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Why we must be born again!
Nicodemus came to Jesus by night saying 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." 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 3v2-3)
Nicodemus was disturbed in his thoughts. He was the teacher of Israel and Jesus was telling him that unless he was born again he wouldn't see the kingdom of God. That's why Nicodemus questioned as to how a grown man can enter into his mother's womb a second time and be born?
Jesus explained that it is necessary to be born of water and of the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God.
Jesus then expounded on the above point. "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the spirit." (John 3v8)
Why does Jesus use an example of how the wind affects it's surroundings to explain how the Holy Spirit does the same? The Hebrew word for spirit is 'RUACH' meaning breath, wind and spirit and the Greek word for spirit is 'PNEUMA' meaning current of air, breeze, breath, life, spirit. In Genesis 2 when God breathed life into Adam He was breathing a spirit into him. Similarly Solomon wrote 'As you do not know what is the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, so you do not know the works of God who makes everything' (Ecclesiastes 11:5). In short no-one in their right mind would deny the existence of the wind, because they can see the affect it has on its environment, despite not being able to see it with their eyes. The same is true of the Spirit and it is a particularly apt analogy because in the Hebrew and Greek both wind and spirit derive the same meaning.
Jesus continued 'And as Moses was lifted up in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.' (John 3v14) In Numbers 21 the people complained and spoke against God and Moses and so He sent fiery serpents among them and many of the people of Israel died. The people repented and asked for the fiery serpents to be removed. Moses made a bronze serpent and put it on a pole, and whoever had been bitten by the serpents and looked at the serpent on a fiery pole lived.
Interestingly the serpent on a pole is still used by doctors and those in the medical profession as a symbol of healing. More importantly Jesus is the remedy
of the bite of sin and 'He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.' (2 Cor 5v21) Why were the people of Israel told to LOOK at the serpent on the fiery pole? Well the Hebrew for look in this context is 'RAAH' which means to gaze, respect, take heed and consider. That's exactly what we need to do. We need to take a long hard long at our sinful lives and ask Jesus to forgive us for our sins.
John 3v16 is probably the most famous and quoted verse in the Bible. 'For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.' But what does it mean to believe in Him, because James 2 verse 19 reminds us that even the demons believe that there is one God and tremble. The Greek word for 'IN' in this particular verse has an active meaning, 'EIS' means 'far more exceeding, so much so that, of one mind' Basically we should be absolutely convinced that Jesus died for sins and persuaded to the extent whereby we choose to confess our sins, repent, believe in Him and receive Him into our lives by the Holy Spirit. Again we will not see the Holy Spirit enter into us but others will see the affect of us having the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Nicodemus approached Jesus by night, possibly because he would get a better opportunity to talk to Jesus, than when many followers may have pressed Him with many questions during the day. Or being the teacher of Israel, it is likely he wouldn't have wanted the Teacher giving Him a lesson in front of astonished onlookers who he was supposed to be teaching. I have huge respect for Nicodemmus and we know that Jesus words had a profound effect on His life.When the authorities rejected Jesus Nicodemus said to them "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?' (John 7v50) Also when Jesus was buried 'Nicodemus who at first came to Jesus by night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.'(John 19v39)
Maybe you are a Nicodemus type seeking the truth and wanting to hear the still small voice and loathe the double standards of religious hypocrisy and farsical beliefs. If so you must believe in Him, a sinner comes to saving grace by the work of the Spirit-you must be born again! Amen
Comment - by Marc Puddy
To be 'born again' is to be a new person, this is something God does in us, through His spirit. We literally become a new creation - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.(2 Cor 5:17).
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