Are we as excited about someone being reborn?

The birth of a child is an extremely exciting time. It is almost always followed by great emotion and celebration first by the parents as they gaze into the eyes of the child for the first time, then by jubilant family members who have been pacing in the waiting room for hours.

For the Christian, do we engage in this kind of excitement with rebirth? And if not, why not?

Let’s consider the deeper connections between our physical birth and spiritual rebirth. Let’s explore John 3, as Jesus unpacks the concept of rebirth or being “born again” to a Pharisee named Nicodemus.

“Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.’ Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.’” (John 3:1-3)

“‘How can someone be born when they are old?’ Nicodemus asked. ‘Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!’ Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to 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.’” (John 3:4-8)

For the Christian, we know that our spiritual rebirth is a mystery in itself. Jesus said as much to Nicodemus. These teachings have continued to baffle the unbelieving world today, as they did back then. And with good reason, if we’re able to come back to the concept with our pre-salvation understanding.

Think about it…being born again!

What a ludicrous statement for an unbeliever to process. It’s shocking to them! It sounds crazy! It sounds like complete nonsense. Like it did for Nicodemus. That being said, once we’ve considered this miracle, we see the connections.

For those who have had the privilege of being in a delivery room prior to the child’s arrival, you know the chaos, the pain and the overall emotion that fills the room. Many times there is great chaos, pain and emotion in the process of someone coming to the knowledge of Christ. Both in the acknowledgement of their sin, and the realization that they can be forgiven.

Now think about the doctors, nurses and midwives who carefully bring this child into the world. It is not dissimilar to those pastors, ministry leaders, friends and family members, who carefully bring someone through the process of accepting Christ as the Lord of their life.

Then think about the moment that we hear that first infant cry, as the baby is placed in its mother’s arms. Then passed to their father as he beams with pride and contentment. All the agony fades at that moment and is replaced with celebration and tears of joy. So too is rebirth!

The Father welcomes His child into His presence through Jesus, gazing upon them and embracing them with His everlasting love and affection.

[bctt tweet=”At rebirth the Father welcomes His child into His presence through Jesus, gazing upon them and embracing them with His everlasting love and affection.” username=”PastorJNorton”]

Let’s go one step further.

Even the growth of that infant mirrors Biblical teaching on spiritual growth.

“I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.” (1 Corinthians 3:2)

[bctt tweet=”Remember that the growth of an infant mirrors Biblical teaching on spiritual growth. “I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.” (1 Corinthians 3:2)” username=”PastorJNorton”]

Milk before solid food; that is how we nurture someone who has been ‘born again‘. We should consider all of those Believers in our lives who are only a few months to a couple of years old in their Christian walk.

• Have we been expecting too many adult principles and actions from an infant believer?
• Have we neglected to celebrate and care for their infancy?
• Have we expected them to digest meat before they have had a steady diet of milk?

My suggestion is that Jesus was trying to be clear with us about how we should interact with our new brothers and sisters in Christ.  Perhaps, all this talk of being ‘born again,‘ is far deeper a concept than we give credit for.