{"id":870787,"date":"2012-04-23T06:00:31","date_gmt":"2012-04-23T06:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/provbaptist.org\/?p=870787"},"modified":"2012-04-11T16:29:37","modified_gmt":"2012-04-11T16:29:37","slug":"born-from-above","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/provbaptist.org\/?p=870787","title":{"rendered":"Born from Above"},"content":{"rendered":"

3 <\/strong>Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2<\/sup><\/strong> This man came to Jesus\u00ef\u00bb\u00bf \u00ef\u00bb\u00bfby night and said to him, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Rabbi, 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.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d 3<\/sup><\/strong> Jesus answered him, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d [ESV]<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Being \u00e2\u20ac\u0153born again\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is a phrase coined by Jesus Himself. It literally means \u00e2\u20ac\u0153born from above.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d This is another way of expressing spiritual life through the new birth.<\/p>\n

What happens in the new birth is not about getting another religion \u00e2\u20ac\u201c or even a better<\/em> religion; it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s about getting a new life. What happens in the new birth is not about merely recognizing and affirming the supernatural power of Jesus, but experiencing<\/em> that supernatural power personally in yourself.<\/p>\n

In verse 3, Jesus tells Nicodemus and us that our eternal lives depend on being born again: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d The word \u00e2\u20ac\u0153cannot\u00e2\u20ac\u009d refers to our spiritual inability.<\/p>\n

Being born again isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t optional or superficial. It isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t something you just \u00e2\u20ac\u0153add-on\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to your existing religious practices.<\/p>\n

As one author says, the new birth is not like cosmetics that morticians use to make corpses look<\/em> more life-like. The new birth is the creation of authentic spiritual life, not the imitation of life.<\/p>\n

Religious zeal can imitate<\/em> spiritual life. High moral standards can imitate<\/em> spiritual life. Good works and virtuous integrity can imitate<\/em> spiritual life\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 but compared to true spiritual life\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 all of these are like the morticians\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 cosmetics on a corpse.<\/p>\n

That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why Jesus said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You must be born again!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

He didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t say, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You need to be more religious.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t say, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You need to be more upright and virtuous in your morality.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t say, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Teach Sunday school\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Pastor a church\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Give more money.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

You can do all of those things and still be absolutely spiritually dead and lost! That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why you must be born again.<\/p>\n

In the rest of John chapter 3 we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to learn from Jesus what the new life is and how God brings it about through the miracle of regeneration.<\/p>\n

Until next time,
\nPastor Kevin<\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus\u00ef\u00bb\u00bf \u00ef\u00bb\u00bfby night and said to him, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Rabbi, 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.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d 3 … <\/p>\n

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