Have you been born again? Not in the way that some Christian groups mean it -- “Have you made a personal decision to make Jesus the Lord of your life?” Jesus says that we don’t choose him but rather He chooses us (John 15:16). And faith isn’t a “decision” but a gift of the Holy Spirit given through God’s powerful Word (see Ephesians 2:9-9; Romans 10:17). Still, there is such a thing as being “born again.” Jesus makes that clear in today’s reading which records a conversation that He had with a Pharisee by the name of Nicodemus.
Nicodemus was apparently intrigued by Jesus and His teaching, and wanted to know more. So he went to talk with Jesus, but at night so that he wouldn’t be seen with Him. Nicodemus begins the conversation, but Jesus sort of interrupts him and gets down to the bottom line: “No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” Jesus then relates exactly what it means to be “born again.” When a person comes to faith in Jesus, when they place their trust in Him as their Savior, their relationship with God is transformed from one of enmity to one of love, grace, and mercy; their eternal destiny is changed from “condemned” to “Eternal Life.” They are transformed, brought from death to Life -- born again into a new reality in Jesus Christ.
Nicodemus didn’t accept Jesus’s message right away. But over time he did believe in Jesus, even defending him (John 7:50-51) and finally publically identifying himself as a follower of Jesus (John 19:38-42). Some people put their trust in Jesus the very first time they hear the Gospel. For others, like Nicodemus, coming to faith in Jesus is a processes that plays out over a length of time. But no matter how it happens, or how long it takes, the bottom line is this: you must be born again.
Week 20, Day 97 -- The Bottom Line (John 3:1-21)
Have you been born again? Not in the way that some Christian groups mean it -- “Have you made a personal decision to make Jesus the Lord of your life?” Jesus says that we don’t choose him but rather He chooses us (John 15:16). And faith isn’t a “decision” but a gift of the Holy Spirit given through God’s powerful Word (see Ephesians 2:9-9; Romans 10:17). Still, there is such a thing as being “born again.” Jesus makes that clear in today’s reading which records a conversation that He had with a Pharisee by the name of Nicodemus.
Nicodemus was apparently intrigued by Jesus and His teaching, and wanted to know more. So he went to talk with Jesus, but at night so that he wouldn’t be seen with Him. Nicodemus begins the conversation, but Jesus sort of interrupts him and gets down to the bottom line: “No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” Jesus then relates exactly what it means to be “born again.” When a person comes to faith in Jesus, when they place their trust in Him as their Savior, their relationship with God is transformed from one of enmity to one of love, grace, and mercy; their eternal destiny is changed from “condemned” to “Eternal Life.” They are transformed, brought from death to Life -- born again into a new reality in Jesus Christ.
Nicodemus didn’t accept Jesus’s message right away. But over time he did believe in Jesus, even defending him (John 7:50-51) and finally publically identifying himself as a follower of Jesus (John 19:38-42). Some people put their trust in Jesus the very first time they hear the Gospel. For others, like Nicodemus, coming to faith in Jesus is a processes that plays out over a length of time. But no matter how it happens, or how long it takes, the bottom line is this: you must be born again.