Class Lesson June 12, 2022

2.  Born Again by the Spirit 

Question 1: When have you made big plans only to have them unexpectedly change?

THE POINT

The Holy Spirit brings us into a new life as we place our trust in Jesus.

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE

An older man was talking with a graduating high school senior. He inquired, “So what will you do now?” The young man said he planned to attend college and major in business. The older man asked, “And then what?” The young man said he wanted to start his own business, marry, and have a family. The older man repeated, “And then what?” The young man said he hoped to travel, put his kids through college, and continue to have success in business. “All great goals,” said the older man. “And then what?” The young man supposed he would grow old and retire. The older man asked again, “And then what?”

The young man said, “I suppose I will die.”

“And then what?”

The young man said simply, “I don’t know.”

Most of us get so caught up in our plans for our lives that we fail to realize how quickly this life ends. We live for today with little thought for eternity. Jesus spoke about the work of the Holy Spirit that makes it possible for us to spend an eternity with God in heaven.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

John 3:1-3

1 There was a man from the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to him at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could perform these signs you do unless God were with him.” 3 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Nicodemus was a Pharisee, part of a group whose name literally means “the separated ones.” By the time of Jesus’s earthly ministry, the Pharisees were the most influential sect of Jewish leaders. They prided themselves on being experts in the Jewish law. They were also staunch opponents of Jesus. So, it seems surprising that a Pharisee would come talk to Jesus.

Nicodemus was a Pharisee, but he seemed to be an exception. John described him as a “ruler of the Jews,” which indicates he was a member of the Sanhedrin. Despite the disdain in which most Pharisees held Jesus, Nicodemus seemed to be attracted to the teachings of Jesus. It doesn’t appear that he came to Jesus to challenge Him; he was there to learn more about Him and His teachings.

Why did Nicodemus come to Jesus after dark? Many scholars have speculated he wanted to avoid attention from other Jewish leaders. We know that, after the crucifixion, Nicodemus participated with Joseph of Arimathea in burying the body of Christ (John 19:38-42). Joseph “was a disciple of Jesus—but secretly because of his fear of the Jews,” and it seems likely that Nicodemus shared his timidity prior to the crucifixion. Therefore, this meeting with Jesus was likely a clandestine encounter.

Question 2:

What are some ways people try to earn their way into heaven?

Perhaps Nicodemus planned to ask Jesus a question, but it appears that he didn’t have a chance to ask it. Jesus certainly knew his heart and perhaps He went straight to the answer before Nicodemus even voiced the question.

Jesus’s answer was this: “Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (v. 3). Jesus’s answer gets at the most important question any person can ask: What must I do to get to heaven?

Most people assume they must do something to earn heaven. Most world religions teach that a person must be “good enough” to receive a reward in the afterlife. For some, that would involve good works or religious ritual. Nicodemus probably assumed that following the Jewish law was necessary to be approved by God and enter His heaven.

Jesus’s statement to Nicodemus was astounding: you must be “born again.” Being born is not something I can do for myself. It is not about my efforts or my good works. New birth means that I have to become someone completely different. Receiving new birth is something only God can do for me; it is not something I can do for myself.

John 3:4-8

4 “How can anyone be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked him. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again. 8 The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus asked the question all of us would probably ask: How do I do that?! A person is only born into this world once. If Nicodemus took Jesus literally, the statement would have seemed nonsensical. The question he asked about reentering his mother’s womb would certainly support this total misunderstanding.

Jesus answered him solemnly—“Truly I tell you”—and told Nicodemus that he must be born of both “water and the Spirit.” The term water has been understood in at least three different ways.

Some scholars believe that Jesus was referring to the water of baptism. This would align Jesus’s ministry with that of John the Baptist, calling on people to “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4).

Others have suggested that water was a symbol of the cleansing of the Holy Spirit. If this is true, then both words are referring to the same thing.

Engage

BORN AGAIN!

Choose one of the following images that best symbolizes new life to you. 

Then write a prayer thanking God for the new life He has given you or asking Him for new life.

My Prayer:

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!”

2 CORINTHIANS 5:17

The final view assumes that Jesus was referring to the watery fluid of physical birth. This would parallel His statement in verse 6—“Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit.” This third view seems the best way to understand Jesus’s statement.

Being born again is the work of the Holy Spirit. When one is born by the Spirit, he or she becomes a child of God. The individual is immediately accepted into God’s family—not because he earned his way into the family but because he was spiritually born into it. As a person grows in the Spirit, the character of Christ and the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) become more evident in his or her life.

The work of the Holy Spirit to bring about this new birth is not easy to measure or explain; it has an element of the mysterious. Jesus used wind to illustrate what being born of the Holy Spirit is like. We experience the wind. We can feel it blowing against our face and see it moving the leaves on the trees. The work of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life is not something we can necessarily see, but it is no less real. The Spirit moves in us to draw us to God, to cause us to become a “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17).

