John stresses that all who believe in Jesus already have eternal life (3:36; 4:36; 5:24-25; 6:47, 51, 54; 10:28; 12:25; 17:2-3). Metaphors are used to describe this: We will never hunger or thirst (4:10; 6:35; 7:37-38). Although John acknowledges that believers will die and be resurrected at the last day (6:40, 54; 11:24-25), he also says that believers will not die (3:16; 6:50; 8:52; 10:28; 11:26).

Perhaps we wouldn't describe salvation in such terms, but John does. To understand his books better, we need to be aware of how boldly he views Christian life. We are already children of God (1:12-13; 11:52), sons of light (12:36); we belong in God's family forever (8:35). We have many other spiritual blessings (1:16), including joy (17:13) and unity (17:23).

The epistle of 1 John continues these emphases of John. We have complete joy and love (1:4, 4:12, 17). Believers have eternal life (2:17; 5:11-13), and this life is in Jesus Christ (3:24; 4:9, 13; 5:11-12, 20). We are children of God now (3:1-2; 5:19), for we have been "born of God" (3:9; 5:1).

Mature children of God

Considering John's emphasis on the present realization of spiritual life and blessings, it is inconsistent that he would picture Christian life as embryonic. When he said that we have been begotten/born of God, he did not picture conception or the status of a fetus. Even a newborn child seems too immature for John's portrayal of Christians' superabundance of spiritual life.

When John says that we have been born of God, his thought seems to be that we are descendants of God — mature descendants, enjoying tremendous divine blessings.

In his Gospel, John tells us that Jesus Christ gave us "the right to become children of God" (John 1:12). He does not picture us as fetuses or infants, but as adult children possessing eternal life even in our mortal bodies. We are already experiencing our "right."

And John tells us that we, as children of God, have been born of God (1:13). Here again, he is picturing us as mature descendants, exercising our rights, not fetuses in a womb. We have been born of God and are now his children, sons of light, having eternal life. This is the consistent message of 1 John 3:9; 5:1 and John 1:12-13. We should expect John 3 to be consistent with this.

Implications for John 3

John 1:12-13 is part of John's prologue, giving a brief overview of Christ's prehistory and purpose. It forms part of the background information we should bring with us when we read John 3. Readers would know that Christians have been born of God. So readers would not be surprised to learn that non-Christians must be born of God, born anew, born of the Spirit of God. New life, which is what Christians have, begins with a new birth.

Those who are born of God (which, according to 1:13, includes Christians today) are able to see the kingdom of God. This fits right in with John's thought: It is only right that the children of God, who have eternal life, would be able to see the kingdom of God even in this age. It all fits in with John's emphasis on present experience of spiritual realities.

John uses gennao in 1:12-13 to indicate Christians today; it would be inconsistent to use the same word in 3:3 to indicate a time only after the resurrection.

Nor would John use one occurrence of gennao in 3:5 to mean both "to produce conception" (with water, referring to baptism) and "to produce a birth" (with Spirit, referring to resurrection). The evidence here, too, is that John is using the word gennao ("to produce") consistently to mean "born." To enter the kingdom, we must be born of water and Spirit — be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit — be born anew.

Of course, John does not mean "born" literally, as happens with physical beings — that is true no matter what stage of Christian life we are discussing. There are no literal sperm and egg, no parturition from a literal womb. It is a figurative use of gennao, and we can rightly explore some similar figurative meanings, such as, No one can see the kingdom unless he has been descended from above, unless he becomes a child of God, unless he has been produced or created again. The theological term regeneration is appropriate; so is Paul's term "new creation."

Just as we have always taught, Christianity requires a new start, a new basis of life, a new goal, a new way of life and a new life — eternal life — which is the reason Christ came.