Can Someone Be Born Twice?

 

Can Someone Be Born Twice?

John 3:1-21

 

 

 

 

This is an amazing chapter of the Bible. At this point, word about Jesus was spreading, as He was saying and doing astounding things. Not only were the common people seeing Jesus in action, but even the elite of society were beginning to notice Him.

In Hinduism, the highest three castes of Hindu society are known as the twice-born (Sanskrit द्विज : Dvija) because they have undergone the sacred thread ceremony (Upanayana), in which male members are initiated into the second stage of life (ashrama) of a Vedic follower. This sacred thread ceremony is considered to be a type of second birth.

Traditionally, twice-born Hindus belong to the first three groups of the Hindu caste-system: 1) Brahmins, 2) Kshatriyas, and 3) Vaishyas. However, in many Hindu scriptures the word Dvija refers only to Brahmins in Hindu texts who possess mythical, religious superiority.

The doctrine of the "twice-born" has been criticized for promoting hierarchy and elitism in Hindu society but its supporters see it as a type of initiation and purification into a higher state of existence, analogous to baptism in other religions. newworldencyclopedia.org.


Chapter 3 introduces us to Nicodemus, who was a Pharisee—one of the religious leaders of the day. Nicodemus seemingly had it all together; he was an intelligent, cultured, and moral man—but he was missing something in his life.

Like many others, Nicodemus was captivated by Jesus' teaching. One evening, he decided to come and talk to Jesus because he realized Jesus was from God.

In verse 3, Jesus tells him bluntly, "Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

There are several interpretations of this phase Born of Water and Spirit.

1. Jesus was referring to water baptism ( Act 10:43-47)
2. Water is understood as a symbol for the Holy Spirit. Thus the phase could be translated as Born of the water and even the Spirit.
3. Water is to be understood as a symbol of the Word of God. Similar imagery can be found in the NT passage specifically (Ephesians 5:26, 1 Peter 1:23)
4. Jesus used the phase “Born of Water” referred to as physical birth. He then used the contrasting phase “Of the Spirit” to refer to Spiritual birth.
5. Jesus used the phase “Born of Water” to refer to John the Baptist's baptism.
6. Jesus used the OT imagery of “Water and Wind” to refer to the works of God from above. (Isiah 44:3-5, Ezekiel 37:9-10) wind is an alternative translation of the term for Spirit.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (verse 16).

That which is born of the flesh is flesh. Flesh cannot be made into spirit.. A person must experience a spiritual rebirth.

This concept of being "born again" was confusing for Nicodemus. So he questioned Jesus to find out exactly what that means and how it happens. Was he is supposed to re-enter his mother's womb and be born a second time? Jesus was not talking about another physical birth, but a spiritual birth. Jesus told Nicodemus how this spiritual birth takes place using some of the most frequently quoted words in the entire Bible:

God's love is unlimited and His desire is that no one would perish. He wants all people to be saved by faith in His Son Jesus.

If you and I will look to Jesus and the work He accomplished for us on the cross—if we believe, trust, cling to, and follow Him, we can be confident that we will "not perish, but have everlasting life."

We should not forget verse 17, which often gets overlooked. God's purpose in sending Jesus to the world was not to judge it, but to save it. Now that is good news. Tomorrow, we look at John 4, as Jesus offers "living water" to a woman that has been rejected by society.