What It Really Means to Be Born Again
When Nicodemus, a respected Pharisee, came to Jesus, he was seeking answers, but he ended up getting a whole new perspective on what it means to truly follow God. Jesus didn’t just give him a straightforward answer—He gave Nicodemus a powerful illustration that linked the Old Testament story of Moses lifting up a bronze serpent in the wilderness to what Jesus Himself would do on the cross. This wasn’t just a simple lesson; it was a wake-up call that challenged Nicodemus—and us—to rethink what it means to be born again.
In the book of Numbers, we find the Israelites wandering in the wilderness, frustrated and rebellious. They were grumbling against God and Moses, complaining about their situation. In response, God sent a plague of poisonous snakes as a judgment for their sin. The people quickly realized their mistake, repented, and begged Moses to pray for them. God, in His mercy, instructed Moses to make a bronze serpent and lift it up on a pole. Anyone who was bitten could look at the bronze serpent and be healed. The message was clear: salvation wasn’t something they could earn or achieve through rituals or good behavior. It was a matter of faith—looking to God’s provision for healing and life. Jesus used this story to show Nicodemus that just as the Israelites needed to look at the bronze serpent to be saved from physical death, so must we look to Jesus, lifted up on the cross, to be saved from spiritual death.
Now, you might wonder why Jesus chose this story. After all, Nicodemus was a Pharisee—a religious leader who would have been very familiar with the story of the bronze serpent. But that was exactly the point. Nicodemus knew the story, but he didn’t understand its deeper meaning. Jesus was challenging him to see himself not as the righteous leader who had it all together, but as one of the sinning, rebellious Israelites who needed to repent and turn to God for salvation. Nicodemus had to recognize that, like the Israelites, he had been “bitten” by sin and needed to look to Jesus for healing and eternal life.
The Necessity of Repentance and True Faith
Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus wasn’t just about understanding salvation—it was about understanding the nature of true faith. Nicodemus, like many of the Pharisees, believed that his religious knowledge and adherence to the law were enough to please God. But Jesus flipped that idea on its head. He pointed Nicodemus to the story of the bronze serpent to show him that real faith isn’t just about knowing the right things or doing the right rituals. It’s about recognizing our own sinfulness, repenting, and placing our trust entirely in God’s provision—Jesus Christ.
The story of the bronze serpent is a powerful picture of repentance. The Israelites didn’t just acknowledge that they had sinned—they were desperate for God’s mercy. They didn’t look at the bronze serpent flippantly or out of mere obligation; they looked with a deep awareness of their need for healing and forgiveness. Jesus was telling Nicodemus that he needed to have the same attitude. To be born again, Nicodemus had to stop relying on his own righteousness and start relying on God’s grace. This wasn’t a message of easy belief or cheap grace.
It was a call to radical transformation—a transformation that begins with repentance and is evidenced by a life of obedience.
This leads us to a crucial question: What does it mean to believe in Christ? Is it simply a matter of agreeing with the facts about Jesus, or does it require something more? According to Jesus, true faith involves a willingness to obey. It’s not enough to say, “I believe in Jesus,” while continuing to live in disobedience. Real faith results in a changed life—a life that seeks to honor God in every area. Jesus made it clear that there’s no such thing as faith without obedience. If we claim to believe in Christ but refuse to obey His teachings, we are deceiving ourselves. True faith is always accompanied by a desire to live in the light of God’s truth, to turn away from sin, and to follow Jesus wholeheartedly.
The Price of Salvation and the Call to Obedience
Another significant aspect of the story of the bronze serpent is what it foreshadowed—the death of Jesus on the cross. Just as the bronze serpent had to be lifted up on a pole, Jesus had to be lifted up on the cross to provide salvation for us. This wasn’t an optional part of God’s plan; it was a necessity. The Bible tells us that “without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). Sin demands a price, and that price is death. But God, in His infinite love, sent His only Son to pay that price on our behalf. When we look to Jesus in faith, we are saved—not because of anything we’ve done, but because of what He has done for us.
This truth is beautifully encapsulated in John 3:16, one of the most well-known verses in the Bible: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” But let’s not stop at the surface level of this verse. To believe in Jesus means to trust in Him completely—to trust that His death on the cross is sufficient to cover our sins and to respond to that trust by living a life of obedience to His commands. Jesus Himself said, “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15). Faith and obedience go hand in hand. True faith in Christ will always lead to a life that seeks to follow His example.
This brings us back to Nicodemus and his encounter with Jesus. Nicodemus came to Jesus with questions, but he left with a challenge—a challenge to rethink everything he thought he knew about God and salvation.
Jesus didn’t offer him an easy path; He offered him the truth.
And that truth was that Nicodemus needed to be born again—to repent of his sins, to look to Jesus for salvation, and to live a life of obedience to God. It was a radical message then, and it’s still a radical message today. But it’s the message of the gospel, and it’s the only way to eternal life.
The Reality of Redemption: For All Who Believe
Finally, we see in John 3:17-18 a clear and exclusive statement about the reality of redemption. Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world; He came to save it. But that salvation is only available to those who believe in Him. For those who reject Christ, the Bible says that judgment has already begun. The light has come into the world, but many choose to remain in darkness because they don’t want their deeds to be exposed. It’s a sobering reminder that there is no middle ground when it comes to Jesus. We either accept Him and the salvation He offers, or we reject Him and face the consequences.
But here’s the good news: Redemption is available to everyone—Pharisee and sinner alike. Jesus didn’t just come to save the righteous; He came to save those who recognize their need for Him. And that’s the reality of redemption. It’s not about how good we are or how much we know. It’s about recognizing that we are all snake-bitten sinners in need of a Savior. It’s about turning away from our sin and turning to Jesus, who was lifted up on the cross so that we might have eternal life.
Challenge
So, what does this mean for us today? It means that we need to take an honest look at our own hearts. Are we relying on our own righteousness, or are we relying on Jesus? Are we living in the light, or are we hiding in the darkness? The challenge is clear: We need to be born again. We need to repent of our sins, look to Jesus for salvation, and live a life of obedience to His Word. That’s the reality of redemption, and it’s available to all who believe.
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