THE thousandth chapter of the Bible, John 3, should really have
started with the last three verses of chapter 2. Jesus was in
Jerusalem at the time of the Passover, and many believed on Him
as they saw the miracles He performed. But Jesus did not trust
Himself and His work to them because He knew what men were like.
In fact, "He knew men so well, all of them, that he needed
no evidence from others about a man, for he himself could tell
what was in a man" (verse 25, N.E.B.). * Chapter 3 proves
this point with the experience of Nicodemus. A top leader of
the church, who should have known the purpose for the church's
existence, was ignorant of the ABC's of salvation. He may have
been a qualified religious leader in financial affairs, social
action, organization, and policy making, but he was illiterate
regarding the one and only purpose for which the church exists.
Though talented, wealthy, educated, and honored, Nicodemus was in need of spiritual regeneration, but didn't consciously sense this need. He knew the Jewish nation needed a Messiah who would liberate them from the clutches of a heathen power. But what he didn't know was his personal need of a Messiah who would liberate him from the penalty and power of sin. A man may be ignorant of many things in the Scriptures and still be saved. On the other hand, a man may be saturated with spiritual knowledge and yet be lost. Ignorance like that of Nicodemus is far too common among us as religious leaders today.
The first approach Christ's night school student used was one of flattery. Nicodemus accorded this Galilean peasant, who had no formal training, the honorable title, "Rabbi." He topped this off by declaring Him "a teacher sent by God; [for] no one could perform these signs of yours unless God were with him" (John 3:2, N.E.B.).
This remark indicates Nicodemus' thinking was wrong. His evaluation of Christ was based on His performance, not on who He was! His ignorance of Christ's mission limited his praise to that of calling Christ a teacher but not a Saviour. Imagine what would have happened if Peter had been with Christ that night. How his eyes would have sparkled with pride for his Master when this chief ruler began eulogizing, "You are a great Teacher and miracle worker Yours is a special relationship with God." What beautiful words, Peter muses. What an acknowledgment! Com pare his attitude with the carpers who plague us daily. Nothing to date has been said by anyone comparable to this. Fantastic admission. The Master must be pleased. He searches Christ's face for signs of positive response. He sees neither anger nor charm, only love. But what he hears is astounding!
Christ forthrightly, yet kindly, tells His listener that he is lost unless a new birth is experienced. These words were shocking not only to Nicodemus but also would have been to Peter had he been there. Can't you see Peter leaning over and whispering excitedly, "Master, don't you know who this man is? Why, he is a leading member of the Sanhedrin. A wealthy, educated, highly respected, honorable, upright, and law- abiding citizen. Furthermore, he is a friendly neighbor, a fine husband and father. He is a Sabbathkeeper, tithe payer, and his character and morals are impeccable. He is the kind of person the church desperately needs. Think of the prestige he will bring to our ranks! Imagine the influence of his act on others. Please, please, welcome him to our ranks and I will make arrangements for his baptism tomorrow! Following that, I will arrange for a picture story to be published on the front page of the general church paper. Just imagine the headlines Sanhedrin Member Baptized!"
Ignoring this imaginary advice, Christ makes the point even stronger in verse 7 as He bluntly informs Nicodemus, "Ye must be born again." There is something binding about that word "must." The word is nonnegotiable. It is "either/or" no way around it. Those who do have a new-birth relationship wouldn't have it any other way. Com promise would be about as sane as a patient telling a surgeon to cut out his heart but spare his life. Life and heart are inseparable; so are the new birth and meaningful life!
Many people have no idea why Christ made such an unalterable demand on Nicodemus for entrance into eternal life. Verse 6 gives us an insight: "That which is born of the flesh is flesh." Christ here expresses a most unpopular truth.
Even if Nicodemus could enter his mother's womb and be born the second time, or ten times, or a thousand times, he still would be born a sinner. Man is born with the seeds of sin in his being bequeathed to him by Father Adam. Rear a baby in a sin-free atmosphere and he will inevitably sin. If the whole human race were put in heaven today, this would not guarantee a stoppage of "evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies" (Matt. 15:19). Sinners don't become saints just by environmental change. Living in heaven might modify a person's behavior a bit, but without a new-birth experience there would be no guarantee of a permanent change.
For this reason God asks the question about every soul, "What kind of chance would I take if I allowed this person into My kingdom?" That is a serious question everyone ought to think about, and it was a question Christ indirectly asked Nicodemus.
