“Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” (John 3:7 ESV).
In the Gospel of John, the apostle recorded Jesus’ nighttime conversation with Nicodemus, a Pharisee and teacher of Israel. When Nicodemus expressed amazement and confusion about being born again, Jesus corrected him, saying he should not be surprised. His astonishment revealed misunderstanding, not insight. As a teacher of the Scriptures, Nicodemus should have recognized that God had long promised inner renewal, including a new heart and a new spirit as foretold by the prophet Ezekiel (cf. Ezekiel 36:25–27). Jesus emphasized the necessity of the new birth with the word “must,” declaring it a divine requirement. This was not advice for self-improvement but a non-negotiable condition for entering God’s kingdom. Yet this new birth is not achieved by human effort. It is a work of God, and as Jesus later revealed, it comes through believing in the Son so that whoever believes in Him has eternal life.
We must examine whether we have made the same mistake as Nicodemus by reducing faith to outward religion. It is possible to know Scripture, attend worship, and live morally, yet still be spiritually dead. We cannot improve ourselves into new life. We must be made new by God through faith in His Son. This means turning from self-reliance and trusting fully in Christ, believing that He alone gives eternal life. Trusting fully in Christ, God gives us new life from above and transforms us from the inside out, so that we are born again spiritually.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we confess that we are dead in our sins apart from Jesus. We acknowledge that we cannot earn eternal life through self-effort. Help us to believe fully in Your Son and trust in Him alone for eternal life. By Your Spirit, give us new hearts and renew us within. Strengthen us to walk by Your Spirit in this new life each day. In Jesus’ name, amen.