The call to be “born of … the Spirit” is the same for us as it was for Nicodemus. We must be born of the Spirit.

Question 3:

How is being born again a fitting metaphor for salvation?

John 3:14-17

14 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

You might ask, “So, if this new birth cannot be achieved by good works and is something that only the Spirit of God can accomplish, how do I receive it?”

Jesus answered that question for Nicodemus by reminding him of an event in Jewish history. When the people of Israel were wandering in the wilderness, they began to blaspheme God. Because of their sin, the Lord sent poisonous snakes among them. Many died. The people repented and begged Moses to intercede with God. Moses did so but God didn’t take the snakes away. Rather, God told Moses to fashion a snake out of bronze and mount it. Anyone bitten by a snake need only look at this bronze serpent, and he would be healed (Num. 21:4-9).

Question 4:

What are the implications for believers that God gives us new life?

Jesus told Nicodemus that, in the same way, “the Son of Man” (one of Jesus’s favorite names for Himself) “must be lifted up.” The verb “to lift up” is the same word Jesus used to refer to His coming crucifixion (John 8:28).

Most people today are not suffering from the venom of snakes, but from the poison of their own sin. We will not find the cure by looking to a bronze snake but from looking to Jesus. He was crucified for our sins. And He was exalted by the Father. When we look to Him and believe in Him, we are healed.

Jesus said that “everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” Some have called John 3:16 the gospel in one verse. So much of the essential truth of how we can have eternal life with Christ is found in this verse. God initiates salvation out of His love for us and all who believe in Jesus will receive eternal life. Jesus provided the way for us to experience this new birth. When we are born again we receive the promise of eternal life.

Question 5:

How would you describe the Holy Spirit’s role in our salvation?

LIVE IT OUT

The Holy Spirit brings us into a new life as we place our trust in Jesus. Choose one of the following applications:

Receive. Jesus died for our sins on the cross. We need to believe in Him and decide to follow Him instead of living for ourselves. If you’ve never made that decision, do so now. The inside front cover of this book will help you.

Share. Think of a friend, relative, or neighbor who needs to know the new life offered in Christ. Ask if you can tell them what you learned from this study.

Go. Plan to be a part of an evangelistic project this summer to tell others about the new birth. It may be helping with Vacation Bible School or participating in a short-term mission trip—but go.

There are lots of decisions to be made in life, but none more important than the question of where we will spend eternity. Like Nicodemus, we need the new birth. We know that something is broken and that we aren’t who we are supposed to be. The Holy Spirit brings us into a new life as we place our trust in Jesus. 

TeacherNotes:

Never Alone: The Holy Spirit in our Lives 

The Mystery of the Trinity 

Our relationship with God has a lot of complexities because He’s a person too. Three persons, actually — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. J.I. Packer says the doctrine of the Trinity, “Confronts us with perhaps the most difficult thought that the human mind has ever been asked to handle. It is not easy, but it is true.” Augustine is credited with saying something along the lines of, “Whoever denies the Trinity is in danger of losing their soul. Whoever tries to comprehend the Trinity is in danger of losing their mind.” 

Christianity is more than a philosophy. It is not a set of rules or a collection of religious practices. Christianity is a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ by the power of His resurrection. As followers of Christ, we do not worship a distant God. He is right here with us! 

The Holy Spirit is the Person of God present with us — the Person of God to whom we relate directly. He guides us, teaches us, empowers us, comforts us, and convicts us of our sins. Over these 6 lessons, we will see just how the Holy Spirit works in us and among us. 

1. Convicted by the Spirit: The Holy Spirit convicts of sin and points to the truth of salvation. 

2. Born Again by the Spirit: The Holy Spirit brings us into a new life as we place our trust in Jesus. 

3. Indwelled by the Spirit: The Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives affirms our relationship with God. 

4. Filled with the Spirit: The Holy Spirit enables us to live as fully devoted disciples. 

5. Walking with the Spirit: The Holy Spirit leads us to display the fruit of godly character. 

6. United Through the Spirit: The Holy Spirit brings us together as one church. 

How would you explain the convicting power of the Holy Spirit? 

“The Spirit does not merely accuse men of sin; He brings to them an inescapable sense of guilt so that they realize their shame and helplessness before God.” MERRILL C. TENNEY 

2. Born Again by the Spirit THE POINT: The Holy Spirit brings us into a new life as we place our trust in Jesus. 

I love the way our lesson opens this morning: An older man was talking with a graduating high school senior. He inquired, “So what will you do now?” The young man said he planned to attend college and major in business. The older man asked, “And then what?” The young man said he wanted to start his own business, marry, and have a family. The older man repeated, “And then what?” The young man said he hoped to travel, put his kids through college, and continue to have success in business. “All great goals,” said the older man. “And then what?” The young man supposed he would grow old and retire. The older man asked again, “And then what?” The young man said, “I suppose I will die.” “And then what?” The young man said simply, “I don’t know.” 

