The Story Of My Life 1
Born Again? The Story of Nicodemus
by Daniel Carandang
written by AggyApolinario
Who is Jesus?
This question doesn’t
come often, and when it does, we almost always think that there’s no need for
an answer because we think it’s clear who he is. But the truth is there are a
lot of misconceptions and myths about Jesus. We’d probably even get a hundred
different answers if we asked a hundred people about him.
We hear stories from when
we were younger. As we grew older, we heard more. These are stories that talk
about who Jesus is—all very different. As a result, we picture God differently,
and sometimes we misunderstand His real identity.
A.W Tozer once said, “What
comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about
us”. However we picture God, it directly impacts how we live our lives. It
affects the way we behave and react to things. This is why it is very important
that we have a clear mindset of who He truly is.
The story of Nicodemus is
one great example to show us who God is beyond all the stories we’ve heard.
"Now
there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish
ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You
are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are
doing if God were not with Him.” Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one
can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.””
John 3:1-3
Nicodemus is a Pharisee.
He is a very prominent man, and is known to be very religious. He followed many
laws, which he believed would earn his way to God. He came to Jesus one night
and asked about the Kingdom of God. But Jesus answered him that no one can
really see the kingdom of God unless they’re born again. Actually, even before
Nicodemus went to Jesus, Jesus already knew what he was seeking. God is very
supernatural that way. He knows what we want even before we ask Him. He knows
our hearts very well. He knows everything.
Now,
to clearly understand this, we have to know that Nicodemus lived the way he did
because he believed that it was how he’ll be able to see God’s kingdom. He
followed hundreds of laws, even those that are outrageous because he thought
it’s a ticket to a ride to heaven, and to hear Jesus’ reply would mean like all
of his efforts were put to waste.
Sometimes,
we’re like Nicodemus. We do different things like feeding the poor, meditating,
attending church, and even inflicting ourselves with pain—all to impress God.
We think that when we do these things, it’ll earn us a ticket to God’s kingdom.
So let us ask ourselves…
“Are you trying to earn
your way to God?”
Our deeds, although good,
will always fall short. No matter how many religious deeds we do, they’ll never
be enough. They can never truly get us to God. They can’t give forgiveness for
our sins.
“All of us have become like one who
is unclean and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.”
Isaiah
64:6a
Jesus said that we can
only see God’s kingdom when we are born again. Being born again does not mean a
physical birth. It isn’t something we do to ourselves. It is something that the
Holy Spirit does to us the moment we put our faith in God.
Like the wind, we
cannot see it but we can feel it and its effects. It is manifested within us
and how our lives our changed because of it.
“How
can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot
enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “Very
truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of
water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to
spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’”
The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell
where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the
Spirit.”
John 3:4-8
After all of this,
Nicodemus still couldn’t understand. It could be compared with the feeling we get when we stare blankly at a calculus exam. Everything just seemed confusing. None of it made sense for Nicodemus.
The problem was, as Jesus
said it, because he didn’t believe. He tried to hold on to what he thought was
true instead of what Jesus was revealing to him. He stubbornly disbelieved it.
““How
can this be?” Nicodemus asked. “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do
you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we
know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept
our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe;
how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?”
John 3:9-12
Oftentimes, we also find
ourselves disbelieving. We have a lot of questions on our minds, some which we
can’t even find answers to. But here is what we should remember: the answer is
to know who God is.
“No
one has ever gone into heaven except the One who came from heaven—the Son of
Man.”
John 3:13
In here, Jesus is telling
us that He is the one. No one has ever gone to heaven, learn how to get there
and come back. No, only God can do that! Only Him has the power to reveal these
things to us, and He is telling us that He came from heaven and He is GOD.
So who is Jesus to you?
To some, he’s a moral
person, a prophet, and a good man. But He is more than all of those things, and
no religious leader is equal to Him. He is the King of kings and the Lord of
lords.
And since He is God…..
- His words are
absolutely true.
- His Promises are trustworthy.
- His Wisdom is perfect.
- His Power is
unstoppable.
- His Love is holy.
“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. For God did not send His Son
into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”
John
3:16-17
There are so many blogs
and podcasts that can tell us how to go to heaven, but really, God is the only
one who has the authority and credibility to tell us how to get there. ONLY
HIM.
There are a lot of
problems in this world. People are even debating which one should be called the
worst. But truly our real problem is sin. It broke our fellowship with God. We
are weak and condemned because of it. And like what was stated in Romans 6:23, “for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord.” We cannot help ourselves, and no deed or person
can, too. But thousands of years ago, Jesus came into our world and chose to
live like us. He was insulted, crucified, and shamed, but He endured it all for
us.
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