This sermon was preached at St Peter’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church, Public Schools Club, Adelaide, 9am
Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
Prayer: Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
Today we celebrate the Sunday of the Holy Trinity. In some sense, every Sunday is Holy Trinity, in that we come to meet our God, who is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But on this particular Sunday, we have a special focus on this doctrine, the fact that we worship one true God, who was revealed himself in three persons, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The doctrine and theology of the Trinity is something that is often neglected by modern day Christians, and people don’t care much about it. Perhaps the reason for this is that people find it difficult to get their head around – but then, we are talking about God, and why should we even think for a moment that we can get our head around God? The most important thing for us is to confess this truth, that there is one God, who has revealed himself as three persons, and when say “persons”, we don’t mean three human beings, but three divine spiritual beings. Of three persons, only the Son has taken on human flesh. The Father and the Holy Spirit do not have human flesh, but only a spiritual being, or spiritual essence.
We confess that there is only one God, because all throughout the bible it says that there is one God. Right back in the book of Deuteronomy, for example, it says: Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Also, in the New Testament, we read many passages where the Father is spoken of as God, the Son is spoken of as God, and the Holy Spirit is spoken of as God. So Christians have always confessed that it is impossible for us to worship three gods, but that there is one God.
Now, we could spend all day talking about the fine details of the way in which Christians should talk about the Trinity, and what we should believe about it. However, I’d like to come to our Gospel reading, from John chapter 3. This Gospel reading is the Gospel reading from old times for this Sunday, and it is a very choice that early Christians made to read this reading on this Sunday. Nowhere in the reading are the Father, Son and Holy Spirit mentioned, but rather, Jesus is teaching Nicodemus about the new birth, the birth from above, of water and the Spirit. And yet, at the same time, the Holy Trinity is everywhere in this reading. Of course, in Matthew’s Gospel, where Jesus is also teaching about the new birth of water and the Spirit, and sends out his disciples to baptise and teach, he tells them to baptise in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. So, we can see that these two things, new birth and the Holy Trinity, are connected.
So, first of all, God willing, we’re going to go through this reading quickly, and point out the references to the Holy Trinity. Then we’ll go through the reading at face value to learn about what Jesus teaches there.
Firstly, Jesus says: Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Firstly, notice that Jesus speaks about the kingdom of God, meaning God the Father. But then also Jesus says, I say to you, he is the one who speaking, who is promising by oath, who is God the Son. And thirdly, Jesus speaks about being born of water and the Spirit, the Spirit being the Holy Spirit. We almost blink and miss the three persons of the Holy Trinity in this verse. But here they are: It is the Father’s kingdom we are called to enter, it is the Son who teaches us how to enter it, and it is the Holy Spirit who empowers us and gives the new birth in order for us to enter it.
Later, Jesus says: Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. Notice, that Jesus says: I say to you, but then he says, we speak of what we know. Why does Jesus say “we” here, when there is only one of him? Sometimes, kings and queens have spoken like this, as when Queen Victoria said, “We are not amused” – we call this the royal “we”. And yes, Jesus is a king, and in our reading he is speaking about the kingdom of God. But at the same time, it is not obvious in our reading that Jesus should be talking like this. But what we do know from other parts of the Gospel of John is that Jesus says: I and the Father are one. It also says: In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The fact that Jesus says, “we” here testifies to the fact that Jesus never speaks alone, but that he speaks the Word of God from the Father, and that his words are filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus says: We speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen.
As Christians too, because we learn about the teaching of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, we can go back to the Old Testament and see little glimpses of this there. For example, when God created human beings, he said, Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness. We see here that there is one image and one likeness that God creates us in. But also, he says: “let us”. He says: “our own image”. Here, we see right from the beginning of the bible, that just as Jesus says in our reading: We speak of what we know, and gives a witness to the reality of the Father and the Spirit who are invisibly behind him and with him, so also, in Genesis, we see that these words in creation give a witness to the reality of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit at work in creation.
