John 3:3-4 3Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Jesus responds back to Nicodemus in an unusual way. Nicodemus commented about Jesus’ authority as a prophet and teacher. Jesus changes the topic and gets to the deeper issue and implication of his person. No one can see his true identity unless he or she has been reborn. His response to Nicodemus has echoed throughout the ages. The first words, truly, truly, signify something very important and solemn. The sentence is stated as a negative condition: if the first part is not true, the second part will also not be true. The only way to get into God’s kingdom is to be born again. The question is then, what does it mean to be born again? John the author has already given clues about this, particularly with the changing of water into wine. Jesus gives further description of this idea in verse 5, but it is also a core theme of this Gospel.
Born (gennēthē) means to generate life or come into existence. The English word “generate” comes from it. The word again (anōthen) can have multiple nuances: when used in reference to a place, it can mean “from above.” In this usage, the birth comes from heaven and is spiritual in nature. In reference to time, it can mean from the beginning, with the birth indicating a new start. Everyone needs a second go at life because of how we have messed it up. Another time reference is to show action done again. John could mean all of these nuances in his choice of the word to translate the original Aramaic that Jesus used. To be born again means to be born from above.
The phrase kingdom of God is used many times by Jesus in the Gospels but is only mentioned in this passage and in 18:36, which indicates that the kingdom of God is also the kingdom of Jesus. It refers to God’s reign, sovereignty, and position as supreme. God’s kingdom is spiritual in nature and breaks into this mundane earthly existence bringing transformation and renewal into his purposes and designs. On an individual level, those who believe in Jesus can enter this kingdom and experience the qualities it offers. The benefits of this new kingdom life happen now in this lifetime. The promise is a new life with God as the source. Because God is the one who begets this life, it is eternal. Much of what is written in the rest of John’s Gospel will illustrate what it means to be born in this way. The idea of new birth is also found in Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:3, 23; 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4, 18.
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