<p>1:13&nbsp;These<em> were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God</em>- The context has spoken of the work of the Spirit in forging the children of God (see on :12); and these words are taken further in 3:3-5 where we find that birth of the flesh is contrasted to the birth of the Spirit which comes through water baptism.</p><p>The contrast between human will and God's will recalls the two kinds of &quot;world&quot; spoken of (see on :10). The Lord&rsquo;s death was as a result of Him being given over &ldquo;to their man&rsquo;s will&quot; (Lk. 23:25 s.w.), but the birth of the new creation was by the will of God. This phrase is frequently associated with the Lord&rsquo;s death (e.g. Acts 2:23; Lk. 22:22; Mt. 26:42; Jn. 4:34; 5:30; Heb. 10:9,10; Gal. 1:4; 1 Pet. 3:17,18). We were born by the will of God, i.e. the death of the Lord fulfilling that will. The later references in John to the Lord coming to do God&rsquo;s will refer to His coming in order to die the death of the cross. John&rsquo;s account of how blood and water issued from the Lord&rsquo;s pierced side is an evident allusion to childbirth; he saw the ecclesia as being born out of the pierced body of the Lord at the time of His death.</p>