So, let’s come to our Gospel reading, and read it together, and see what Jesus is speaking about. We read: Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”
Nicodemus is a Jewish leader, but he is worried about people, and particularly is probably worried about his fellow Jewish leaders. And so, he is interested in what Jesus has to say, but he comes to him secretly, and night time. He wants to meet Jesus, but doesn’t want to be seen with him. And so, he testifies to the fact that he is double-minded.
And he says to Jesus: Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. Now, notice here that Nicodemus, just like Jesus later one, uses “we” instead of “I”. Nicodemus is saying to Jesus, either that there is a group of us that believe like this, or else, he is saying that everyone in the Jewish council thinks like this. The question is: if everyone thinks like this, then where are they? And why are you coming by yourself at night? Why can’t you and all these people say this in the daytime?
He has also heard or seen some of Jesus’ miracles, and recognises that God is with Jesus, but at the same time, he recognises that Jesus is only a teacher. He thinks that to have the right faith, that it is only necessary for his salvation to have Jesus as a teacher, and nothing more. He doesn’t understand that Jesus is actually true God, and not just working with God as a teacher, but in unity with God the Father and his only Son. This Jesus who is standing in front of him is actually the true God of heaven and earth who has descended from heaven, and taken on human flesh from the Virgin Mary, in such a way that he is God and man in one person.
We meet many people like this even today. They might be interested in the Bible, they might acknowledge that there are some helpful teachings there, they don’t want to say too much in public about it, they might recognise Jesus as a good moral teacher, but to receive him as their true God, as the object of their worship and their devotion, and to confess him with the Father and the Holy Spirit as one God, is a completely different thing.
And so, Jesus says to him: Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Here, it’s as if Jesus says to Nicodemus, faith isn’t want you think it is. Jesus isn’t about having a polite intellectual conversation with another polite intellectual. Instead, actually, God’s will is that a person be filled with the Holy Spirit, and be transformed from a citizen of this earth into a citizen of God’s heavenly kingdom.
Now, this word, “born again”, can also be translated, as “born anew”, or “born afresh”, or also, “born from above”. When we translate it, “born again”, it indicates that our rebirth needs to happen, but when we say, “born from above”, it indicates the origin of this new birth, that it is not from this life, and not from this world, but it comes from heaven, from God.
Now Nicodemus doesn’t understand this at all. He says: How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?
For Nicodemus, this makes no sense. When Jesus speaks about being born again, and born from above, all he can do is imagine a womb, with a mother, and birth pains, and all of that kind of thing. Even for the Jews, there was birth, but then there were all kinds of things that was required of them so that they could enter God’s presence, and be clean. But also, many Jews thought that simply because they were from the lineage of Abraham, that everything was fine. However, we see many times in history how the Jewish people had turned away from God, even though they were his chosen people, and even exiled into Babylon because of their unfaithfulness.
But Jesus says: Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.” The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
First of all, Jesus says: Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Here Jesus describes this new birth more specifically, and he says that being born again, or born anew, is being born of water and the Spirit. Here we can see that Jesus is talking about Holy Baptism.
Now, before we go on, it needs to be said that there are many Christians that don’t believe that Baptism really does anything. They believe that it is an outward testimony of their personal conversion. And so, they see baptism with water as a kind of empty thing, and being born again as having nothing to do with water, but having to do with their personal conversion. For this reason, they don’t baptise babies, because they say that because babies can’t experience a personal conversion, or can’t demonstrate that they are repentant, or their faith, they shouldn’t be baptised.
This is really important for us to understand, because these “born again Christians” are reacting against something, and their reaction isn’t entirely wrong. The problem is that they throw the baby out with the bathwater, or the baptismal water, if you like!
Now many churches—even sometimes Lutheran churches—treat Baptism as a kind of dead thing. People come and bring their babies to be baptised, and then they say, “I’ve had my kid done!” They never come to church ever again, they are not interested in the Word of God, in Jesus, in his suffering, in his death, in the forgiveness of sins, in righteousness, in heaven, in eternal life, in the resurrection of the body. And if Christians really believe that some ritual performed when they are a baby saves them, and that there is no need for anything else in their life, then there’s a problem. I think, this is what the “born again Christians” are reacting against.
