John 3:1-4 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 are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 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?”
Last Sunday, Pastor Kyle preached on John 3:1-12 and the doctrine of Salvation, which is a deep spiritual life and death issue for all. He opened the sermon by wheeling in an actual casket for a visual emotional impact. Every person has a physical birth and a physical death. We see, experience and understand the cycle of physical life in the material world. Our Lord God created humans as eternal beings in the Garden of Eden, but commanded Adam in Genesis 2:16-17, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Later, our original parents listened to the devil, doubted God and disobey that commandment, ushering sin into the world, which has been passed down to every generation since. Romans 3:22-23 confirms, “For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
And with sin, death came into existence that day. Romans 6:23 echoes God’s proclamation, “For the wages of sin is death.” Physical death entered the physical world, but Adam and Eve did not physically die immediately; they spiritually died that day. We humans consist of body (physical), soul (mind, will and emotions which thinking, knowing, doubting, and a power of moving do subsist), and spirit (the immaterial and immortal part of human beings connected to God spiritually); all given by Creator God. What died the day that Adam and Eve committed original sin was their spirit.
The Pharisee [religious ruler] named Nicodemus knew that Jesus was from God because of the supernatural miracles [the physically impossible coming to pass]. You cannot miss miracles of God and the Jews were looking for the promised Messiah, but he also understood sin; the regular ritual blood sacrifices for sins of the people were evidence of that. Jesus explains the absolute truth about the path to eternal life beyond this physical existence on earth and the associated human ability to spiritually discern the things of God, which confuses Nicodemus’ preconceived understanding and he misses the implication of the eternal rebirth of mankind’s death spirit in salvation by the Holy Spirit. The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world further explains this salvation truth in John 3:5, when Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” “Born of water and Spirit” refers to two kinds of birth (a natural womb birth + a supernatural Holy Spirit birth) rather than two means to be born again.
John 3:6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” The Bible often describes our sin-prone human nature using the term "flesh." This is the exact opposite of the Spirit, which is from God. This is the reason that a rebirth is necessary. The difference between the fallen flesh and the Spirit is the reason why rebirth is necessary. The natural man who is of the “flesh" is totally incapable of loving, obeying, or knowing God. A sinful human nature makes this impossible. In order to be reunited with God, a person has to have their nature changed. This cannot happen through normal means. It requires that a person be "born again," this time in the Spirit of God.
John 3:7-8 “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Salvation is a miracle gift of God alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
Let's continue Jesus' revelation of the truth of salvation to Nicodemus and us in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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