Man’s Moral and Natural Ability, Part 10

In John 3, Jesus made it plain and simple: “No one will see the kingdom of God unless he or she is first born again” (v. 3).   Let me ask you a question: Did you choose your physical birth? In other words, did you choose to be born?  No. You had absolutely nothing to do with your physical birth.  You had no say so in the location of your birth or its time. Those things were made on your behalf.

This is what Jesus is saying regarding one’s spiritual birth. You did not choose your spiritual birth. It was chosen for you.

If you are astonished at this, so was Nicodemus.  Jesus said to him, “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again’” (v. 7).  Then Jesus describes what it’s like to be born again.  “The wind (pneuma – “Spirit”) blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (v. 8). 

Here Jesus tells Nicodemus that being born again or being born of the Spirit starts by “where the wind or Spirit wishes.”  The Holy Spirit chooses who to save. He does not look into the future and sees who will believe in the Son and then gives faith to the person to believe. No, the Spirit of God chooses on His own whom to save.

The next part of the verse says that “you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.” In other words, no one knows whom the Spirit will choose. No one knows the time the Spirit will choose to save a person. But this much we do know, and that is – “No one is born again apart from the Spirit.”

Jesus is simply teaching Nicodemus about divine election. Because of man’s moral and natural inability to choose God on his own, the Spirit of God does the choosing Himself – whomever He wishes.

End of Part 10