considered the human responsibility to receive Jesus, the apostle John next describes the divine work in the new birth. God must cause a person to be born again, which, in turn, produces saving faith. It is the new birth that enables us to receive Jesus Christ into our life. The decisive factor in anyone coming to faith in Christ, John explains, is that they are “born . . . of God” (v. 13). This refers not to our physical birth but to our spiritual birth. This new birth is like the creation of the