More Than Knowing About Jesus: New Life from Above

Meet Nicodemus and discover why Jesus offers more than religious improvement. He gives life from above.

Two Honest Questions

The blue notebook beside the family Bible now held two honest questions from Joel:

I think I understand what Jesus has done. But can knowing the facts be enough?

If I ask Jesus to save me, can I still run my own life?

Dad read them and closed the notebook gently.

"We will not rush either answer," he said. "First, we need to listen to Jesus."

This section gives you room to do the same.

After dinner the next evening, Joel brought the blue notebook to the table and opened it to his question.

Dad read it slowly.

"I can explain the three gifts," Joel said. "Forgiven, reconciled and brought home. But knowing the words does not mean something has changed inside me."

Mum pulled out the chair beside him. "That is an honest question. You do not have to hide it here."

Sam leaned across the table. "But the facts still matter, don't they?"

"Very much," Dad replied. "We need to know what is true about Jesus before we can place our trust in Him. But true information is meant to lead us to the living Jesus. It cannot replace Him."

Anna turned the notebook around and wrote:

Do I only know about Jesus, or am I personally trusting Him?

Knowing the Truth Is Not the Same as Trusting Jesus

"Can someone know many true things about Jesus and still need God to make them new?" Anna asked.

"Yes," Dad said. "Knowing the truth matters. But correct answers alone cannot give us new life. They point us to Jesus, who can."

He paused.

"When I was younger, I knew many Bible answers. For a while, I quietly depended on that. Eventually I had to ask whether my confidence rested in Jesus or in my religious knowledge and good behaviour."

"How can we know Jesus when we cannot see Him sitting here?" Joel asked.

"We meet the risen Jesus through the Bible's trustworthy witness," Dad replied. "The Holy Spirit helps us see who He is. We come to Jesus, trust Him, speak with Him and begin learning His way."

Mum added, "Knowing Jesus is not pretending to feel something. It is a real relationship that He opens by bringing us back to God."

Christian faith includes knowing the truth about Jesus. But the truth invites us to trust the Person it reveals.

"Then where does being born again fit with the gospel we have already learned?" Sam asked.

"They belong together, but they are not identical," Dad said. "The gospel tells us who Jesus is and what He has done. The new birth is God giving us life so that we can see Jesus, trust Him and begin following Him."

Nicodemus Had Knowledge, but He Needed Life

"Was there someone in the Bible like that?" Anna asked. "Someone religious who still needed a new beginning?"

Dad passed her the Bible. "Read the beginning of John 3."

Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a respected teacher of Israel. He knew Scripture. He took faith seriously. He had also seen enough of Jesus to know that God was at work.

Nicodemus came to Jesus at night and said:

"Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God."
John 3:2

"He was not careless or uninterested," Anna said. "He came because he wanted to understand."

"Yes," Dad replied. "Jesus did not mock his questions. But He also did not allow Nicodemus's learning or religious position to hide his deepest need."

Jesus answered:

"No one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again."
John 3:3

Sam looked puzzled. "Nicodemus had not even asked about being born. Why did Jesus say that?"

"Because Jesus could see beneath the conversation," Dad said. "Nicodemus did not merely need one more answer. He needed life that only God could give."

Nicodemus did not need to become a slightly better religious person. He needed a new beginning from God.

Jesus Calls It a New Birth

Nicodemus thought Jesus meant being born physically for a second time.

"I might have thought the same thing," Sam said.

"So Jesus explained further," Anna replied, reading the next verses.

"No one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit."
John 3:5

These words recall God's promise in Ezekiel 36:25–27. God promised to cleanse His people, give them new hearts and put His Spirit within them.

"Then Jesus was not telling Nicodemus to make himself more religious," Joel said.

"Exactly," Dad replied. "Jesus was describing God's cleansing and God's new life."

To be born again, or born from above, means that God gives us new spiritual life by His Spirit. He does more than help us look religious on the outside. He begins renewing us from within.

"Does this new life only change what is inside me?" Anna asked.

"No," Dad said. "New birth changes us personally, and it also brings us into God's family. The Spirit brings us into God's kingdom and gives us a place among His people. We begin learning to live together under the good rule of Jesus."

"Can I make that happen by trying hard enough?" Sam asked.

Dad shook his head. "Did you arrange your own physical birth?"

Sam laughed. "No."

"The new birth is God's work," Dad said. "The Holy Spirit awakens us, cleanses us and begins changing us from within."

Mum looked at Sam. "Jesus is not saying, 'Try harder until you become worthy.' He is saying, 'You need life that God alone can give.'"

"Then do we do nothing?" Joel asked.

"Jesus calls us to turn and believe," Dad replied. "But our response does not make God owe us new life. We cannot control the Spirit or earn His work. Salvation is grace from beginning to end."

"Then why does Jesus ask us to believe?" Joel asked.

"That is where the conversation in John 3 goes next," Dad said. "The Spirit gives life, and Jesus calls us to look to the Son God gave and trust Him. We will listen to that invitation on the next page."

New Birth Is More Than Self-Improvement

Listen to Jesus in John 3:1–8

Read John 3:1–8 slowly before continuing.

As you read, notice:

• what Nicodemus already knows;
• what Jesus says he still needs;
• what only the Holy Spirit can do.

Do not hurry to explain every sentence. First, let Jesus's main words stay with you:

You must be born again.

A Christian Background Is a Gift, Not a Substitute

Anna rested her hand on the family notebook.

"I don't remember a time when I knew nothing about Jesus," she said. "Do I need a dramatic conversion story?"

"No," Dad replied. "Some people can identify a clear day when they first trusted Christ. Others become aware of their trust more gradually. You do not need to invent a dramatic story or borrow someone else's emotions."

"Then what matters?" she asked.

"Not whether your story sounds exciting," Mum said, "but whether your trust rests in Jesus now."

Dad continued, "A Christian home can teach you the gospel, pray for you and show you examples of faith. Be thankful for that. But you are not born again because your parents believe, because you attend church or because your name appears on a church record."

John says that God's children are born:

"not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God."
John 1:13

"So our parents can lead us towards Jesus," Sam said, "but they cannot be born again for us."

"That's right," Dad replied. "They can love us, pray for us and tell us the truth. But they cannot trust Jesus for us or give us new life. Only God can do that. Each of us is invited to trust Jesus personally."

Joel looked again at the notebook.

"Then correct answers are good," he said, "but I should not hide behind them."

"Exactly," Dad said. "Let the truth you know bring you honestly to Jesus."

A Christian background can point you towards Jesus. It cannot take the place of personally trusting Him.

Pause for an Honest Check

Take a few quiet minutes. Set aside the answer you think you are expected to give. Notice what you are really trusting, and speak truthfully to God.

Sam turned back to John 3.

"Jesus told Nicodemus that he needed new life," he said. "Did Jesus show him where to look?"

"He did," Anna said, looking further down the page. "He began talking about God's love and believing in His Son."

Dad nodded. "Let's listen carefully to what He said."

Jesus tells Nicodemus where to look. The next page opens John 3:16 and asks what it means to believe in the Son God gave.