Friday March 3, 2017
“Do not marvel…you must be born again”
1 There was a man of the Pharisees named
Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to
Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do
these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most
assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the
kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said
to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into
his mother’s womb and be born?”
5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to
you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of
God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
– John 3:1-7
Born Again – The Doctrine of Regeneration
Why is regeneration important?
The
terminology of regeneration is largely gathered from the writings of the Apostle
John. The clearest display is seen in Jesus’ discussion with Nicodemus in John
chapter 3. There are Lord says to the great teacher of Israel, ‘you
must be born again.’ Nicodemus had to be born again because it was the only way he could enter into the
blessings which he apparently sought in coming to Christ that night.
Our Lord’s
words were primarily intended to penetrate the veil of misunderstanding which
lay over the mind of Nicodemus. He was the teacher of Israel (John 3:10),
perhaps the most able theologian of his day and yet he could not take in the
earthly things which Jesus taught. How much less would he grasp heavenly
things? (John 3:12). Yes, you, Nicodemus, need to be born again. But what
applied to Nicodemus applies to all. Unless any one is born again, he cannot
see the kingdom of God. Unless anyone is born again, he cannot enter the
kingdom of God (John 3:3, five). The necessity applies to all men, not only to
Nicodemus.
Why? Jesus
applies basically three answers.
1. Man is flesh. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the spirit
gives birth to spirit (John 3:6), may simply mean that human nature is
powerless to produce spiritual life and reality, as Johnson you use in John
1:13 would seem to indicate. This is not quite the same as Paul’s use of flesh
to signify man in his sinfulness. But it would be impossible for John to think
of man without recalling what he has become through his sin and rebellion
against God. For him, as for Paul, it is axiomatic that flesh and blood cannot inherit
the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15:50). Only a work of the Spirit can
bring us into the kingdom of the Spirit.
Challenge:
Being born
again is not just a “cliché” but a reality of a condition which must be met
before God’s Kingdom can be obtained. This, as we have seen, is a work only God’s
Spirit can achieve. Rejoice in this gift that we possess in Christ.
This Day in Christian History:
March 3, 1870 – birth of Lettie Burd Cowman. LETTIE COWMAN faced an incredible trial when
her husband, Charles, grew very sick and began to die slowly. Instead of
despairing, however, Cowman compiled a year’s worth of readings, poems, and
Bible texts to encourage herself as she cared for her dying husband. She penned
a few observations relating the theme of each day’s excerpt to her walk with
God.
When her
friends heard of the project, they requested copies, and so she printed a few
in 1924. That was the end of that, she thought. Instead, demand grew. By 2006, Streams
in the Desert had sold six million copies and had been translated into
at least fifteen languages, probably the most popular daily devotional ever
written, comparable in sales to Oswald Chambers’ My Utmost for His Highest.
Memory Verse:
Pea tali ‘e
Sīsū, ‘o ne folofola kiate ia, Ko au ē, ko au ē, ‘oku ou tala atu, ‘Ilonga ‘a
ia ‘e ‘ikai fanau‘i fo‘ou mei ‘olunga, ‘e ‘ikai te ne lava ke mamata ki he
Pule‘anga ‘o e ‘Otua. – Sione 3:3
Jesus
answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” – John 3:3
Bible Reading Plan: (52 weeks; 5 days a week)
Week
9 – Leviticus 24-27; Psalm 81, 112, 64; Hebrews 9-13
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