Most of us get so caught up in our plans for our lives that we fail to realize how quickly this life ends. We live for today with little thought for eternity. 

Jesus speaks this morning about the work of the Holy Spirit that makes it possible for us to spend an eternity with God in heaven. 

Born Again by the Spirit - John 3:1-8, 14-17 John 3:1-3 

1 There was a man from the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to him at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could perform these signs you do unless God were with him.” 3 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 

Who was Nicodemus? & What did Jesus tell him? 

This was a revolutionary concept: the kingdom is personal, not national, or ethnic, and its entrance requirements are repentance and spiritual rebirth. 

How would you explain what it means to be “born again” to a nonbeliever? 

A new birth is required to enter the kingdom of God. To know Jesus only as a teacher, though good, or as a miracle worker, though true, is to miss the point of who He is as a Savior. We become citizens of the kingdom of God through a spiritual birth from above, not by virtue of our good works, prestige, position, or power. Jesus’s statement to Nicodemus was astounding - you must be “born again.” Being born is not something I can do for myself. It is not about my efforts or my good works. New birth means that I must become someone completely different. Receiving new birth is something only God can do for me; it is not something I can do for myself. Why does a person need to be born again? The apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:1 says, "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins" (NKJV). To the Romans he wrote, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Sinners are spiritually “dead”; when they receive spiritual life through faith in Christ, the Bible likens it to a rebirth. Only those who are born again have their sins forgiven and have a relationship with God. How does that come to be? Ephesians 2:8-9 states, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast." When one is saved, he/she has been born again, spiritually renewed, and is now a child of God by right of new birth. Trusting in Jesus Christ, the One who paid the penalty of sin when He died on the cross, is the means to be "born again." "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17). Most people assume they must do something to earn heaven. Most world religions teach that a person must be “good enough” to receive a reward in the afterlife. For some, that would involve good works or religious ritual. Nicodemus probably assumed that following the Jewish law was necessary to be approved by God and enter His heaven. 

John 3:4-8 4 “How can anyone be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked him. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again. 8 The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” 

The Holy Spirit brings about the new birth. The work of the Holy Spirit to bring about this new birth is not easy to measure or explain; it has an element of the mysterious. Jesus used wind to illustrate what being born of the Holy Spirit is like. We experience the wind. We can feel it blowing against our face and see it moving the leaves on the trees. The work of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life is not something we can necessarily see, but it is no less real. 

In one of Billy Graham’s Devotional – he tells a story about a little boy who had recently received Christ. The little boy asked his dad, “how can I believe in the Holy Spirit when I have never seen Him?” His father, who was an electrician said, “I’ll show you how.” The father then took his boy to the power plant he worked at and showed him the generators. This is where the power comes from to heat our stove and to give us light. We can’t see the power, but it is in that machine and in the power lines. The little boy said, “I believe in electricity.” “Of course, you do,” said his father, “but you don’t believe in it because you see it. You believe in it because you see what it can do. Likewise, you can believe in the Holy Spirit because you can see what He does in people’s lives when they are surrendered to Christ and possess His power. 

We may fail to understand spiritual truth because we are not thinking spiritually. We are physically born into this world as a miracle of God; we are spiritually born into God’s kingdom by the miraculous work of His Holy Spirit. Human beings are multidimensional beings, flesh and spirit. As we tend to the needs of the flesh, so we should attend to the spiritual side of life. We do not see the Holy Spirit but that does not mean He is not present and working. The work of the Holy Spirit effectively makes a difference in the life of the person who submits to Him. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 

John 3:14-17 14 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” 

Why is “trust” a good word to use in describing a belief that saves? 

• To believe is more than intellectual agreement that Jesus is God. It means to put our trust and confidence in Him that He alone can save us. Believing is both trusting His words as reliable and relying on Him for the power to change. 

• We experience a new birth as we trust in Jesus. God provides a way of salvation; it is through Jesus, His Son, who was given from God’s heart of love. The gift of salvation is received by faith, believing Jesus is the Savior of the world. We condemn ourselves by choosing sin over salvation. 

