be unborn. A person does not go through life wondering if they will lose their natural birth. That would be absurd.
Nicodemus knew this. Jesus knew Nicodemus knew this. So, he emphasizes it as he sets him up with this declaration -
“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of Heaven.”
Right on cue, Nicodemus questioned 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?”
The same is true with Spiritual birth.
Which is exactly why Jesus used this illustration. He answered:
“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. John 3:5-7
He is emphasizing that just as a physical birth, which he equates with a water birth - (he is talking about the natural birth process here not water baptism). Just as we enter into the physical world via birth, we must enter into the Spiritual world (Heaven) via birth: A separate, but equal process. Both are permanent. Neither can be undone.
Jesus sums it up with the analogy of the wind -
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is everyone that is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8
We cannot see the wind, but we can hear it, feel it, and know it’s there. We can also see the results of the power of the wind.
In a natural birth, the timing of how and when things are ready is a mystery. The baby has no part in the process other than being the passive recipient. When it is finished, we can see and hear the results of a new life.
The same applies to spiritual birth: We cannot see or understand how it happens, but we can know it has happened because we see and hear the results in a newly redeemed life.
John touches on the fact that we can know (just like we know of a physical birth because we see the results) that spiritual birth has taken place because we can see/feel God’s work in us.
1 John 5:11-13
And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
We can have the confidence that our salvation, like birth, is permanent.
What we do with our salvation is a different story - We can live it out, throw it away (metaphorically speaking), or neglect it.
We can even be deceived into thinking that we have it, when, in fact, we don’t.
This discussion will be the subject of the Pictures of Salvation, Part Three - A Lifetime Membership (touching on Philippians 2:12-13).
Read Part One here:
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Thanks Cork, interesting discussion on this subject.
While we are born spiritually now we also will need to be born as a spirit being in the resurrection.
While we have eternal life now, dwelling in us, we will be eternal beings then.
This life now is the initial phase in the project of making Sons of God.
The resurrection is the next phase.
“Once a person is born, they’re born. No matter what happens after that, they cannot be unborn.”
Yes. The wonderful thing is that the Lord keeps us in His hand (John 10:28,29) and the devil cannot snatch us out of it. Those who are truly regenerated, or born again, will be preserved by their loving Father.
Great illustration of the wind as well. The Gospel of John builds on top of itself as you go along.