By J. Preston Eby: Jesus said to him, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”The first words of the new teacher are, however, astounding. The words spoken by Jesus to Nicodemus are freighted with divine significance, for in that interview the Lord revealed foundation truths concerning the Kingdom of God. Instead of deferentially receiving him, Jesus said to him, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” What an unexpected, stunning affront to this exemplary Pharisee, this honorable member of the Sanhedrin, this professional expert in Israel! The Kingdom of God was a term with which he had been familiar since childhood. He believed that by virtue of his own birthright as a Jew he was already a member of that Kingdom. And now this itinerant carpenter-teacher from despised Nazareth dares tell this distinguished Pharisee in his very face that unless he is born again, born from above, he will not ever see the Kingdom of God! Astounded and confused, he asks, defensively, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?” But the new rabbi, in no way offended by his visitor’s stupid question, proceeds to repeat, with increasing detail and emphasis, the terms of entrance into the Kingdom of God. “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.”

Imagine the unborn twins Jack and Jill debating whether there is life after the womb. Their small, dark world has been unusually active lately, and both Jack and Jill realize that their days in the womb are numbered. But while Jill argues that there is much more to existence than their life in the womb, Jack refuses to believe in something he has never seen. Then suddenly their world begins to collapse. They feel a tug, intense pressure. There is pain for the first time ever. Jack holds on; Jill slips. Her head is pushed harder and harder into a dark tunnel. There is pain, more pressure. It’s happening, thinks Jack, this is the end. And while he holds on for dear life, he sees a piercing light and hears Jill’s final cry. Then silence. But while Jack weeps for his sister, Jill lies safely in the arms of her mother. She has been welcomed into a new family and a whole new world — a world of dazzling light, vast distances, and great opportunities. And Jill wishes she could tell Jack that there is indeed life beyond the womb and that it’s better than anything imaginable. But she can’t; Jack will have to see for himself. IT IS BIRTH THAT BRINGS THE NEW IDENTITY AND THE NEW WORLD.

A human life begins at the moment of conception, but at that point in time it is not truly a person, it bears little resemblance to the man or woman it will one day become. At the time of conception the embryo looks more like a fish than a human being. Many important changes take place as the child develops in the womb over the gestation period of nine months. The formation period ends with the onset of childbirth. When the baby is ready, a change in the chemistry of the mother’s body causes the contractions that bring the birth to begin. Continual and intensifying contractions finally thrust the baby out into a new world. The attending physician cuts the umbilical cord and severs the connection between mother and child. The infant’s lusty cries broadcast the news of a new person arriving in the world. Think of the great changes that must take place in the infant at the moment of birth. In an instant, after hours of struggle, from a liquid environment, he is now surrounded by air. From total darkness, he is now flooded with light. From a world of confinement and silence, he is now brought into a world of freedom and communication. He must begin to breathe immediately. No longer will he get nourishment from his mother’s blood; he must begin to eat. There is everything to learn, and the learning starts immediately and never ends. It is exciting, thrilling!

In the great and wonderful plan of God, the birth experience determines a human being, for it is by birth that the previously unborn fetus takes on its identity as an independently living, breathing, human being. Can we not see that identity begins with birth? The nature of our birth, and its reality, determines who we will become. Our pedigree and genealogy is of utmost importance. Your life is a unique creation of God. You are a special creature in all of God’s vast universe. It is at birth that the certificate is issued whereby the child is registered as a citizen of his or her country and the world. It is at birth that a name is given to the child, establishing for all of his life his individual identity. In like manner, the birth experience determines the identity of a son of God who possesses the life of Christ. Jesus did not tell Nicodemus, “Ye must be conceived again,” although there is truth in that, too. He said, “Ye must be born again.” It is a mystery to us all, but the fact remains that God has ordained that a wonderful transformation takes place by birth. It is at birth that the child is given the “breath of life” thus becoming a “living soul.” All through the Bible birth was the event that established the identity of the child and his or her position in the family as a son or a daughter. Inheritance, protection under the law, legal matters of all kinds, and pedigree were all reckoned from birth. Conception determined none of these things under the law — only birth. How wonderful and significant are the blessings and benefits that accrue by birth!

`What a mighty transformation there must be in a man’s life, in his nature, in his character, in his state of being, in his desires, in his attitudes, in his behavior, in his understanding, in his goals and objectives before he can truly say, “I am not of the world. I have a new birth. I am born into another Kingdom. I belong to another King. I am in the midst of the world with all its crookedness and sin and sorrow and limitation and pain and death, but I do not belong to it.” I wonder if you can get that.