John 1:13 Commentary and Bible Study

How is it they came to believe? ‘Which were born, not of blood’ – I am a son of Abraham, my lineage, my race will save me. I am a Jew, descended from Abraham. No, ‘not of blood.’ They did not necessarily seek the Lord. ‘Nor of the will of the flesh’ – not by works, not by our own deeds and efforts. ‘Nor of the will of man’ – not by my decision, as though I had the power to decide. I will only decide against God, so twisted is my heart. ‘But born of God’ – God works first, there is a work of regeneration in the heart that changes me and opens me, and in due course as I believe in his Christ and repent of my sin, then I am consciously born again.This is rather like the birth of a baby. Conception starts the process; that is really the moment; that is secret, concealed within the body, and brought to birth. And so God begins the work, and I am exercised and troubled, see my need, learn of Christ, long for him, believe in him, repent and receive him. And I am consciously born again. But God began it. Here is the great contrast with the Old Testament order. The covenant God made with Israel which had its roots in the national, physical side of the Abrahamic covenant was a covenant which was entered by physical birth. Membership of the covenant was symbolised by circumcision, and this must take place a fixed number of days after birth to very obviously link it to physical birth. Those who were members of this physical, typical side of the Abrahamic covenant received earthly promises, but unless they followed Abraham’s example and exercised faith, they never became members of the spiritual side of the covenant. At Sinai they were very clearly shown that without faith they still remained under the law as individuals. They did not have their sins forgiven, they were not saved, and they did not have the gift of eternal life. They belong to a symbolic earthly kingdom which represented the kingdom of heaven but was not it. Most of the Israelites did not know the Lord, though some were truly born again. This temporary situation changed however under the new covenant. The types and shadows now passed away and the figures that were intended to be a school for mankind were set aside, because the Lord Jesus Christ had come. From now on, ‘they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest’ (Hebrews 8:11). This new covenant is not entered by physical birth which counts for nothing, but by the new birth which John speaks of here. It is this birth which no one can accomplish for himself, not even with the combined help of all mankind. It is utterly beyond our ability to arrange, and as Christ explains to Nicodemus in John 3, it is the work of the Holy Spirit alone, summarised here by the words ‘but of God’.