Posted on 09/22/2019 1:58:25 AM PDT by metmom
“Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, ‘Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God’” (John 3:1-3).
Nicodemus came to Jesus as one of those superficial believers mentioned in John 2:23–25. But the Lord refused to accept Nicodemus’s profession, which was based on the signs he had witnessed (v. 2).
Jesus went straight to the real issue—the transformation of Nicodemus’s heart by the new birth, which is the act of God by which He imparts eternal life to those who are “dead in . . . trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1). Jesus answered his unasked question, “Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
By the “kingdom of God,” Jesus is speaking specifically of the kingdom of salvation, the spiritual realm where those who have been born again by divine power through faith now live under the rule of God mediated through His Son. Nicodemus, like his fellow Jews, eagerly anticipated that glorious realm. But they believed that being descendants of Abraham, observing the law, and performing external religious rituals would gain them entrance into that kingdom. As Jesus made clear, no matter how religiously active someone might be, no one can enter the kingdom without experiencing the personal regeneration of the new birth.
Ask Yourself
What are some questions you commonly hear that purport to be genuine interest toward Christian discipleship, but in reality are dodges and smokescreens that disguise a rebellious, disinterested heart? What’s the best way to respond to comments like these? What can you learn from Jesus’ dealings with Nicodemus?
Studying God’s Word ping
That’s a loaded question for sure. We have never seen that before, have we? 😁🤣 I Hope Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathra and other Pharisees got saved. I think some of them did, but most did not. Kind of like today. Some become true believers, most do not. 👎
Born Again
August 12, 2019
The phrase “Born Again” has become slang for insults, derisions, and laughter for ages against Christians of all types. Even among Christians it can be suggestive of “fundamentalism”, sometimes in derogatory terms. But what does it really mean, and is this important?
Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” Sounds important to me – “no one”, he says.
We tend to have the same reaction as Nicodemus did when he first heard those words: “How can this be?”, to which Jesus replies: “You are Israel’s teacher and do not understand these things?”
But what did this Israel teacher not understand? What was he missing?
The two creations stories in Genesis hold the key. The first shows the power and awesome authority of God as he creates the physical universe with the words, “let there be . . .”. The second story emphasizes the intimacy of God as he makes man with his hands and Adams’ spiritual creation as God breathes life into him. (It is of note that God did not breathe life into the animals.) God establishes man’s relationships with the world – he is shown as having dominion over the animals, equality with other humans, and is to be subservient to God. Adam is then told not to eat of the forbidden fruit or he will surely die. When he disobeys, his “spiritual” creation dies just as God had said it would. Relations with the animals and humans is damaged and he is no longer in an intimate relationship with his Creator – to walk with him in the garden in the cool of the evening. Instead, Adam’s reply when God looks for him is, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid . . . “
This is what Nicodemus needed to understand: Until man re-gains his spiritual creation he cannot enter God’s kingdom – thus, he must be born again. Jesus went on to explained it this way: “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to the Spirit.”
This explains why Jesus was baptized. Jesus – as the second Adam – had to repeat the steps Adam had gotten wrong. In Jesus’ baptism he was “born of the Spirit” as the dove descended on him, just as Adam had been when God breathed life into his nostrils. Jesus was then tempted in the desert for forty days, but this time “the second Adam” passed the tests of temptation the first Adam had failed, and we were back on track as spiritual beings.
For the next three years Jesus showed us what it means to be born into a spiritual life. In his death the power of death which the tempter had gained over man through Adam’s disobedience died with him.
Finally, on the Day of Pentecost, we were all invited for a do-over of our spiritual birth, long lost through the first Adam’s disobedience. I see the crowd which heard Peter’s amazing sermon as the ones who had followed him into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. They were stunned, and asked, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” There it is – be washed in the water of baptism (dying to sin) and receive the new Spiritual life through the Holy Spirit.
The circle is now completed. Man was created both flesh and Spirit, but his creation in the Spirit, with God’s breath in his nostrils, had died in sin. Jesus has provided a path out of sin, but it requires that we be “born of water and the Spirit”, re-born into our second creation. Born Again.
Not so derogatory at all.
Thank you for that excellent explanation.
Born again of the spirit is to be inspired. The result is that people learn anew, then get up and begin to accomplish something good finally. It's the very meaning of renaissance: "rebirth".
inspiration (n.)
c. 1300, "immediate influence of God or a god," especially that under which the holy books were written, from Old French inspiracion "inhaling, breathing in; inspiration" (13c.), from Late Latin inspirationem (nominative inspiratio), noun of action from past-participle stem of Latin inspirare "blow into, breathe upon," figuratively "inspire, excite, inflame," from in- "in" (from PIE root *en "in") + spirare "to breathe" (see spirit (n.))...
https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=inspiration
The Age of Discovery (Revelation):
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a fervent period of European cultural, artistic, political and economic “rebirth” following the Middle Ages. Generally described as taking place from the 14th century to the 17th century, the Renaissance promoted the rediscovery of classical philosophy, literature and art. Some of the greatest thinkers, authors, statesmen, scientists and artists in human history thrived during this era, while global exploration opened up new lands and cultures to European commerce. The Renaissance is credited with bridging the gap between the Middle Ages and modern-day civilization.
From Darkness to Light: The Renaissance Begins
https://www.history.com/topics/renaissance/renaissance
Genesis 1
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
The first day, back to basics. The moment of inspiration is the sudden "Aha!" moment when the light goes on. It's the simple meaning, coming in an instant. Let there be light, and there's light.
Discovery:
Revelation 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
The religious world of settled doctrines and bondage to conformity and consensus *is* the Dark Ages. History is prophecy because people don't learn from history so it repeats. And then they are shocked. For example, the Messiah is the guy who does not match the expectations of the experts and their devoted disciples.
The “Renaissance” was fueled largely by the re-discovery of Greek culture - not really based upon Christianity at all. You can see this is the celebration of the “flesh” (nude paintings and sculptures) and of reason (the universities - if man just new enough he would not be evil). But it then spawned the Protestant Reformation, which along with the printing press put us back on the road to salvation. At least, that’s the way I see it . . .
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