In the normal birth process, a man and a woman are drawn together and a seed is planted, connecting with the egg. This seed grows in the womb with changes taking place until full term. At full term labor contractions begin and the baby is born. The cord is cut, a good healthy set of lungs cries out unashamedly, and the new born baby eagerly seeks milk from the Mother who gave him birth.
Jesus used birth as an analogy to being born into the kingdom of God. Nicodemus came to Jesus talking about the miracles he was doing. Jesus recognized God drawing him so Jesus got right to the point, Nicodemus, you need to be born again (John 3). Some of you reading this need to be born again. It is better to see that now and deal with it, rather than realize that after you die and you stand before God lacking true eternal life.
Sometimes it happens there is a drawing together and a seed is planted, but because of the timing not being right, no connection with an egg occurs, so there is no life conceived. Sometimes a connection is made and there is growth and change but something goes wrong, and when this occurs before 20 weeks of pregnancy, it is known as a miscarriage. This same thing happens sometimes, but after 20 weeks of pregnancy, it is called a stillbirth. Sometimes a baby is born premature requiring special care so it can live. This parallels to what Jesus taught about a sower sowing seed in a field.
Some seed fell by the wayside and the fowls of the air gobbled it up. Some seed fell in stony places where there was not enough dirt to support it. There was some changes taking place there, but it did not grow to fruition. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns growing up choked the seed to death. But some seed fell on good ground, rooted, grew, and became fruitful in varying degrees (Matthew 13). Sometimes we have spiritual experiences, but things go wrong, and there are spiritual miscarriages, stillbirths, and premature births.
We must examine ourselves and be honest before God.
If there is not good fruit being born in our lives, if there is no hunger for the milk of the Word, we need to be truly born again. If we find ourselves saying inwardly, “Well, I’m a good person. I got baptized”, (or some other religious experience), then we need to be truly born of God. In true new birth there is a clear heart realization that the only righteousness we have before God is what Jesus did for us. In true new birth there is a commitment of our life to Jesus so he becomes our Lord, and we are not ashamed of him. Are we perfect in ourselves? Nope! That’s why we run to and rely on Jesus. He took and takes the sin away so we can stand before God.