"Ye must be born again" (John 3:7). Surely no more revolutionary truth was ever uttered. It is small wonder that Nicodemus, to whom Christ Jesus spoke these words, was bewildered. Later generations have repeated Nicodemus' uncomprehending question (verse 4), "How can a man be born when he is old?"
In considering this question it is useful first of all to look at the situation into which mortal man appears to be thrust at birth. Here is a new baby. It has been born, so material sense testifies, to particular parents of a certain nationality, race, creed, standard of living, social status, and personal character. It is at once classified as a boy or a girl, whole or deformed, healthy or sickly, and expectations of its future are based on this sense evidence.
In time the mortal appears to grow to adulthood, with a set of norms, habits, ideals, prejudices, largely shaped by hereditary and environmental influences, by the sort of education he has received and the experiences he has encountered. As a result he feels himself in sympathy with certain individual types and social groups and antagonistic to others.
