“The Gift of Life”
Text: John 3:1-17 (Romans 4:1-17)
3/5/2023
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. John 3 :16 has to be one of the most famous and oft quoted Bible verses ever. Martin Luther called it "the heart of the Bible, the Gospel in miniature." In other words, this verse summarizes all the Scriptures in one, relatively short sentence. And that's true. But it's also true that no verse in the Bible should ever be taken out of context, including this precious gem. Unfortunately, that's what often happens with John 3:16. Believers, including preachers, frequently tend to focus only on one word in that sentence: love. God's love, to be precise—His love for the world in sending His only Son. However, if you stop there then you've robbed yourself of the full richness of the Gospel. And not only that, you open the door for misleading doctrines that water-down and distort that wondrous treasure. That's why it needs to be read and understood in context. So I would invite you to look at this passage anew with me and rediscover the whole truth that it contains from the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
As you heard, a Pharisee named Nicodemus came to talk with Jesus. That makes sense because by this time Christ had said and done some very impressive things and gathered quite a following (2:23). He was now on the radar of the Jewish religious leaders. They were curious and also concerned about this country rabbi. It appears that Nicodemus came on his own, though. If Jesus was truly the Messiah, he didn't want to miss it. But he had some doctrinal hang-ups that were preventing him from taking that leap of faith.
Nicodemus' opening statement sounds like a compliment that Jesus simply ignores. But there was an underlying question in this Pharisee's flattering words and Jesus gets right to it in His response. You see, the religious system of that day taught that a person could obtain eternal life in God's kingdom by perfectly obeying the Law as well as the manmade rules of their Jewish leaders. They actually believed it was possible and it was something the religious elite thought they had already achieved. However, Nicodemus had some nagging doubts. Jesus was teaching some powerful "new" things from God's Word and he wanted to know what he was missing. He truly wanted to know how he could obtain this spiritual life with God. That prevailing mindset can be seen when the rich, young ruler came to Jesus in Luke 18 and asked, "What must I DO to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus knew this was the question behind Nicodemus' visit and He cut to the chase. Christ tells him in no uncertain terms that He’s not calling for a “revision” of the Pharisee’s methodology. There wasn't some new, added rule they had keep or something they were doing improperly. In fact, the answer was not to be found at all in any work they might DO. Rather, Jesus called for something radically different, a total rebirth, in order to gain the true life that the Son of God came to give. He repeats this need to be born anew 3 times in the conversation. And in one fell swoop, Christ blows away the spiritual house of cards that Nicodemus (and others) had been counting on. You are saved, not by your religious good works, but by a free gift of life.
Now, don't think that Nicodemus was being obtuse or sarcastic when he asked his follow-up question. He seriously wondered how someone could possibly be physically born a second time. But he also saw it as a spiritual matter. He was obviously confused and perhaps even a bit hurt. In essence he was asking, “I’ve got my Master of Divinity degree and my Doctorate in religion and now you’re saying I need to chuck it all and start over? A Gentile may need to be treated like a child, but me, a mature Jew of high standing? Are You saying I need to be born again also?” He thought this regeneration that Jesus spoke of was impossible and unnecessary for him.
You see, Nicodemus was fixated on human beings DOING something to obtain this spiritual life. So Jesus got more specific and pointed him to the source of this new life. It's necessary for everyone because human flesh can only give birth to fleshly things. Our human flesh cannot give new life to a soul that is spiritually dead. As Jesus said in verse 6, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Only the Holy Spirit can give the gift of spiritual life. And that happens when we are reborn by water and the Spirit in Holy Baptism.
Sadly, the confusion of Nicodemus is still with us in Christendom today. You don’t have to look far to find Christian churches that teach you have to reach an “age of accountability” and have the ability to verbally confess your faith before you can or should be Baptized. It’s a dangerous doctrine. Without realizing it, they are making this necessary spiritual rebirth a human work rather than a gift from God. Ponder the illustration that Christ used and you'll see the perilous folly to this kind of thinking.
I had a conversation longer ago with one of my brothers who left the Lutheran church and now denies the effectiveness of infant Baptism. When he made the switch, he chose to be rebaptized because he didn't believe the Baptism he received as a baby was valid. Unfortunately, he's not alone. When he brought it up to me, I tried to explain the ridiculous premise he was operating under. I started by asking him what role he played in his physical birth. Did he choose what day he would be born? In fact, did he “do” anything to bring about his birth? Yes, he was a participant, but a passive participant. He was there and it happened to him. So, was his physical birth invalid until he consciously acknowledged that he was alive? Did he have to wait until an “age of accountability” before he could have a birthday to celebrate? I know, it sounds ridiculous but so are the misguided doctrines that deny the power of God that takes place in Baptism. Whether it's the spiritual rebirth of an infant or an older person, they don't do anything. It's something that God does to and for us. In the natural realm, we don’t ask to be born and we don’t “work” to earn life. Likewise with our spiritual rebirth, but even more so.
Christ’s word picture is an apt description of our spiritual rebirth. To make that picture more complete, Jesus goes on to explain the mysterious working of the Holy Spirit as He brings about this new life. He says that the Spirit is like the wind. You can’t tell either of them where they can or can’t go, you can't make them more or less powerful, you can’t predict where they’ll go, and you don’t even know the source of where they originate. Which highlights just how powerless we humans are in bringing about the spiritual regeneration that's required to obtain eternal life. All we can “do” is receive and take advantage of the Holy Spirit's movement in our souls that generates this life-giving power.
As St. Paul says in our Epistle, this new life of faith is a gift of God's grace. If it's something that you must DO, then it's wages for the work you've done. But it's no longer a gift. Paul states very clearly in verse 5, "To the one who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness." Paul was dealing with some folks who were trying to go back to the works of the law as the means by which they obtained eternal life. It's too bad that the lectionary reading left out verses 9-12 because in there Paul makes the point that the revered father Abraham was made righteous by faith long before the law of circumcision was given. Abraham obtained the gift of spiritual life by faith and not by his own works.
Jesus says in verse 7 of the Gospel "you must be born again." There is no other way to obtain eternal life. Even though He was speaking to Nicodemus, in the Greek the "you" is plural, indicating that the necessity of being born again applies to every soul. And praise God, His gracious gift of new life is freely offered to everyone.
Having said all that, hopefully you can see the deeper meaning of this famous verse, John 3:16. Yes, God's immense love for the world was expressed by sending His Son down to earth. But we dare not miss that all-important word "gave." This new spiritual life is a gift given to us by God. Like that bronze serpent that Moses lifted on a pole to bring life to a dying people, so Christ Jesus was lifted up on the cross to die for our sins. And all we need do in order to receive that gift of spiritual life is look to Him by faith. May the Lord who gave us that gift of life continue to sustain it within us through His precious Word and Sacraments. To Him be glory now and forever. Amen!
Soli Deo Gloria!