Nicodemus perceived that God was with Jesus since he performed miracles and Jesus told Nicodemus… “Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” John 3:3.
This is the scripture where Christian’s get the term the “Born Again” experience. But the Greek word for “Again” really means “From above, or the top” so Christians would do better to say, “Born of the Spirit from above.”
What is more important is the word “See” which in the Greek means “to Know.” Therefore know the Kingdom means to see it conceptually, to perceive its existence.
So the best translation of what Jesus said may be “Except a man be born of the Spirit he cannot know of the Kingdom of God.”When you are born of the Spirit a shift takes place within your mind and you are introduced to an awareness of Spirit and the Kingdom of God. Until then it has no meaning.
Now there are two Greek words and two meanings for the word “Know.” The Greek word used in John 3:3 for “See” is “Eido” which means to know intellectually, factual knowledge, perceived through spiritual perception.
The other Greek word for “Know” is “Ginosko” which means to experience something first hand knowing, a knowing within. This Greek word is used in John 8:32 “…You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” This knowing is the work of higher levels of consciousness. Note the objective is to “Be Free” not to just know the truth.
This is why 1 Cor.8:1b says, “Knowledge puffeth up but Charity editieth.”
Later in the 13 chapter of Corinthians verse two it says, “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.”
In John 8:55 Jesus is speaking to the religious leaders saying, “Yet you have not known (Ginosko) him; but I know (Eido) him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like to you: but I know him, and keep his saying.” Here we find Jesus telling those who profess to know God, they really do NOT know God, they only knew about him. Ouch! This made them mad enough they tried to stone Jesus.
Jesus is clearly saying…to “know” God meant you must first have an “Eido” intellectual knowing and then have the “Ginosko” inner knowing of God which is a work of the Holy Spirit.
In 1 Cor. 2:14 it explained, “But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him: neither can he know (Ginosko) them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
When you are born of the Spirit the “Spiritual Being” within you is awakened. From that point on your assignment is to allow the Holy Spirit to do its work within you for it is the power of God able to give you great joy, peace and love. Transcending out of the darkness into the light…letting go of the things of this world and into the Kingdom.
Steve Hart
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