Born from Above
Except of ”Born from Above” preached on March 1, 2026
Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 | John 3:1-17
There are certain categories of questions or topics that we think of and at times even catch ourselves and wonder both to ourselves and to others about what we believe. I think the topic of rebirth was something that Nicodemus had not given much thought to, but it didn’t persuade Jesus to change the subject. Instead, Jesus used it as a teaching lesson beyond the topic of rebirth. We see this play out a bit when Jesus replies to Nicodemus’ claim that Jesus came from God when Jesus replies in verse 3, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” And this certainly piqued the curiosity of Nicodemus, “How can a man be born when he is old? Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!”
It was as if Jesus used the phrase born again or born from above as a way to teach on something much more profound than anything Nicodemus or any other Pharisee could comprehend. Jesus answered in verse 5, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the spirit gives birth to the spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” And Nicodemus prods more, “How can this be?”
Jesus answers again in verse 10, “You are Israel’s teacher, and do you not understand these things? I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven — the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” That’s right, all of this stemmed from a simple introduction on what it means to be born again and I think we can all rest easy knowing that Jesus taught Nicodemus pretty effectively.
As I’ve studied this passage, it has been difficult for me to understand how Jesus had so much depth to his teaching from a single question in verse 2, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” There were a number of ways that Jesus could have responded, and yet he chose to explain the roles of God — Father, Son, and Spirit. This must have been important to teach not only Nicodemus, but those who Nicodemus would interact with as well.
Nicodemus knew scripture well, he was a Pharisee after all, yet he still had questions. The Gospel writer sets the stage with Nicodemus appearing at night. But, if we’re being honest with ourselves, isn’t night when we have some of the richest conversations with Jesus — moving us from what we think we know well as if we were experts to feeling like we are simply human and barely know anything about some of the most important things in our lives? We are no different approaching Jesus at night with some of the most vulnerable moments of our lives — seeking guidance, wisdom, curiosity, and truth.
Paul spoke of similar things when he wrote about Abraham and Sarah. The faith of Abraham is what sustained him through so much uncertainty. Romans 4:16 states it plainly, “Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring — not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.” It’s wild to me how closely patience and faith are intertwined. Can you imagine conversing and understanding the vision that God gives you, but you never fully see it unfold this side of heaven? He’s granted generations and nations to be the father of, but I’m sure there are days when his wife could have been a cynic and at times, we all would have been asking questions — are you sure you heard God correctly? Yet, he was faithful to his calling.
Something that I have found interesting about Abraham when we understand him in close proximity to Nicodemus is that God also spoke to him at night. Genesis 15:5 reads, “He [God] took him outside and said, ‘Look up at the sky and count the stars — if indeed you can count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. There’s something about the way God can move even in the midst of the night to create something new again.
Abram is promised a lineage that begins with and runs through Isaac, Jacob, David, and eventually Jesus. It took generation after generation to reach the Messiah, who would transform the world. For Nicodemus is not promised a lineage of his own, but perhaps the thing that is extended not just to him, but to us all: grace. Neither of these are things we can produce, earn, or even inherit on our own. Grace is what is given — freely from God that renews us, sustains, and helps us expand the kingdom of God for all. For Jesus did not die for some or many, but for all.
This is probably why we as Presbyterians don’t have fancy altar calls or even long lengthy hymns where we play that seventh verse a few more extra times because someone is coming forward. Instead, we believe that God is sovereign, and is working through the Spirit, even in our midst. We may not have it laid out all before us as Abram received the vision from the Lord. We may be a bit more like Nicodemus who kept coming back to Jesus with more questions, more formation, yet had faith to know who to go to in the end.
Our faith doesn’t point to reincarnation or karma or even some dark void where hope is no longer present. Instead, our faith points us towards being born from above. When we change from who we were before to who we are in Christ. Peter was no longer Simon, Paul was no longer Saul. The sins of our past no longer weigh us down because the grace of God is abundant. We all have our thoughts and ideas on what it could mean to be born again, but if it’s not rooted in the grace of God, we likely need to reexamine our belief.
On this Lenten journey, may we be reminded that as people who are born from above, our identity is no longer our own, but found in Jesus Christ. The beautiful thing about the grace of God is that even at our darkest hour of night, when we call on Jesus’ name to just have a conversation, he shows up. Next week we will also see that he also shows up when it’s the brightest part of the day. As we continue on this Lenten journey, may we be people who have the confidence to know that we are born from above, where our identity is not rooted in ourselves, but that we are formed in the ways of Jesus in all we do. Amen.
