John 3:6,7 - Flesh gives birth to flesh

3:6

“Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” The word “flesh” is a very rich and diverse word in the New Testament with its meaning ranging from simply referring to the body, to its reference to the inherently corrupt nature of man, especially in Paul’s writings. Here it is simply referring to human effort. However, this verse also points to a fundamental fact of what it means to be human. We are both physical and spiritual beings, and by spiritual I do not mean the airy-fairy way in which the term “spiritual” is often used today. I do mean our utter dependence upon the Lord. In Gen 2:7 it says that God formed man from the dust of the earth and then breathed into him the breath of life, this probably has relevance to understanding John 20:22. Pharisees thought that by studying the Scriptures they could obtain eternal life (John 5:39). Now studying the Scriptures is clearly an excellent thing to do (otherwise why do I write this blog and why do you read it?), but we need the work of the Spirit in our lives.

3:7

In Rom 1:19 Paul says what is known about God should be plain to us. Likewise, the Pharisees should not have been surprised when Jesus said they needed to be born again. By the way, the “you” here is plural, Jesus is making a universally applicable point, not one limited to Nicodemus. The Old Testament should have made it clear to them that they needed to be born again. How so? The Old Testament made their moral deficiencies plain, their complete failure to live up to God’s standards. Something more was needed, and books like Isaiah and Ezekiel made it plain that a new heart was needed.