Bible Verse of Jesus Telling Nicademus to Be Born Again
Throughout his ministry, Jesus oftentimes butted heads with the stubborn and legalistic Pharisees. His message, which stood in direct opposition to their ability and principles, centered effectually a spiritual transformation of the heart, not a fastidious adherence to the law.
To experience salvation and truly see the kingdom of God at work in one'due south life, Jesus taught that we must cast aside the old, sinful life to get new creations—transformed, renewed, and reformed by the God's grace, not personal works.
Jesus would later say that we must be "born once again."
This thought of being "born again" (1 of the nearly powerful and prevalent themes in the Christian organized religion) actually emerged from a chat with a Pharisee. In John 3, Nicodemus—a Pharisee and member of the Jewish ruling council—came to Jesus at night with a seeker'southward heart and a question regarding the deeper meaning of salvation.
Jesus' answer would non only change his life; it would change the lives of future Christians and agreeing seekers forever.
Who was Nicodemus in the Bible?
Nicodemus, a name in Greek which means, "victory of the people," was a member of the Sanhedrin, a regional body of religious leaders and Jewish scholars charged with treatment matters of Jewish law and religion. As a member of this trunk, Nicodemus would have been a well-educated, privileged, and influential man, responsible for knowing nigh any teacher or public figure who might lead the people astray.
1 night, Nicodemus came to Jesus in private to ask about things he had heard and seen. Some believe that he came as a spy for the Sanhedrin, looking to discover the nature of Jesus' ministry or trap him in an answer that could be used against him in the courts. While this couldprovide an explanation for Nicodemus'southward motivations, in that location is not plenty evidence in the text to support this theory.
Every bit a previously published Christianity.com article explains, the fact that he came to Jesus in private, rather than challenging him publicly, as other Pharisees had ofttimes washed, might reveal more about his eye and possible motivation.
Everything we know about Nicodemus comes from John's gospel. What nosotros read in John 3 is that Nicodemus came to Jesus, starting the conversation with a argument, non a question:
"Rabbi, we know that You have come up from God every bit a teacher, for no one can do these signs that You practise unless God is with him."(John 3:ii)
Nicodemus, at the very least, was different than most Pharisees in that he acknowledged Jesus' authority and divine wisdom from the start. He may not have been an outright believer or follower of Jesus (at the time), just he could not fence against what he had seen and heard.
As Matthew Henry writes in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, "his (Jesus') miracles were his credentials."
Nicodemus had witnessed the miracles of Jesus and heard his teachings. At present he sought answers and came when he knew he could speak to Jesus one-on-one.
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What Did Nicodemus Ask Jesus and Why?
To Nicodemus' initial argument, Jesus responded, "truly, truly, I say to yous, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:ii).
This response conspicuously befuddled the inquisitive Pharisee, who quickly asked, "how can a human be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second fourth dimension into his female parent's womb and be built-in, can he?"(John three:4)
Nicodemus would ask a very logical question to clarify a very spiritual truth.
In his mind, it didn't make sense how a person could be born a second time or how i would return to their mother'southward womb to practice then. In purely physical terms, he was correct. It isn't possible. But the mysteries of God and the wonders of His kingdom are not always apparent or understood in purely literal or concrete terms.
In fact, to the earthly mind, the wonders of God often seem like foolishness. Nicodemus would soon discover that beingness "born again" has nothing to do with physical rebirth.
Matthew Henry writes, that "such is the nature of the kingdom of God (in which Nicodemus desired to be instructed) that the soul must exist re-modelled and moulded, the natural man must become a spiritual man, earlier he is capable of receiving and understanding them."
Even prior to Jesus, Scripture spoke of the depth and mysteries of the Creator:
- "Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you bully and hidden things that you have not known."(Jeremiah 33:3)
- "It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out."(Proverbs 25:2)
- "Tin can you discover out the deep things of God? Can you notice out the limit of the Almighty? Information technology is higher than the heaven – what can you do? Deeper than Sheol – what tin can you know? Its measure is longer than the earth and broader than the body of water."(Task 11:vii-9)
God, in His infinite ability and divine wisdom, is often shrouded in mystery beyond the telescopic of human agreement. This does non mean that He cannot be known or has intentionally hidden himself from the globe. To understand the divine nature of God, nevertheless, nosotros must seek out divine wisdom and let ourselves to be "transformed by the renewing of our minds." (Romans 12:2)
In his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus said that, "unless 1 is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and what which is born of the Spirit is spirit."(John 3:5-vi)
Nicodemus' inability to understand what Jesus meant demonstrated Jesus' betoken perfectly.
