Hi friends,
We continue to study the discussion between Nicodemus and the Lord Jesus about being born again. So far we have learned that being born again is the only condition for a man to enter the Kingdom of God. Being born again is a spiritual birth, from the Spirit, and is different from physical birth. You don’t see how it happens, but you see its effects in human life: a transformed life, full of the desire to know God.
Today we will find out how a man is born again. Let’s read John 3:9-15:
Nicodemus responded and said to Him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered and said to him, “You are the teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you people do not accept our testimony. If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven, except He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes will have eternal life in Him. (John 3:9-15,NASB)
All the prophets prophesied about the birth and work of the Savior among the people of Israel. That is why Nicodemus, who was a religious teacher, had to answer the question of how a man can enter the Kingdom of God. The Pharisees, however, rejected the testimony of the Lord Jesus and were unable to understand the time of His coming. In fact, whenever we stray from God’s Word, we lose our discernment and our ability to understand the times in which we live. I pray every day that God will protect me from the deception of earthly things and help me to stay focused on spiritual things, which are of paramount importance to eternity.
The kingdom of God is eternal life, and to enter into this kingdom is to have eternal life. On the other hand, those who do not enter the Kingdom have no eternal life and perish. So, the new birth ensures the salvation of man from eternal loss and can only take place through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Every man automatically goes to eternal death because of the sin with which he is born, and he needs a Savior. In fact, the name Jesus means: He will save His people from their sins.
The discussion between Nicodemus and the Lord Jesus took place before the ascension of the Lord Jesus to heaven. He ascended to heaven after the resurrection and made atonement for our sins with His blood. The brass serpent in the wilderness, raised by Moses, was the solution to the healing of the children of Israel, bitten by venomous serpents. Anyone contaminated with snake venom should immediately run to the place where the brass snake was raised, look at it, and thus be healed and not die. That serpent foreshadowed the Son of God, who took upon Himself, on the cross, the sin of all mankind. By looking to Him, that is, by believing in Him and His work, we are healed of the sin that enslaves us.
I want to ask you where you are in your relationship with God? Do you recognize that you are a sinner and that you need a Savior? Did you surrender your life to him? If you have been convicted by today’s message and want to be reconciled to God, repeat this prayer with me:
“My Father who is in heaven. I admit that I am a sinner. Please forgive me of all my sins. I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ, came into this world to die for my sins and deliver me from death. I believe in Him and the work He did on the cross. Make me your child and help me to follow You my whole life. Amen.”
If you have prayed wholeheartedly this prayer, you may know that you have been born again. Hurry to fulfill his command to be baptized now, and then join a local church where God’s Word is taught and where you can serve God.
Translated by Ina Croitoru