JOHN 3:7  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

"Ye must be born again!" Why? Why did Yeshua (Jesus) tell Nicodemus that he must be born again? Why must he be? Because GOD is in secret! GOD is hidden and one cannot see HIM, cannot understand HIM, cannot please HIM, and cannot worship HIM in this world. "Ye must be born again" ("from above" is the text).

When we are first born into this world we begin to understand this world. We are introduced to hunger, and so we desire to be fed. We are introduced to color, so we desire to grasp it. We are introduced to loneliness, so we desire companionship. These are longings impossible for us to understand within our mother’s womb. Not until birth have we any realization of them.

So it is with HIS world. It is impossible for us to comprehend the kingdom of GOD until we have been born into it.

JOHN 3:3  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

It is intriguing to realize that GOD has set up the earthly kingdom to give us a way of understanding the heavenly, the Terrestrial to illustrate the Celestial (see 1 CORINTHIANS 15 for other examples). HE was the one who determined every detail of this visible world, and HE did it to encourage us to seek the invisible. He chose the concept of birth to describe entering into HIS kingdom because it is exactly that miracle that delivers us into this world. We don’t enter GOD’s kingdom at death, no more then we enter this "present world" at death. Both kingdoms, both worlds are entered by being born into them.

But how is one born again, how is one born into HIS world, into HIS kingdom? Of course the way is simple, yet it is narrow. The threshold is easily crossed, yet few seem able to find it. They will tell you of the need to be baptized with water, either immersed or sprinkled. They may tell you of faithful Church attendance, or of answering an altar call. Perhaps tithing or speaking in tongues is their way. Or perhaps confessing some particular set of words with ones mouth. But these are all works of the flesh and cannot facilitate the elusive second birth.

In his epistle to the "Twelve Tribes," the Lord’s brother James probably put it most simply when He wrote, "Of his [GOD’s] own will begat he us with the word of truth" (JAMES 1:18). But the Apostle Peter wrote it almost as succinctly in his first epistle, writing, "Being born again…by the word of God." We are born again by the word of GOD! So likewise Paul declared in his epistle to the Galatians, "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus." Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word concerning Christ (ROMANS 10:17). Faith does not come by confessing something, nor does it come by attending something, nor does faith come by tithing something, nor by witnessing. Faith comes by hearing! We are born "sons of GOD" simply by HIS Word, which after having first heard we believe.

John 1:12-13  But as many as received him [Yeshua], to them gave he power [exousia, the choice] to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

This exousia, this power of choice to become sons of GOD, is given to those who receive Him. What does it mean to "receive Him?" His own received Him not but rather rejected Him. To receive Him who is the Word, is to accept that Word. We either accept it or we reject it.

What words are we suppose to hear and accept so as to be born from above, one may ask? If so, the whole point is missed. It is not what we need to hear; the answer is in what we have already heard. Our responsibility is to hear and believe what HE has already given us! Those are the words that have brought us to where we are now. As it is HIS words, it is GOD’s responsibility to sow them. Only HE knows what we need to hear to bring about our second birth and after HE has given those words, only then do we have something to hear and believe.

After we are born from above by the word of GOD, then, "as newborn babes" we are instructed to "desire the sincere milk of the word." Why? "That we may grow!" (1 PETER 2:2). Not only does GOD’s words deliver us into HIS kingdom but it also supplies our nourishment that we may mature and be "no longer children".

First hearing the words of GOD and then believing what we have heard delivers us as children into the kingdom of GOD. Then continuing in His words, we mature to begin to realize the freedom that only His words can bring.

As Jesus was discussing these things with those around Him, He declared,

John 8:23-24  …Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

Being from beneath is being of this world, which is to be dying. However, being from above is to not be of this world, but rather to be living. What separates the two, those from above and those from beneath, those of this world and those of HIS world, those counted as alive and those that are reckoned as dead, is simply believing the words of GOD.

A few moments later Yeshua declared that if one continues in His word, then they shall know the truth and that truth shall make them free. It is only the words of Truth that makes one free from the bondage of sin and delivers them into HIS world of life.

