In John 3 we come face to face with the necessity to be born again.
“Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with that person.’ 3 Jesus answered him, Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above’” John 3:1-3.
Nicodemus appears before Jesus yet never even states the purpose of his coming. But the conversation barely begins when Nicodemus is quickly forgotten, and the conversation speedily moves out the concerns of Nicodemus to the concerns of Jesus: “You must be born again.” We are pushed to hear not a conversation between two persons but a conversation about the church and synagogue, in which the church completes and fulfills the synagogue. The conversation thus falls into its very important place in the movement of thought in John’s Gospel.
Judaism cannot simply move forward to achieve its goal in the kingdom of God. This goal cannot be reached even by scholarly discussions between its distinguished teachers, such as Jesus and Nicodemus, nor by waiting for the end of time when the Kingdom of God should suddenly appear. Think about it, our human nature needs Divine renewal before it can experience the Kingdom of God, which is obvious because the Kingdom of God is being in part realized already in Jesus who stand before Nicodemus. The contrast between Jesus and John the Baptist — and their conversation — brings out the point very clearly. John the Baptizer was preparing men and women for the coming Kingdom by means of a baptism with water; but Jesus was here to baptize with Holy Spirit through His death on the Cross because in Him alone the Kingdom was already operative. Remember what John the Baptizer said earlier: “33 I myself did not know Him (Jesus), but the One who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit’ John 1:33.
Jesus’ disciples were born of the Spirit at Pentecost through the Cross, and this brought them nearer to seeing and entering the kingdom of God — and their baptism of the Holy Spirit enabled them to experience the beginning of the Kingdom of God. To be born from above, to be born again, is the gift of God’s Spirit received only through Jesus, who, as the Son of Man, links heaven and earth (“No one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above”). Jesus, who has descended from heaven, must ascend to heaven, but His ascent will be by way of the cross. This revelation leads us to being born again. We are born again through Jesus Christ. It is not something we do but that Jesus does for us through the Cross, Resurrection, and Ascension to heaven. To be born again is all about God’s love, and His purpose, the gift of eternal life; only incidentally does it result in judgement, for it resembles the shining of light into the world. There are some who come to the light, that is, they believe in Jesus. There are some who do not; that is, they reject Him. It seems that the two groups seem to be determined before the coming of Jesus and who disclose their identity by their reaction to Jesus.
How are you and I reacting to Jesus in our life? Bring this question to Jesus in your prayer today. To be born again is, for me, a daily thing. Am I willing to place myself in the presence of Jesus and pray, beg, that He draws me into His heart. Am I willing to pray for grace to reach to Jesus TODAY in love and give Him my life today?
Lord, help me react to You today in love and humility and obedience. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.
From the Bible:
“Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” John 3:3.
“You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God” 1 Peter 1:23.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 6:23.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through Him”
John 3:16, 17.
Comentarios