“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
– John 3:16
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you believe in Jesus Christ – Who called Himself the Son of Man, as being your Lord and Savior? Jesus Himself said per John – who Jesus arbitrarily chose to be one of his twelve disciples, in what John penned in what is now John 3 in his John Book, that a guy, gal or kid condemns himself or herself to a lifetime of living in darkness if he or she is never led to accept Jesus Christ – who is the one and only Son of God – as God the Father, as his or her Lord and Savior. John the Baptist – who was Jesus’ forerunner along with being Jesus’ herald, is quoted by John in this same chapter saying that if a guy, gal or kid rejects God – as God the Son, by never accepting Him as being his or her Lord and Savior, that he or she will not only never see life; but that he or she will also incur for all eternity the wrath of God – as God the Father. Nicodemus was a Pharisee. Nicodemus being a Pharisee was a learned guy in the Torah who had position, power and prestige as a member of the Jewish ruling religious council. Nicodemus seemed to have been very intrigued and quite concerned with Jesus’ pointed teachings and displays of miracles. Nicodemus used the dark of night to meet up with Jesus to try to internalize Jesus’ core message. Nicodemus – being that he was a Pharisee and being that Jesus’ teachings and the Jewish laws taught by the Pharisees were not on the same page, would not have wanted to be seen by his contemporaries talking to Jesus. Because Jesus’ earthbound day schedule was packed doing teachings and miracles, it is also possible that the only time that Nicodemus could get Jesus apart for a few minutes to do chitchat was at night. By the time that Nicodemus caught up with Jesus, Nicodemus and ostensibly his Pharisee Jewish law buddies had come to deduce that Jesus – Who Nicodemus referred to as being a Rabbi – which means Teacher in Hebrew, had been uniquely sent by God – as God the Father, to planet Earth to do what He was doing because no guy could ever do what Jesus was doing if God – God the Father, was not there with Jesus helping Jesus carry out the unbelievable miracles that Jesus was performing. Jesus’ reaction to Nicodemus’ attempt to begin their conversation with positive words – to try to stroke Him, was to tell Nicodemus that he needed to be born again. Nicodemus incredulously responded to Jesus’ cryptic remark by telling Jesus that being born again was impossible for a guy, gal or kid who had already been born. Jesus’ reply to Nicodemus’ questioning what He had just said to him that he needed to be born again was to tell Nicodemus that He was not referring to his need to be reborn again physically but that he needed to be born again in a spiritual context – which is the work that is assigned to God – as God the Spirit, to bring about happening.
Do you think that a light bulb came on in Nicodemus’ head when Jesus told him that he had to be born again through the ‘capricious’ guidance of God – as God the Spirit? Verse 16 has what Jesus said – after He had likened Himself to the snake pole that Moses set up in the desert for the Israelite people group guys and gals – who were God’s specially chosen guys and gals, to look at so that they would not die after being bitten by a snake, ““For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Have you memorized this verse? What this verse says is that if a guy, gal or kid looks through the eyes of faith at Jesus, he or she will be saved for all eternity. This verse is sometimes seen on a placard that is being held up by a guy during a sporting event. Why do you think that this verse is a favorite verse for so many guys, gals and kids? Do you unreservedly believe what this verse says? Do you think that Nicodemus believed what Jesus told him? At the very moment that a guy, gal or kid is divinely led by God – as God the Spirit, to and through the faith/grace door because the guy, gal or kid has internalized unconditionally what Jesus did through His agonizing suffering so that his blood will cover his or her sins and through His death on a cross as ransom payment to pay for death for him or her, the guy, gal or kid will experience an immediate take over by God – as God the Spirit. One of the designated jobs that God – as God the Spirit, has is the chore of sanctifying the guy, gal or kid who . . . after your grandmaa and grandpaa joined the Christian & Missionary Alliance Church in Aberdeen, South Dakota, Pastor Jensen – who was the pastor of the church, asked your grandpaa if he would preach on a Sunday morning. Your grandpaa does not remember the passage that he used when he preached in the Christian & Missionary Alliance Church in Aberdeen that Sunday morning; your grandpaa does remember the example that he used of how God – as God the Father, sees His adopted kids as dirty plates which need to be cleaned – which is one of the tasks that God – as God the Spirit, has been designated to do. The point that your grandpaa remembers wanting to get across was that he did not want God – as God the Father, to see His life as being like a dirty plate. A dirty plate – who is a guy, gal or kid who has not been led to make a decision of faith, will fight back against the light of truth – which is God – as God the Spirit, nudging him or her, as he or she does not want the revolting filth washed away that envelops his or her life.
Doing what Nicodemus did when he asked Jesus – who is God – as God the Son, about His teachings, will turn on the life light of a guy, gal or kid. Not accepting the teachings of Jesus will leave a life dirty and out in the dark.
John 3 (1070)