Complete Transformation Needed
I have often wondered what behavior therapists do with John 1:12, 13: "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." The phrase "not of blood" had special significance to the Jewish mind who traced his noble lineage to Father Abraham. In a modern setting we are quite aware that "bluebloods" are just as capable of being prodigal sons and daughters as anyone else.
The next phrase "nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man," prophetically renders science quite powerless to permanently prepare man for heavenly citizenship. Whether it be such techniques as shock therapy, brain surgery, behavior modification, chemotherapy, supportive psychotherapy, deep analytical psychotherapy, assertion training, rational-emotive techniques, psycho- dynamic or Freudian approaches, reciprocal inhibitions, systematic desensitization, operant conditioning, self-directed behavior modification programs, yoga or transcendental meditation, none can produce the new birth experience. We would not deny the usefulness of certain behavior modification techniques in aiding people to face life's stresses. Man can stand all the improvement he can get by any legitimate means. But the new-birth experience is more than a patching up of the old life. It is a complete transformation!
Lest one get discouraged over this rather revolutionary concept, we find the Saviour explaining by what means it could be accomplished. Not only is the new birth a "must," but for its accomplishment we are obliged to obey a second "must." Christ shared the secret of how a man is born again with Nicodemus: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up" (John 3:14). Here lies the genius of the new-birth experience. If an individual fails in finding and securing a conversion experience it is on this very point. He who fails in this area fails to lift up Christ in the wilderness of his heart. When Moses made a serpent of brass and elevated it high before the people, the gracious command was given that all who should look upon the serpent would live. Anybody who wanted to could look. Not that the brass serpent had power to help them, but it was a look of faith. It pointed to the One that was symbolized by the serpent, and that One was Christ.
Christ's revelation to Nicodemus unfolds an entirely new aspect of the atonement. Why didn't Moses lift up a lamb instead of a serpent? It is an amazing thought that God the Son came "in the likeness of sinful flesh" (Rom. 8:3). He identified himself with fallen man in order to lift man from the pit of sin and death to the highlands of salvation. The marvelous operation of the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Godhead, is deeply involved in the transformation that takes place in the life of the individual who will look to Christ by faith alone. The venom of sin that has infected every person born into our world, the only exception being Christ, can be neutralized by looking in faith to Him who knew no sin. Science cannot explain it. Philosophers cannot rationalize it. Discussion groups cannot fathom it. Reason cannot reason it. Only the one who looks by faith to Life will find life.
Reliance on works, obedience to God's law, or any other self-made plan for salvation spells eternal death! Nicodemus had difficulty in accepting this point. Little wonder that he ex claimed, "How can these things be?" A man of such integrity, morality, high principles, and good works found it almost beyond belief that he was a sinner in need of the pardoning grace of Jesus Christ.
When it comes to altering the deepest motives of a man's life, only an under standing of the atonement and a sense of Christ's pardoning love can effect any permanent change.
"The light shining from the cross reveals the love of God. His love is drawing us to Himself. If we do not resist this drawing, we shall be led to the foot of the cross in repentance for the sins that have crucified the Saviour. Then the Spirit of God through faith produces a new life in the soul. The thoughts and desires are brought into obedience to the will of Christ. The heart, the mind, are created anew in the image of Him who works in us to subdue all things to Himself. Then the law of God is written in the mind and heart, and we can say with Christ, 'I delight to do thy will, O my God.' Ps. 40:8 "—The Desire of Ages, p. 176.
Lift the Cross High
Fellow ministers, it is our responsibility and privilege to lift high the cross of Christ before our congregations. The cross should be the foundation of every sermon. It is a pledge of everlasting life. I am not talking about a cross that you put on a wall or hang around your neck, but the great principles of the atonement that are deeply branded upon the soul by the Holy Spirit. These alone can save and change men. God could reach more hearts and change more men if we would spend more time and effort on presenting the tremendous themes of Christ crucified, Christ resurrected, Christ ascended, Christ ministering in the heavenly sanctuary, and Christ coming again. Above all, let us preach Him from personal experience. If He is the living center of our lives He cannot help but be the center of our sermons.
When we share with others the preciousness of Christ and what He means to us, it will be as precious jewels that sparkle and shine in the brilliant sun light. In this way sinners will be attracted to Him and not to ourselves.What people, depressed people, people enslaved in destructive habits, people who are burdened with guilt, desperately need today is a new revelation of God's love that will lead to a new-birth experience.
"Ye must be born again."
* All Bible texts credited to N.E.B. are from The New English Bible. © The Delegates of the Oxford University Press and the Syndics of the Cambridge University Press 1970. Reprinted by permission