John 3: Born Again
Read: John 3, Psalm 3, Proverbs 1
Who: Who wrote this book? Who did they write it to? What was their reason for writing?
What: What does this passage say about God, me, and my relationship with Him?
Today we read about a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. Although Nicodemus recognized Jesus as being “from God,” he didn’t understand why Jesus taught we needed to be “born again” in order to see the kingdom of God (John 3:3).
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ~ John 3:5-6
But Nicodemus still didn’t get it.
He was so focused on the physical and political ramifications of Jesus and his teachings, that he couldn’t see how being “born again” could be possible. I mean, how in the world do you make a grown man be…delivered…again? It’s a weird thought.
However, Jesus was talking about a spiritual birth, not a physical one.
Don’t be too quick to judge Nicodemus. We too often forget that although we live in a physical world, there’s a whole other part to this life that’s spiritual.
In other words, we are not fleshy bodies with a soul tucked somewhere inside. We are souls created to know God, our Abba Father, in a temporary shell called a body.
We are eternal creations that long for a spiritual birth to bridge the gap between us and God.
That bridge is Jesus.
Why: Why is this truth important?
Understanding we are spiritual creations first helps realign our perspective to God’s perspective. This profound truth encourages us to pray more, seek God’s presence more, have times of fasting, be more generous, and most of all, love and view people the way that He views them.
How: How would my life/character/perspective be different if I truly believed this truth?
Living this truth out would mean we see everything with spiritual eyes. We begin to see opportunities to speak of God’s redemptive message or opportunities to step out in faith to do or go because we are focused on the spiritual fruit it will produce, instead of our natural fears and insecurities.
Overall, we would live the way God is calling us to.
Prayer:
Jesus, thank You for loving us. Thank You for giving Your life for us. Help us to see and read Your truth in light of the spiritual and not just the physical. With this new insight into Your truth, help us to love and reach out to the people you place in our lives. Continue to give us wisdom to know and understand what You are speaking to us as we read through Your word.
Amen.
Shelly McGraw serves as the phenominal Communications and Creative Arts Pastor at Redemption Church Charlottesville. Shelly has been with Redemption from before their launch in March of 2016. She leads the worship team and oversees all church social media platforms. She and her husband, Jason, have three daughters and a handsome Beagle, named Rusty, who lives to snuggle.