The Book of John: Come and See The Spirit

Sunday, John will bring us into a familiar interaction between Jesus and Nicodemus. This interaction follows on the heels of John saying that while some believed in Jesus, Jesus did not reciprocate because he knew their hearts. Their faith was not a work of God’s grace, but a human response to seeing something supernatural. John uses this interaction to make a point that faith is a work of God’s Spirit. Jesus says, “you must be born again.” (John 3:7) Here the word “again” can also be translated “above.”

Being “born from above” refers to the Spirit’s work of regeneration, or the new birth. Jesus teaches, even as he interacts with people, that unless the Spirit of God grants the new birth, genuine faith is impossible. How do we know the Spirit of God is present at work? That’s where Jesus’ illustration of the wind comes in. You don’t know where the wind comes from or is going, but you know when it’s present because things happen (leaves blow, your hair is messed up, etc.). So it is with the Spirit, you know when he’s present because people believe and receive eternal life. Have you been born from above?