Albert N. Martin

Will you turn with me, please, to the gospel according to John? I shall read in your hearing verses 1-8.

John chapter 3, verses 1-8, “Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; the same came unto him by night and said unto him, ‘Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do, except God be with him.’ Jesus answered and said unto him, ‘Verily, verily I say unto you, except one be born anew [or born from above or born again] he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said unto Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’Jesus answered, ‘Verily, verily I say unto you, except one be born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said unto you, ‘You must be born anew.’ The wind blows where it will and you hear the voice [or the sound] thereof, but know not whence it comes and whither it goes; so is everyone that is born of the Spirit.’” “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said unto you, ‘You must be born again.’”

Now, notice the context of this statement: it is sandwiched in between our Lord pressing the absolute necessity for the new birth, Nicodemus’ question, “How can I be born again when I am old,” and Jesus’ final statement in verse 7 of the absolute necessity, “Marvel not that you must be born again.” In between those assertions He explains why it is that nothing less than a new birth, nothing less than a birth from above, nothing less than a birth of water and of Spirit will enable us to see and enter the kingdom of God. He says, “It is because that which is born of the flesh is flesh”; and I think William Hendriksen’s comments are the most accurate and simple to grasp. He said, “An accurate paraphrase of the thought of our Lord would be this: sinful, human nature produces only sinful, human nature.” That’s it.

“That which is born of the flesh.” Fathers and mothers who are inherently sinful men and women with sinful human natures—what can they beget in natural generation? “That which is born of the flesh is flesh”! So that our children born of us, by natural generation, can only receive from us that which is sinful, human nature! Job asked the question in Job 14:4, “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one.” “That which is born of the flesh is flesh.” Sinful, human nature can only produce other sinful, human nature! In those simple words, our Lord is seeking to go to the heart of Nicodemus’ problem.

Listen to the complete message.