This freedom is not about being able to live in a free society. Nor is this about being free from ones fears or enjoying financial freedom. This is about being free from sin. If one is enslaved to sin he is the servant to that sin. Continuing in the words of GOD frees one from being a slave to sin.

The words of GOD are only given according to the will of GOD. GOD gives HIS words only as HE wills. Until HE has given them, we can only wait for them. But it is not the printed words we are awaiting, for we have Bibles in almost every motel room in America. What we lack is an "understanding" of HIS words, both written and spoken. But one can’t squeeze GOD for truth. HE gives an understanding of HIS words only as HE wills.

Back in John’s Gospel Yeshua declared to His disciples that, "Now ye are clean [katharos] through the word which I have spoken unto you." "Clean" means pure or uncontaminated. Hearing and believing the words of Truth that GOD gives us, cleans us. The words of GOD are not just words. They are alive. They are powerful! They are able to communicate spiritual concepts to our minds and thereby they are able to transform us from death unto life. The words of GOD "effectually worketh" in those who do one thing, believe what they have heard!

So did Paul write in his epistle to Titus.

TITUS 1:15  Unto the pure [katharos] all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled [contaminated] and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

One might liken it to cleaning the afterbirth off of a newborn. Removing all of the old world’s muck to start out clean in HIS new world; that is what GOD’s words do to us. All things are pure unto those who are pure. But unto them who believe not the words of Truth, nothing is pure, even their mind is contaminated. Because they have chosen to believe this world’s lies, instead of the Truth, everything they do or think is tainted with that contamination.

James, in his epistle, identified this earthly wisdom and distinguished it from the wisdom that is from above.

Walking by the flesh is to be led by "earthly wisdom". Walking by the spirit, being led by the spirit, is to hear and obey the "wisdom from above". One cannot obey what he cannot hear and one cannot hear the wisdom from above until he is born from above. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" (ROMANS 8:14).

However, before one actually is born from above and becomes a son of GOD, GOD by HIS goodness can lead him to repentance. GOD can engineer circumstances so that the child of darkness can be introduced to the light. Words can be implanted in his heart to awake him that sleeps, to arouse him from the dead. "Wherefore He is saying, ‘Rouse! O drowsy one, and rise from among the dead, and Christ shall dawn upon you!’" (EPHESIANS 5:14 The Concordant Version). This awakening is the result of nothing else other than one hearing and believing the words of truth.

What child of light is there that did not come from the darkness? We were all in darkness yet somehow GOD managed to rescue us out of it. We were all dead yet somehow we have been made alive. We were all slaves to sin, now we are to be slaves of righteousness.

Remember how full of discovery life seemed to be when we were young? This is indeed GOD’s design for us again. Discovering the truth is an exciting adventure! GOD’s words are indeed a treasure. That treasure is concealed and hidden from those of this world. Pieces may be shown to arouse interest in HIS kingdom, but it is only fully appreciated when found buried within HIS kingdom.

A scribe had asked Yeshua which was the greatest commandment. After Yeshua responded and heard the scribe answer "discreetly," He said unto him, "Thou art not far from the kingdom of God" (MARK 12:34).

Yeshua wasn’t telling this man that he was "not far from" dying and going to heaven. No, but He could tell by the scribe’s answer that he was becoming aware of what others hadn’t. He was being led to repentance by the words of GOD. The pains of his labor were beginning. His birth from above was drawing near. He was close to crossing over the threshold into life.

And what Yeshua was seeing was not only the scribe’s desire to enter the kingdom, but what He was also seeing was that it was the will of His Father to deliver the scribe into the kingdom. It is GOD’s words that are heard and believed and therefore it must be GOD that sows them. As Yeshua said, "no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father" (JOHN 6:65). What is given by GOD is simply HIS words and if those words are heard and believed, they result in one being born again.

It seems clear that this is what Yeshua was trying to get across to Nicodemus after He startled him by saying that one "must be born again" before he can enter the kingdom of GOD. He continued,

You can hear the wind coming and then just as suddenly, it is gone. So it is with that "still small voice". As you try to arrange certain of your thoughts, all of the sudden something begins to happen in your mind. You begin to understand that which before was hidden by a thick fog. You may have just experienced a sunesis, a "flowing together" of separate thoughts into a concept of truth.

