[Jesus answered] “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Devotion based on John 3:6-8

Having faith in others doesn’t come naturally to us. We instinctively trust ourselves, not others. We learn to mistrust others because so often frail humans are not trustworthy. They don’t earn our trust.

But God is always trustworthy, whether we believe that or not. So, our lack of faith in him is not a result of his failures; it’s a direct result of the brokenness we inherit from our parents. Jesus could not have been more right when he declared, “Flesh gives birth to flesh.” In other words, sinners give birth to sinners. We’re sinful from the time our mothers conceive us” (Psalm 51:5). And because we’re born sinners, we’re also born without true fear of God and true faith in him. We can’t help ourselves; we’re born spiritually dead (Eph 2:1).

So, how can we ever come to trust God if we’re spiritually stillborn at birth? It’s both a mystery and a miracle performed entirely by the Holy Spirit. Jesus explained that “the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” He means the Holy Spirit, and what does the Spirit do? He gives us new spiritual life by kindling our faith in God and fanning it into flame.

How does he do it? In so many ways, his work of bringing sinners to faith in Jesus is a sacred mystery. Jesus compared it to the comings and goings of the wind. “The wind blows where it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

But this much we can know: the Spirit uses God’s Word and sacraments, especially Holy Baptism, to work Christian faith and to save us eternally.

How can a few words and splash of water do such powerful things? Because God can do all things. Why would we trust him if he couldn’t?

Prayer: