Saturday in the Word | Born From Above

A Simple Bible Reading Plan

Thanks for making your way here as we continue our journey through some of the foundational passages of the Bible. There are chapters in Scripture that feel like front doors. John 3 is one of them.

In this sacred nighttime conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus, you and I are invited into the mystery of new birth, the wideness of God’s love, and the uncomfortable grace of stepping into the light.

A Man Who Came at Night

In John 3, we meet Nicodemus, a Pharisee, a religious leader, and a very serious man deeply interested in the things of God. He comes to Jesus under the cover of darkness, ensuring he won’t be seen by his fellow synagogue leaders. Maybe out of fear or perhaps out of curiosity, or both.

Nicodemus represents us in many of us. He is faithful but unsettled. His religious knowledge hasn’t satisfied his thirst. He recognizes Jesus as a teacher from God. Recognition isn’t rebirth. Nicodemus hasn’t been transformed.

“You Must Be Born Again”

(John 3:1–8, NLT)

Jesus answers Nicodemus with words that disrupt categories:

“I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

John 3:3 NLT

Researching the words, I learned that the Greek phrase can also mean born from above.

This is not a self-improvement project or behavior modification. It’s not about trying harder. You cannot manufacture new birth. You can only receive it. This is what it means to be reborn in the Spirit.

Jesus compares it to the wind:

“The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

John 3:8 NLT

The Holy Spirit moves unseen, yet His presence is undeniable.

For those of us who are strivers, achievers, managers of outcomes, the work of the Holy Spirit is humbling.

God’s Kingdom is not entered through competence. It’s entered through surrender.

The Love That Sent the Son

(John 3:9–17, NLT)

Nicodemus is confused. And Jesus gently pulls back the curtain on heaven’s motive:

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16 NLT

Perhaps the most famous verse in all of Scripture.

Notice the movement held within it.

God loved.
God gave.
We believe.
We live.

Eternal life in John is not merely about duration, it’s about quality of life. Receive a restored relationship with God now. Not later…

And verse 17 is just as important:

“God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”

John 3:17 NLT

Jesus did not come looking for reasons to condemn you. He came to rescue you.

If you carry shame, give it to Jesus.
If you feel stuck in old failures, release them to Jesus. If you are weary of performing, tell Jesus. This matters.

Light and Darkness

(John 3:19–21, NLT)

Then comes the tension.

“And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.”

John 3:19 NLT

In his song, Don’t Give Up On Me, Brandon Lake sings “The darker the night is, the brighter the light hits.”

Light reveals and revelation feels like bright exposure. Some people avoid the light because they fear what it will uncover.

But John tells us we don’t need to fear.

“But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

John 3:21 NLT

For us to come into the light isn’t to be perfect. It is about being honest.

In John 3, God asks us a gentle but piercing question:

Are you willing to be seen?

Application: What Does New Birth Look Like?

For some folks, “born again” language feels overused or misunderstood. But in John 3, we discover it is deeply relational.

Being born again means:

• A new origin (from above)
• A new identity (beloved child)
• A new direction (toward the light)

It may not always feel dramatic. Sometimes new birth looks like:

• Confessing what you’ve hidden
• Letting go of self-reliance
• Receiving forgiveness instead of earning approval
• Choosing honesty over image

The Spirit often works quietly, like wind through trees. You don’t see the wind; you see what it moves.

A Prayer for Today

Precious Lord,
If there are places in me still living in the dark, bring them into Your light. If I am striving instead of surrendering,
show me how to be born from above again. Let Your love define me more than my past and Your Spirit move where I cannot. I love you Lord. In Jesus’ name, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Friend, John 3 is not merely theology.
It’s an invitation.

So come out of the night and step into the light. Be born anew from above.

Until my next post…

Be salty, stay lit.

Rainer Bantau —The Devotional Guy™

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