Jesus answered that question for Nicodemus by reminding him of an event in Jewish history. When the people of Israel were wandering in the wilderness, they began to blaspheme God. Because of their sin, the Lord sent poisonous snakes among them. Many died. The people repented and begged Moses to intercede with God. Moses did so but God didn’t take the snakes away. Rather, God told Moses to fashion a snake out of bronze and mount it. Anyone bitten by a snake need only look at this bronze serpent, and he would be healed (Num. 21:4-9). Jesus said that “everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” Some have called John 3:16 the gospel in one verse. So much of the essential truth of how we can have eternal life with Christ is found in this verse. God initiates salvation out of His love for us and all who believe in Jesus will receive eternal life. Jesus provided the way for us to experience this new birth. When we are born again, we receive the promise of eternal life. The Holy Spirit brings us into a new life as we place our trust in Jesus. 

Conclusion: We do not know the immediate outcome of Jesus’s conversation with Nicodemus. At some point in time before the crucifixion, he appears to have made some commitment to Jesus. The more important question is, what have you (and I) decided to do with the message of salvation Jesus shared? The Holy Spirit brings us into a new life. We can depend on that. But He does so as we place our trust in Jesus. That is our part. 

Have you entered the kingdom of God, believed in Jesus, been born again — experienced new life in the Spirit—and received the promise of eternal life by believing in Jesus as the Savior? 

What do the passengers on a cruise ship do to keep the ship afloat and on course? Are they earning their voyage in any way?” Allow time for discussion. Share that the only things the passengers on a cruise need to do to reach their destination is to step onto the boat—just as we, as believers, need to put our trust in Jesus every day. Our biggest job as believers is to trust that Jesus will carry us and protect us. There is nothing we can do to earn salvation; we simply must be willing to trust in the One who saves. 

How can I know if I have been reborn? 

Spiritual rebirth occurs when a person places faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection and receives God’s forgiveness of sin (1 Peter 1:3; 1 John 2:2). Salvation is the state of being reborn, as Jesus says, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” (John 3:3). Being reborn spiritually is like a caterpillar undergoing metamorphosis and emerging from a chrysalis as a new creature. Salvation is a spiritual metamorphosis with radical consequences, transforming believers’ lives. When one is born again, he or she is a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). But how can we know that we have been spiritually reborn? Is there a certain experience we should seek? A certain feeling we should have? What’s the proof of the new birth? Paul asserts that we can and should test ourselves on whether we are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). John says that we can know that we have eternal life (1 John 5:13). God’s Word gives believers the assurance of salvation and provides guidelines about how we can know we have been reborn. 

1. You can know you have been reborn if you have placed faith in Jesus Christ. Romans 10:9–11 says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, ‘Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.’” The only requirement for salvation is faith in the work of Jesus’ death and resurrection (John 6:29). Nothing and no one else can save, not even our own good works (Acts 4:12; Ephesians 2:1–10). Once a person is saved by placing faith in Jesus, then he or she can be assured of salvation (John 10:28). This is the promise of God. To have faith in Jesus means to trust Him. We place our faith in Jesus when we recognize that we are separated from God and cannot resolve that problem ourselves, when we understand that God has provided the payment for our sins through Jesus’ death, and when we turn to Him in repentance and belief. Faith in Jesus is not simply intellectual assent to the facts of His existence, His deity, His death on the cross, or His bodily resurrection. Rather, faith in Jesus is a heart-level trust that He is who He says He is and that He has accomplished what He says He has accomplished. It is belief that salvation is by God’s grace; it is reliance on the risen Lord for that salvation. 

2. You can know you have been reborn if you bear the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22–23 lists the qualities that believers will demonstrate as a result of being reborn by the Holy Spirit: “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (NLT). The work of the Holy Spirit in your life is evidence of rebirth, as the Holy Spirit indwells you (John 14:16–17; 1 John 4:13) and controls you (Romans 8:9). 

3. You can know you have been reborn if you bear marks of a changed life. People will notice a change in the life of the follower of Christ because life before salvation will look different from life in Christ. No longer will the person reborn by the Spirit want to live in sin; children of God do not desire to habitually and without remorse partake in the deeds of darkness (Ephesians 5:5–8; 1 Thessalonians 5:5). Instead, believers will seek to imitate Christ: “If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him” (1 John 2:29, ESV). Of course, no one is perfect this side of heaven, but Christians have been saved to do good works for the Lord, and those works are one evidence of their rebirth (Ephesians 2:10). 

4. You can know you have been reborn if you demonstrate love for your neighbor. Jesus told His disciples that love would set them apart as His followers (John 13:34–35). Having love for fellow believers is a mark of a reborn person (1 John 4:20). Showing love to others, including one’s enemies (Matthew 5:44; Mark 12:31), is a quality of someone who has been born again. Many believers can recall a specific moment in time when they placed faith in Jesus, but for others arriving at the point of rebirth may have been a longer, more convoluted process. Regardless of whether we remember the exact day, month, and year of our salvation, we can be assured of being reborn because of our trust in Jesus and His continued work in our lives. Because He never changes, Jesus can be trusted as the means and assurance of salvation (Hebrews 13:8).