Perhaps you’re considering some particular verse of scripture and how it relates to another, and then it happens, the two are connected. That connection conceives another and the rivers begin to flow. This is the pursuit of truth. This is having ones understanding enlightened.

"He that is of GOD, heareth GOD’s words" (JOHN 8:47). This is what it is all about! If you are of GOD, you will hear HIS words. But without GOD’s will, you won’t have GOD’s words and without those words you won’t have faith, you won’t be born again, you won’t have life and you won’t be able to enter into HIS kingdom.

All truth that we receive begins with GOD’s will. Then, according to HIS will, HE sows HIS words. Only then can we hear, and only then can we believe. From the moment we are first conceived in our mother’s womb, we begin to receive nourishment so that over time we gain the strength to be born and then grow to maturity. Likewise, after GOD’s words are sown in our hearts, it takes time to germinate before shoots sprout forth and the tender plant begins to produce its fruit.

Physical and spiritual growth is very similar. GOD gives us parcels of HIS words to believe. As we consider and believe we are receiving nourishment to receive more. Receiving milk we are being made ready for meat.

In Paul’s first epistle to the Thessalonians he prayed to see them, that he might "perfect that which is lacking in your faith." They had faith but it was weak, it was malnourished. But by the time of his second epistle to them, he could say that their "faith groweth exceedingly". Continuing in the words of GOD will result in the growth of our faith, for "faith comes by hearing" the word.

But if we consider HIS word and then choose to believe the world instead, we begin to whither. The vibrancy life once presented us with begins to diminish and vanish away. This is what it is to be choked by the cares of this world, after having received the word. This is what it means to have no root and then whither.

This is how GOD designed the earthly because this is so much like the heavenly. As Yeshua told Nicodemus; "If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?" The earthly creation can point us towards the heavenly, but it is "on things above" that our affections are to be. We are to seek the heavenly, not settle for the earthly.

We are to seek those things that are above. But first we must be raised with Christ. First we must be born from above. Then having arrived there, we are not to turn and again desire the earthly. Woe unto any who turn from the light and return to the darkness.

EPHESIANS 4:18  Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness [stubbornness] of their heart [mind]:

"Having the understanding darkened", suggests that at some previous time their understanding was enlightened. Now it is darkened. For some reason they have turned from the light. "But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire" (2 PETER 2:22). Then comes their end, "being alienated from the life of God".

EPHESIANS 4:19-21  Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness [unbridled lust], to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

Have you heard Him? Have you been taught by Him? Indeed! Faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by Christ. For what purpose?

EPHESIANS 4:22-24  That ye put off concerning the former conversation [conduct] the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

We can’t be of both worlds. One is what we were and one is what we are to become. One is where the old man is while the new man is in the other. One is "corrupt according to the deceitful lusts" while the other is "created in righteousness and true holiness". One inherits from this earthly kingdom while the other inherits from GOD’s hidden kingdom.

GALATIANS 5:16-21  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would…of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things [the works of the flesh] shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

As sons of GOD and joint heirs with Christ we can expect an inheritance. That inheritance begins to come to us only when we are mature enough to receive it. It comes into our possession when our Lord determines we will not squander it but use it wisely. When we are faithful with that which is least, it is then that we will be given that which is much. When we are mature and of "full age," it is then that we begin to receive that which has been won for us. GOD’s desire and expectation is that we act responsibly with each new thing HE has given us.

We have been called unto HIS kingdom. The least we can do is walk worthy in that kingdom. We must demonstrate that our talents have not been buried. That we are no longer "tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine". That we are "steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the LORD".

As a plant or a child, we are expected to grow and mature and produce fruit. Not fruit of material gains, but in the knowledge and realization of GOD. Growth suggests first that we are to be born and then receive nourishment so as to mature. That birth and nourishment and maturity are all in proportion to our knowledge and realization of GOD. That knowledge and realization can only come from HIS words.

2 PETER 3:18  But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.