YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN.

Nicodemus was a teacher.  However, he received a great lesson himself this particular night.  He had come to Jesus secretly because he feared the rest of the Jews.  He had questions that he wanted to ask the Lord.  Instead of answering his questions, however, Jesus gave him a lesson on the need of man. Jesus told him that the lost need to be “born again.”
Though Nicodemus was a very learned man, he had no idea what Jesus was talking about.  He answered, “How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” (John 3:4) There was nothing spiritual in this response.  But, Jesus’ reply was consistent – “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” (John 3:5-7).  Jesus here separates the physical birth (the breaking of water) with the Spiritual birth (the quickening of the Spirit).

Jesus’ reasoning for teaching this to Nicodemus was simple.  He was explaining to him that he, being a natural man, was dead in his sins (Ephesians 2:1).  Being dead, he needed life.  This life only comes when the Holy Spirit empowers the Gospel (I Thessalonians 1:4-5).  We know this is exactly what happened in the life of Nicodemus because we find him supplying the spices to anoint the body of our Lord with later on (John 19:39).

Child of God, do you remember sitting under the preaching of the Gospel with indifference?  Do you remember hearing about Christ only to dismiss your need of Him?  However, there was a day when that Gospel did not come in “word only”, but in the power of the Holy Spirit (I Thessalonians 1:5).  The Lord opened your eyes to your sinful condition and drew you with chords of grace to His Son and our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

If your trust is in Christ alone, take time today to thank God for saving you.  Don’t go through this life with the idea that you saved yourself.  Cry out with Jonah, “Salvation is of the LORD” (Jonah 2:9) and thank Him daily for the work he has begun in you (Philippians 1:6).