John 3:1-16.

First – the need of the new birth :'' Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." The Lord gives the reason, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh." The apostle states the mind of the flesh:" The mind of the flesh is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God " (Rom. 8:7, 8, R. V.). If such were allowed to enter the heavenly kingdom, it would soon be as bad as the kingdoms of this world. No wonder, therefore, that the Lord should say, " Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again."

Secondly, The agents by which this new birth is accomplished:"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Water and the Spirit. One can hardly think that "water," literal water, can be an agent in the accomplishment of new birth. The term water is used emblematically in Scripture:"Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean:from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you:and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them " (Ezek. 36:25-27). The term "water" is also used in like manner in the New Testament:"In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive:for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.")-John 7:37-39. Here water is used as an emblem of the Holy Spirit. But this cannot be the meaning of water in the Lord's words on the new birth, for He mentioned the Spirit as distinct from the water. However, the passage serves to show that the term "water" is used as an emblem. It is also used as an emblem of the word of God:'' Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself for it:that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word" (Eph. 5:25,26). Peter also ascribes new birth to the word of God, including the Spirit. See i Pet. 1:23-25. James writes, " Of His own will begat He us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of His creatures " (James 1:18). Other passages might be given in proof, but the above will suffice.

But the new birth is not by "water" only, but by "the Spirit," according to our Lord's teachings. He makes the Spirit prominent, for while He mentions "water" once, He mentions "the Spirit" three times, "the Spirit" being mentioned twice alone. "That which is born of the Spirit is spirit." "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou nearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth:so is every one that is born of the Spirit." So that a soul born again is indeed born of God-"born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God " (John 1:13). Thirdly, the judicial basis of the new birth:"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so must the Son of man be lifted up :that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life " (John 3:14, 15). "Lifting up" meant crucifixion. On a subsequent occasion Jesus said to the unbelieving Jews, "When ye have lifted up the Son of man," etc. (John 8:28). But while He was taken, and by wicked hands crucified and slain, yet God used their wicked act to carry out His purpose of grace. The Lord in the closing words of His public ministry said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth," etc. (John 12:32). John adds, "But this He said signifying by what manner of death He should die" (ver. 33, R. V.). "The people answered Him,"-showing that they knew what was meant by lifting up,-"we have heard out of the law that Christ abideth forever:and how sayest thou, the Son of man must be lifted up ? who is this Son of man ?" They had, it would seem, learned from the Old Testament that the Christ and the Son of man meant the same Person ; and if so, they could not see how He could be lifted up, crucified, and also abide forever. But thank God, we have no such difficulty; for He who died on the cross was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, and sat at His right hand in a new life, and is thus in the position where He will abide forever, as He said to John on the Isle of Patmos, "I am He that liveth and was dead, and behold I am alive forevermore"(Rev. 1:18). Thus the suffering Son of man is the Christ who is to abide forever.

It is clear then that being "lifted up " meant being crucified. As the Lord's words "ye must be born again" expressed man's need, the words "the Son of man must be lifted up" expressed the meeting of the need in death. The word of God plainly tells us that the Cross is the judicial basis of the salvation of sinners, and therefore as the new birth is an important part of the salvation, the Cross must be its judicial basis.

But were not believers born again in the ages prior to the Cross being an accomplished fact ? . Yes surely, for the Cross was in the purpose of God, so that He could act in blessing according to that which He purposed. The same was true as to forgiveness of sins; God passed by, not brought into judgment, the sins of Old Testament believers, and the accomplishment of full atonement through the Cross being seen in the risen and glorified Jesus, showed God's righteousness in thus dealing with those who trusted in Him, though their lot was cast in the ages before the atoning death of the cross. God counted the value of it to them. Hence they too were born again.

Lastly, how this blessing becomes ours. Along with justification and peace, it becomes ours on the principle of faith. The Lord, still addressing Nicodemus, said, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life " (John 3:16). John takes the "whosoever"into his 1st Epistle:"Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God " (i John 5:i). In his Gospel he writes, "He came unto His own and they that were His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He the right to become the children 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 " (John 1:11-13, R- V.). And what was true then is true now,-those who truly receive Christ, that is, with the faith of the heart, are born again, yea, are pardoned, have a new life, are "partakers of the divine nature "-in short, are saved. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved " (Acts 16:. 31). R. H.