Neville Goddard on John 3:4-8 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read John 3 in context

Scripture Focus

4Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

6That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

8The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

John 3:4-8

Biblical Context

Nicodemus asks how a man can be born again. Jesus answers that one must be born of water and the Spirit, for what is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit, like the wind that moves unseen.

Neville's Inner Vision

To Nicodemus, the birth Jesus speaks of is not a physical reentry into a mother's womb but a changing state of consciousness. Flesh remains the realm of appearances; the Spirit births a new life within the I AM, an awakening to what you truly are. The water is a cleansing of stale mental images, a letting go of failed stories that keep you identified with the old self. When Jesus speaks of Spirit, he invites you to the inward life that animates all your acts. The wind blows where it lists; you hear its sound but do not know its source. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit: the movement of awareness shifts without notice, and you awaken to a reality that was always present. The practical result is a knowing that you are more than your body or your thoughts; you are the Spirit that thoughts and breath and body converge into. Born anew, you cease to chase outward conditions and rest in the I AM that perceives them.

Practice This Now

Imaginative Act: Sit quietly, breathe, and assume you are born of Spirit now. Say silently, 'I am born of the Spirit and I am the I AM renewing my consciousness,' then feel the inner wind shifting your sense of self.