Born of flesh, the man mind cannot grasp the mysteries of the kingdom of God or empathise the fullness of God. This level of understanding tin can but come up from a spiritual transformation and re-forging of a listen that is made new or "born again" through Christ.
This is why the Pharisees oftentimes struggled to understand or accept the message and ministry building of Jesus. They were also entrenched in their ways and reliant on their political power and influence to accept any kind of spiritual transformation or philosophical surrender.
They were the religious elite and thrived on the public's perception of them being the ultimate intellectual potency in spiritual matters. Only earthly influence and political condition are irrelevant in the kingdom of God.
"To exist born over again is to be born of the Spirit" (Matthew Henry). This was something the Pharisees but could not fathom.
What Does Nicodemus Demonstrate near Faith?
Nicodemus, however, came curious and eager to learn more about Jesus' teachings. His heart had been stirred and heed challenged, and as is true to Scripture, those who seek the Lord and answers to the mysteries of his kingdom will not be disappointed (Jeremiah 29:thirteen, Deuteronomy 4:29, Luke 11:9).
While Jesus may have gently admonished Nicodemus, a teacher of the police, for his initial ignorance, asking, "are you the teacher of State of israel and practise not understand these things?"(John iii:9), he yet guided him to agreement with a reference to One-time Attestation narrative that pointed to his eventual sacrifice.
"As Moses lifted upwardly the serpent in the wilderness, still must the Son of Man exist lifted upwards, so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life."(John iii:14-15)
The conversation betwixt Jesus and Nicodemus clearly planted the seed for Nicodemus' own spiritual transformation.
Some accept noted that Nicodemus came to Jesus discretely and by night. It is possible that he didn't want others to know of this meeting, to the lowest degree of all the Pharisees, and that he may take tried to go on his emerging religion hidden from the earth out of fear of public scrutiny. That would soon change.
Nicodemus afterward would publicly defend Jesus when the Pharisees questioned whether or not to seize Jesus (John 7:51). And fifty-fifty later Jesus' death, Nicodemus was seen, forth with Joseph of Arimathea, bringing myrrh and spices to the tomb of Jesus afterward he had been crucified (John 19:39).
As Matthew Henry writes, "though now he came by night, afterward he endemic Christ publicly."
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Why Does the Bible Address Being Built-in Again?
Jesus spoke of being "born again" to explain what must happen in the heart, listen, and soul of the believer who is transformed by the grace and forgiveness of God. Nativity is the beginning of all life, and to be born of the Spirit, one must get-go at the foot of the cross.
John the Baptist heralded Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes abroad the sin of the earth (John i:29), and as Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come up." (two Corinthians v:17)
Our one-time, sinful life died with Christ. New life is born of His resurrection. As Matthew Henry writes, to be born once more, "we must have a new nature, new principles, new affections, new aims."
Reborn in Christ, everything must arrange to His image and will. In Him, we are given fresh eyes, fresh motivations, a fresh eye, and a fresh showtime.
Nicodemus discovered something about the mysteries of God and meaning of salvation in his conversation with Jesus. Not long after Jesus talked of being born again, he delivered ane of the most famous passages of Scripture, one which encapsulated the entirety of the Gospel.
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His simply Son, that whoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have eternal life."(John 3:16)
The spiritual rebirth and new life offered through the grace of Jesus Christ is more than just a quick fix to an earthly sickness. Information technology is a spiritual cure that allows united states of america to experience and enjoy a spiritual eternity with Christ. The Pharisees had sadly fallen into the trap of legalism, and in doing so, missed the heart of God in Christ.
Thankfully, Nicodemus' seeking heart overcame his earthly preparation and the narrow-mindedness of his spiritual colleagues.
As it says in Jeremiah, "y ou volition seek me and find me when y'all seek me with all your middle"(Jeremiah 29:13); and Nicodemus did indeed find Him. Information technology seems that the best way to sympathize what information technology means to be "born again" is to experience it for oneself, and that is certainly proven in the life and transformation of Nicodemus.
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Source: https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/what-does-nicodemus-know-about-being-born-again.html
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