Except a Man be Born Again
A Sermon on John 3:3
Originally preached July 7, 1963
Scripture
3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Sermon Description
In this sermon on John 3:3 titled “Except a Man be Born Again,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones draws attention to an incredibly common Christian phrase: born again. What does it mean? In order to answer such an important question, he turns to Christ’s encounter with Nicodemus. Nicodemus comes to Christ at night, enquiring about the source of His power and how a person can be saved. However, before Nicodemus can ask his question, Christ confronts him. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains why Jesus confronted the Pharisee in such a way. Christ did so because He cannot be approached as an intellectual equal. This is why Nicodemus is confused when Jesus says a person must be born again. Nicodemus cannot understand this spiritual birth Christ is speaking of because he is of the flesh. The flesh, fundamentally, cannot understand the Spirit. Here, Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains the meaning of being born again. It’s when a believer confesses their sin and their need for Christ. It is an impossible act through the flesh, and only made possible through God. In closing, Dr. Lloyd-Jones extends the offer of salvation to those who have yet to believe, and reminds Christians of the great love they have in Him.
Sermon Breakdown
- Jesus interrupts Nicodemus and tells him he must be born again to see the kingdom of God.
- Being born again means having a new start and new life. It is not improving what you already have or adding something extra.
- Everyone must be born again, even religious and moral people like Nicodemus. No one can enter God's kingdom as they are.
- We must be born again because we are naturally opposed to God and spiritual truth. We love darkness rather than light.
- The kingdom of God is spiritual and requires spiritual understanding and a relationship with God. Natural human thinking cannot comprehend it.
- God's thoughts and ways are higher than our thoughts and ways. We cannot understand heavenly and spiritual things with our natural minds.
- The only way to be saved and enter God's kingdom is through believing in Jesus, who was lifted up on the cross like the serpent in the wilderness.
- Being born again is a mystery, like the wind. It is the work of God's Spirit, not something we can do ourselves. We can only recognize our need for it and ask God.
- We can recognize our need for the new birth by acknowledging our spiritual ignorance, blindness, and helplessness. We must cease trying to understand and measure God.
- The signs of the new birth include believing Jesus is the Son of God, believing in His atoning sacrifice, having spiritual understanding, and finding joy in God's truth.
Sermon Q&A
What Does It Mean to Be "Born Again" According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?
What is the central theme of Jesus' teaching according to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the kingdom of God is the great central theme of the New Testament. Jesus began His ministry by declaring "the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand," and He came to preach the kingdom, inaugurate it, and make it possible for people to enter it. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that "seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" is the most important pursuit for any person.
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say people misunderstand the kingdom of God?
Lloyd-Jones explains that people misunderstand the kingdom of God because of our natural inability to comprehend spiritual things. Even religious people like Nicodemus fundamentally misconstrue what it means. Some think of it in purely political or external terms, others as mere morality, but all these conceptions fall short. Our natural thinking about Christianity is entirely wrong - we assume it's just about being "a little bit better than we are," but it's something much more profound.
What does "born again" mean according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
According to Lloyd-Jones, being "born again" means receiving an entirely new nature and life from God. It's not about adding something to what we already have or improving ourselves slightly. Rather, it's a complete new beginning, comparable to demolition before new construction. God puts a new principle of life into us - He doesn't renovate us but gives us a completely new nature, making us "partakers of the divine nature." It's a supernatural work where a person becomes "a new creation" in Christ.
Why can't natural man understand spiritual truth according to the sermon?
Lloyd-Jones explains that the natural person is incapable of spiritual thinking because "that which is born of the flesh is flesh." Using Nicodemus as an example, he shows how even a learned religious teacher couldn't grasp spiritual truth. When Jesus spoke of being "born again," Nicodemus could only think in literal, physical terms ("Can a man enter his mother's womb a second time?"). Lloyd-Jones quotes 1 Corinthians 2:14, "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he, for they are spiritually discerned."
Who must be born again according to the sermon?
According to Lloyd-Jones, everyone must be born again, regardless of their moral standing or religious knowledge. He emphasizes that Jesus said this to Nicodemus, who was a Pharisee, a teacher, and a ruler of the Jews - a highly religious, orthodox, and morally upright person. If such a person needed to be born again, then everyone does. Lloyd-Jones states, "No man can enter the kingdom of God as he is. Everybody must be born again."
How does a person become born again according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
Lloyd-Jones explains that being born again is entirely God's work - "the great act of God." Like the wind that blows where it wishes, the Spirit's regenerating work is mysterious and sovereign. A person cannot give birth to themselves or change their own nature. However, humans can recognize their need, repent (be "born of water"), confess their blindness and helplessness, and cast themselves upon God's mercy. The way forward is to "stop trying to understand," to "drop your measures," to cease criticizing, and to simply believe in Christ and receive Him.
What is the relationship between the cross of Christ and being born again?
Lloyd-Jones connects being born again with Christ's atoning death. He explains that "there is only one way whereby anybody can be saved...and that is that I [Christ] die for him." Just as those bitten by snakes in the wilderness were healed by looking at the bronze serpent Moses lifted up, so anyone who looks to Christ lifted up on the cross and believes in Him is saved. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that this message of salvation through Christ's substitutionary death is foolishness to the natural mind but is the heart of the gospel.
How can someone know if they've been born again according to the sermon?
According to Lloyd-Jones, there are several ways to test if you've been born again: 1) You will believe Jesus is the eternal Son of God incarnate, not just a good man; 2) You will believe He worked miracles; 3) You will believe in His substitutionary atonement; 4) You will have spiritual understanding and desire for God's truth; 5) You will feel moved and thankful when hearing about Christ's saving work. If these truths excite and move you rather than seem like "rubbish," it's evidence you may have been born again.
The Book of John
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.