Ye Must Be Born Again!
As we have seen in the third chapter of John, Nicodemus was religious; his religion did not satisfy him; he even admitted the right things; but he was still in his sins. Now we come to an important question. What was Nicodemus missing? Jesus answers this question concisely. After Nicodemus admitted the right things concerning our Lord, Christ did not even acknowledge his admissions. Let us look again at verse three:
John 3:2 – “The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.”
Immediately after Nicodemus made the correct admissions concerning Christ’s advent from heaven, Christ did not so much as make a single remark regarding his comments. Immediately, Christ cuts to the chase and gets to the root of the problem.
John 3:3 – “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Being born again is the answer. It is the missing ingredient in Nicodemus’ religious recipe. You may be religious; you may be even be a religious leader. You may conduct services, perform sacraments, do good deeds, and all the rest of it. But if you have not been born again, you are lost and hell-bound!
God’s Examination of Man
Men and women today boast of their religious accomplishments. If you were to ask the next ten people how to go to heaven, I am sure you would get ten different answers. Some think that because they haven’t done anything too bad, they are sure to have a home in heaven. Some think that because they are good to their neighbors and try to help people, that they are sure to go to heaven. Some think that since there are hypocrites in church, they will be assured a place in heaven.
But when God examines lost, unregenerate mankind, he does not see a basically good picture. When man is laid out on God’s examining table, God looks closely at the specimen. He lifts up the hands and says, “His hands shed innocent blood.” He looks at the feet and says, “His feet are swift in running to mischief.” He pulls back the eyelids and says, “There is no fear of God before his eyes.” He looks under the lips and says, “The poison of asps is under his lips.” He beholds the mouth says, “His mouth is full of bitterness and cursing.” He views the tongue and says, “With his tongues he has used deceit.” Observing even further, He looks at the throat and says, “His throat is an open sepulchre.” Then, God listens to the heart of mankind and finds that the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked! This is what God sees in unsaved mankind. It is laughable that some ministers teach that man is basically neutral. That’s not what God said! Mankind is in sin! Conceived in sin and shaped in iniquity! That’s what God said in Psalm 51:5. Notice:
Psalm 58:3 – “The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.”
Isaiah 48:8 – “…for I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb.”
Ephesians 2:3 – “Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”
Plainly, God said that when you were born of the flesh, you were born wrong. The only hope is for you to be born again.
In understanding the new birth, it is necessary for me to ask the reader a question. The question is as follows: “When were you made a sinner?” Some teach that they were made a sinner the first time they committed a sin. This is not what the Bible teaches. Another question necessary to be asked is this: “When were you made righteous?” Some would answer that they became righteous when they started doing righteous things. This is contrary to the word of God. The Bible truth is that the sinner was made a sinner when Adam sinned, and the saved were made righteous when Christ obeyed the Father in laying down His life.
Romans 5:19 – “For as by one man’s [Adam] disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one [Christ] shall many be made righteous.”
You are born again, not by your own deeds of righteousness; not by sacraments; not by church membership; but solely by trusting Christ’s obedience to the Father. Trusting what Jesus did on the cross is the only way whereby you can be saved. Ask Him to save you today, completely believing Him to do so, and He will immediately save you!
Romans 10:13 – “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
MORE COMING UP…
