1. “Who were begotten not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13).
The literal meaning of regeneration is “to be born again.” Nicodemus understood this to mean that he had to enter into his mother’s womb a second time (3:4). Although he understood the meaning of the word regeneration, he misunderstood the significance of regeneration. Although, literally speaking, regeneration is a rebirth, the significance of regeneration is not about entering a mother’s womb to be born again. Regeneration involves receiving the Spirit. Even if we could reenter into our mother’s womb and be reborn, which is utterly impossible, we would still be flesh born of the flesh, not of the Spirit. Our spirit must be born of the Spirit. Only spirit can be born of the Spirit. To be born of the Spirit is to be born of God, for God is Spirit. Therefore, regeneration is to be born of God.
Regeneration is not a birth according to blood, according to the will of the flesh, or according to the will of man, which only enables man to receive another fleshly life. Rather, regeneration is to be born of God so that man may receive a spiritual life. We were originally born of blood, of the will of the flesh, and of the will of man. In our first birth, we received a life of the human flesh, which cannot share in the kingdom of God. Therefore, we need to be born again of God so that we may receive God’s spiritual life and participate in God’s kingdom. Since this birth from God is a rebirth, it is regeneration.
2. “Born anew” (John 3:3).
In John 3:3 the word anew is synonymous with from above in verse 31; therefore, to be “born anew” also has the meaning of being “born from above.” Our first birth from our parents was from the earth and from below since our parents were on the earth and below, but our second birth from God, regeneration, was a birth from the heavens and from above, since God is in the heavens and above. Since the regenerated life is from above, a regenerated person also delights in the things that are above. Whatever man’s life issues from and belongs to, it enjoys. A fleshly life of the earth likes the things of the earth because it is from the earth and belongs to the earth; a spiritual life from the heavens loves heavenly things because it is from the heavens and belongs to the heavens. Regeneration enables one to gain this heavenly life.
3. “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).
Verse 5 is the Lord’s explanation of regeneration. When Nicodemus heard Him speak of regeneration, he thought that he had to go back into his mother’s womb and be born again. Therefore, the Lord explained that regeneration means to be born of water and the Holy Spirit. Regeneration is not related to going back into a mother’s womb and being born again of the flesh; rather, it involves being born of water and the Holy Spirit. Some think that being born of water means to be born of the word of the truth. They say that water refers to the word. But we do not agree with this because the Lord said that one must be born of water and the Spirit. The Spirit spoken of here is the Holy Spirit; all Bible scholars agree on this. Therefore, why should we think that the water spoken of here is more than just water; that is, what is the basis for interpreting it as the word? If we interpret the end of the verse literally, we should interpret the beginning of the verse literally. We should not interpret Spirit literally in the second part of the verse and interpret water spiritually in the first part of the verse. If we interpret water literally, it must refer to just water. In fact, John the Baptist had already spoken with the Pharisees about the matter of “water and the Spirit.” He said, “I baptize you in water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me...will baptize you in the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 3:11). He meant that he wanted the Pharisees to receive both the baptism in water that he preached and the baptism in the Holy Spirit that the Lord would give. The Pharisees, however, rejected the water baptism that he preached (Luke 7:29-30). Therefore, the Lord brought up the matter of water and the Spirit with Nicodemus who came to visit Him. When we read this word today, we do not easily understand what it refers to; however, when Nicodemus heard the Lord’s word, he was very clear that it referred to the water baptism preached by John the Baptist and to the Holy Spirit whom the Lord would give. Thus, the Lord’s speaking about being born of water and the Spirit was in reference to passing through the water of John’s baptism and to receiving the Holy Spirit given by the Lord in order to be regenerated.
The water baptism preached by John the Baptist requires people to repent and to confess that they are incurably corrupt and worthy only of death and to then enter into the waters of baptism to be buried and terminated. The Holy Spirit given by the Lord enables those who believe in Him to obtain life and be resurrected. Together these two things mean that one must repent, confessing that he is corrupt and worthy of death, believe in the Lord, and receive the life given by Him in the Spirit. After one passes through these two processes, he is regenerated. Thus, on the one hand, regeneration is a termination of the old self-life through repentance, and on the other hand, a receiving of new life in the Spirit through belief in the Lord.
4. “That which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6).
Regeneration is of God’s Spirit, and through regeneration we obtain God’s life from God’s Spirit. In regeneration God’s Spirit enters us and gives us His life. The life we obtain in regeneration is just the Spirit because in regeneration we obtain God’s spiritual life from God’s Spirit. In regeneration our spirit is born of the Spirit; that is, our human spirit is born of God’s Spirit.
5. “The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from and where it goes; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).
Because the life a person receives in regeneration is spiritual, it is invisible; it can be felt but not seen. Just as the wind can be felt without being seen, the life from God’s Spirit in regeneration has a power that can be felt without being seen. Although we cannot see this life, we can feel it; although we cannot show it to others, others can sense it. After being regenerated, we feel as if there is something marvelous within us. Even those around us can sense our marvelous condition. The marvelous thing within us is the life we gained in regeneration, and the marvelous condition that others sense is the expression of this life.
6. “I will also give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take away the heart of stone out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh” (Ezek. 36:26).
Regeneration does not change our outward actions; rather, it changes our inward heart. It does not improve our old man; instead, it gives us a new spirit. Our old heart was stubborn and as hard as stone. When God regenerates us, He takes away our heart of stone and gives us a pliable new heart, one that is soft as flesh. Moreover, God puts a new spirit in us. Regeneration causes us to obtain a new heart and a new spirit, which begin to inwardly transform us.