When the Spirit of God began to move deeply in the life of John Bunyan, he tried to reform himself outwardly in life and manners. Although his heart was as sinful as ever, he did impress his neighbors with the change in behaviors. And he was inclined to think that he pleased God as much as anyone else in 17th century England.
But the Spirit of God opened his blinded eyes to the hardness of what he later called his “unwieldable” heart. With a troubled conscience, he came upon several women one day, sitting at the door of a house on one of the streets of Bedford. Bunyan recalls: “I drew near to them, for I was now a brisk talker about religion. I heard, but I understood not; for they were far above me, out of my reach; for their talk was about a new birth, the work of God in their hearts.”
John Bunyan was hearing from these women an echoing of Jesus’ words to Nicodemus, but now, for the first time, is hearing them with a new understanding; “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” (John 3:3).
Even though Jesus only used the term “born again” once, it is frequently used today as a threatening distortion of authentic evangelical Christian faith. And that’s a pity, because the truth regarding the need to be “born again” is much too important to be lost, ignored, or ridiculed.
Like John Bunyan, Nicodemus is surprised when Jesus tells him that he needed to be “born again.” Nicodemus was a wealthy Jewish leader of the Pharisee sect. Intrigued by Jesus’ life and ministry, and with a growing sleepless urgency for a better understanding, he came to Jesus during the night, hoping for a ‘one on one’ conversation with Jesus.
Nicodemus addresses Jesus with “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God.” But Jesus would have nothing to do with the niceties of theological dialogue. He cuts through all the pleasantries and lays his finger on the deepest need of Nicodemus’ heart. He said, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
With the word “see” Jesus is saying that His kingdom is a present reality which can be seen only with eyes of faith. Then in response to Nicodemus’ questioning how this could ever happen, Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.”
And so, we hear Jesus declaring that both the seeing and the entering of God’s kingdom are acts of faith, that is, believing and confessing Jesus Christ as Lord and being “born (again) of water and the Spirit.”
The Old Testament prophets anticipated the day when God would take away the stony heart and give people a heart of flesh. “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean…. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”(Ezek. 36:25-26).
But Nicodemus, for all his theological learning, thinks the whole idea of a new birth is slightly ridiculous. To enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born again is utterly absurd in his mind. And, if understood in that literal physical sense, Nicodemus was certainly right.
In answer to Nicodemus’ protest, Jesus explains that we are all physically born of the flesh only. But to be born of human parents does not give us automatic entrance into God’s Kingdom. And even a second physical birth, if such were ever possible, would not bring us any closer to God’s Kingdom. Physical birth is limited to the horizontal level, whereas, the new birth happens vertically, from above, from heaven.
Also, Jesus is not talking about reincarnation or a regeneration of our humanness. He is not saying that we need to become more religious, or become a better neighbor with impeccable character and morals. No, He is talking about a new life, a new kind of person who now understands a new reality, who by faith sees the kingdom of God, and is given new desires and abilities, and new family relationships.
Return with me to the streets of Bedford and to John Bunyan. He listened to those women on the doorstep talk about the new birth. And he writes, “They spoke as if joy made them speak; they spoke with such pleasantness of scriptural language and with such appearance of grace in all they said, that they were to me as if they had found a new world, and my heart began to shake as mistrusting my condition; for I saw in all my thoughts about religion and salvation, the new birth had never entered my mind.”
He left them there on the doorstep, convinced that he needed to be “born again” and he returned several times to talk with them. And soon God transformed his heart with great softness and tenderness. He went to church, where he heard the gospel and, as he puts it, “was so taken up with the love and mercy of God that I could hardly contain myself till I got home. I thought I could have spoken of God’s love and mercy even to the crows that sat on the plowed land.”
John Bunyan had experienced the new birth. Have you?
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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – March 8, 2023
Ray M. Geigley
Healing Rays of Righteousness 
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