John 3:6 Spirit births spirit_

Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. John‬ ‭3:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Nicodemus was trying to wrap his mind around Jesus’ words. Being born a second time doesn’t make sense, how can it? So Jesus elaborated.

I like how Barnes’ Commentary frames it up: “Perhaps, also, he alludes to the question asked by Nicodemus, whether a man could be born when he was old? Jesus tells him that if this could be, it would not answer any valuable purpose; he would still have the same propensities and passions. Another change was therefore indispensable.”

Or a quote by Hermann Olshausen: “That which is begotten carries within itself the nature of that which begat it.”

Just like a dog will birth a dog, an eagle will birth an eagle, a man will birth a man. Nothing is different. Yet Jesus is making it clear, our birth origin needs to change. Paul says:

So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man. 1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:45-49‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬

Paul’s reference to “Living being,” according to Strong, is from psucho; breath, i.e. (by implication) spirit, abstractly or concretely (the animal sentient principle only; thus distinguished on the one hand from pneuma, which is the rational and immortal soul; and on the other from zoe, which is mere vitality, even of plants: these terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew nephesh, ruwach and chay)—heart (+ -ily), life, mind, soul, + us, + you.

All of this is to say, Jesus is compelling Nicodemus (and us) toward a different birth, one that comes from another source. From Spirit. From the Holy Spirit. No matter your birthright on earth, whether into poverty or a war-torn country plagued with strife and famine, or into wealth and privilege, stature and sophistication – it all proceeds from the flesh and must be replaced. This is incredible, since the source of our new birth is from Spirit. God. My new birth is from heaven. It’s cut from the same cloth as Jesus Christ. What does that make me? A son of God! A brother with Christ. He is the firstborn, I follow. I am an heir, and a co-heir with Christ. My mom and dad gave me the raw material of who I am today: the genetics that come with my body, the dispositions of my person, the training of my character, the history and heritage of a child of the earth. Whether I am proud of these things, or not, it makes no difference. Like most, I’m thankful for what my parents have given me, but likewise, they also embody examples of what I wish to avoid too. I sometimes feel a fatalistic destiny to the same fleshly behavior and results that my parents achieved. But Jesus is a game changer. Better yet, a life changer.

As much as my body will be connected genetically with my past and my personal history is unchangeable at this point, Jesus says I can have a complete do-over. A fresh start. The Spirit begets spirit. I have a new origin and now my person is being compelled into the image of the heavenly man. The heir. God’s son.

The impactful thing for me today is to let the reality of this new birth and its implications continue to wash my soul and renew my mind. His spirit is ever pushing me beyond the borders within which my soul is comfortable and familiar. Maybe that’s why Jesus says we must be like little children. For them, everything is new, wonderful, and yet to be explored, an exciting journey! I have not yet fully walked the courts of heaven or dipped into the archives of eternity, nor basked in the glory that God originally intended for man. Yet, the Spirit will guide me into all that is mine as a newly adopted son.

Spirit begets spirit. I am a new person.