"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?"

Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."

John 3:2-4, NASB

As I write this article, it is about 7:15 AM on Tuesday, the 24th of October in the year 2023. Our third child is in labor with our seventh grandchild. We won't know if it is a boy or girl until it is born, but Carolyn and I cannot wait to find out. The time of labor is a bit daunting, is it not? It is an uncertain and frightening time, until that moment the baby comes into this world and we hear the news that all is well with mama and child, but we know that God is with us and that He has everything under control. It is a comforting thought to keep while we wait.

New births are exciting! The anticipation we have and the longing to see what the child will become is as wonderful as it is scary. Will the child be healthy? Will it have what it needs to mature and grow? Will they accomplish great things? There is so much to look forward to - just think about it: A new life! What will become of this brand new human? I cannot wait to find out!

As exciting as the entrance of a newborn baby into this world can be, it must be nothing compared to what God sees when one of His beloved children is born again. It is such an important event that our very eternity will rest on whether this new birth takes place or it doesn't. Parents, one of your most important functions is to make sure that your child can mature to the point that they will choose to follow Christ and that they, therefore, will choose to be born again. But, how does this new birth take place? This was the very question that Nicodemus had, and its answer is just as critical today as it was 2,000 years ago, The command to be born of water and Spirit was made while Jesus still walked this earth, but the method was not given until after he was crucified for our sins and then raised from the dead to walk again. Here is how the Apostle Paul described this new birth:

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father,

we too might walk in newness of life.

For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection.

Romans 6:3-5, NASB

So, there it is! We know that there is so much more to salvation than baptism. The Scriptures tell us that we are saved by grace, by the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, and by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. Further, we are told that we are saved through faith, by our repentance, and by confessing our belief in Christ. And, when all of these things come together, combined with baptism, we are born again! Even better, those who have died to sin, who have been buried in the holy waters of baptism, and who have been raised up out of those waters will rise to walk a newness of life with Christ at the resurrection - they are born again!

Can there be anything that is as precious as a newborn baby in the eyes of their parents? Perhaps the only thing that can compare, and even exceed this joyous occasion, is what is seen through the eyes of the Father, when he sees one of His beloved children raise to walk a newness of life.

Born again!

Have you... been born of water and Spirit?