You must be born again, Jesus said to Nicodemus–but not just born of water (baptism), but also of the Spirit. Jesus’ charge is that the change bringing new life is, yes, outwardly proclaimed, but also inwardly made real. It is the gift of the Spirit that we have new life. We are born again due to the moving of the Spirit.
The Spirit as the wind
Jesus described the Spirit as the wind. Man does not control the wind. It goes where it wants. He is only aware of its presence by what it does. He can hear it. He can feel it. He can see it moving things, but man does not control the Spirit. The Spirit moves as He desires. Man can only feel and see the result of the Spirit’s work.
How can this be?
This would have been a great shock for Nicodemus. He was brought up in a system that believed that a person could, and should, save himself by obedience to the Mosaic Law and all the traditions of the Elders. However, Nicodemus was a teacher of the law and should have understood from Jeremiah 17:9 and other passages that the human heart is desperately wicked and could not be changed by any legalistic system including that of the Pharisees. He should have understood from Deuteronomy 30:6 that any true change would require a circumcised heart that would be given by God.
So it is with all of us, our old life must be set aside and through the moving of the Spirit of God, we are born again.
Scripture recitation
You, too, can recite passages of Scripture, speaking God’s word into the lives of others. Esli George’s recitation of John 3:1-15 is one of many recitation videos in the collection at the By Heart videos webapage and is a wonderful example of how, in whatever way you naturally communicate, you can convey the message of the Bible. Visit the By Heart website to learn how you can memorize Scripture and learn to recite.