All these things are important—the Word of God is important, the absolution, the preaching of God’s word, the Lord’s Supper, confessing the faith, praying to God for ourselves and our world. The life of Jesus is important, his suffering, death and resurrection is our life. Our life should constantly be one of repentance, where we confess our sins to God and receive his forgiveness constantly and afresh and anew. Righteousness is important, heaven is important, eternal life is important, conversion is important—all these things are the most important and most wonderful things that we could have in the whole world and in this life.
When we are baptised, we are not simply washed with water. The Word of God is attached to that water, and that Word of God means something. On the one hand, all the gifts of God’s Spirit and of his grace are given to us in baptism, not because of the water, but because of the Word. Throughout our life, we grow in that same Word, and are shaped and formed by that same Word. In Ephesians, St Paul calls baptism, the washing of water with the Word. Here Jesus calls it the new birth by water and the Spirit. And so, baptism is the wonderful gift where we receive the Holy Spirit and we receive the forgiveness of sins.
However, it is of no use to us, if we don’t believe in it. Baptism is not a kind of works righteousness. We’ve done it, we’ve ticked it off, and now we’re fine. No: Baptism is a gift from God where he gives us his new birth, and we receive it in faith, and faith which is also given to us by the Holy Spirit. Faith is nurtured and sustained and given life by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. So we must always stay close to Jesus by hearing his Word.
When we read the Word of God, when we repent of our sins, and trust in Jesus for our forgiveness, we are given new desires and a hunger and thirst for righteousness. We Christians are never perfect in this life, but we must always be seeking to flee from our sin and running to Jesus. Of course, when we look into our own heart, we will often and only see our own darkness there and our own sinfulness. Then we would question ourselves and despair. Am I really a Christian? Am I really born again from above? It is then that we need to turn to Baptism as our solid rock, which Jesus has given to us. Then we can look to Baptism as that occasion in our lives when Jesus poured out his Holy Spirit, his forgiveness upon us, in such a way that it is completely outside of us and completely separate from all of the problems in our own hearts. The water that landed on us in Baptism and the Word that was spoken upon us is just as solid as the blood of Jesus which fell to the ground on Good Friday.
Jesus says: That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Here Jesus is saying that when we are born in the natural way, because of sin, we are all corrupted by sin, and so come under God’s judgment. We have no right to enter heaven and eternal life. But then, God also gives a new birth by the Holy Spirit, so that our sins are washed away, because of the work of Jesus. And we trust in Jesus, we are able to enter into heaven clothed in his righteousness, and not in our own righteousness.
Jesus says: Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.” The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.
Here we see that Jesus gives a parable about the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Just as we can’t see the wind, but can hear its sound, so also we can’t see the Holy Spirit, but we can hear the sound of the Spirit. When we hear the Word of God, this is the living voice of the Holy Spirit, who then leads and guides us in our lives wherever he chooses. As Jesus says: So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.
Let’s briefly read the last part of our reading. Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he who has descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
Here we see the content of this new birth, what it is that we should believe as people who are born again by the water and the Spirit. Jesus teaches us that he is not simply a teacher come from God, as Nicodemus said, but that he is the Son of Man, who has descended from heaven, and teaches and speaks not from this earth, but from heaven, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit. And why has he descended to this earth, so that he may be lifted up, just like the serpent in the wilderness. He is lifted up on the cross in mockery, but then raised from the dead and lifted up to heaven, and seated at the right hand of God, so that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. This is a wonderful and amazing promise that Jesus makes.
So, on this Holy Trinity Sunday, let’s praise the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit for their powerful and mighty work in our lives, by giving us new birth by water and the Spirit, so that we may live by that same Holy Spirit, trusting in Jesus Christ, the true Son of God who was lifted up for us—trusting in him for eternal life—so that we may enter the kingdom of God. And may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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