Jesus responds to Nicodemus with a seemingly unrelated statement that clarifies itself as Nicodemus asks him to do so: “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John
Winder 2
3:3) This appears to have little to do with Nicodemus’s commendation, and thus he is confused as he responds. He asks Jesus, mistaking his words as literal, “How can a man be born when he is old?” (John 3:4) To which Jesus clarifies: “Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of Heaven.” (John 3:5) He continues to explain this principle of rebirth through the Biblical example of Moses and the nature of God’s love. Nicodemus’s questions function to show what being born again is not: it is not a physical rebirth
…show more content…
Repentance, according to Alma, is baptism. Baptism is, through the symbolic purification of water, a metaphorical act of being born into the covenant of God. It is both a birth of water and spirit, thus fitting Jesus’s earlier definition. According to Alma, just as Jesus said to Nicodemus, a Christian who is not baptized cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven. When Adam receives the Holy Spirit and the ability to baptize, the Lord said to Adam, “Inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water...ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit” (Pearl of Great Price, Moses 6:59). In the context of these later verses, baptism is the practice that begins the process of being born …show more content…
Todd Christofferson’s general conference talk “Born Again”, he defines being born again as “unlike our physical birth, is more of a process than an event. And engaging in that process is the central purpose of humanity.” (2007) This is the same principle that Nicodemus learned when he came to Jesus at night. Spiritual rebirth is the act of baptism to be “born of water and the spirit” (John 3:5) followed by a lifelong commitment to follow Jesus’s teachings and actions. It is a covenant that, after undergoing it, asks a Christian to function on a level higher than they were before in a moral rebirth as well. The reasoning behind this covenant--as is the reasoning behind everything Jesus taught--is love: ”for the love of God sent his Son not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:17) As Jesus introduced the concept of being born again, He is the median through which God’s love becomes the center of spiritual rebirth. Through Him and through spiritual rebirth, man can repent. It is, then, little wonder that Jesus tells Nicodemus when he seeks answers: “ Marvel not that I say unto thee, Ye must be born again.” (John
of children, rising up and teaching them. He says that salvation will come from the people
In the writing of this gospel, the reader has an opportunity to come to know the prominent Nicodemus. The history of this man is given in the first verse of chapter three. John gives more detail about this spiritual encounter with a non-spiritual
We know that Christ is someone unique and distinct in many ways from every other man, especially in his incarnation. This word Incarnation basically means `made flesh'. This passage shows the unique and miraculous events which were involved in Christ's incarnation.
not in his control. Even death brings a new cycle of rebirth, but it is not really new because the
The power of water, a meek and gracious force, as illustrated in the Bible is the source of life and fruitfulness. The prayer has different sections to articulate the overall purpose of baptism, beginning with gratitude and recognition of God’s omnipresence, the prayer then references from the Old Testament, as the church has seen in Noah’s ark a prefiguring of salvation by Baptism. As the water of baptism gives new life, the crossing of the Red Sea, the liberation of Israel from the slavery of Egypt, proclaims the liberation wrought by baptism. The final reference to the Old Testament is prefigured in the crossing of the Jordan River by which the people of God received the gift of the land promised to Abraham’s descendants, an image of eternal life. All the Old Covenants prefiguration’s find their fulfilment in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ begins his public life after being baptised by St. John the Baptist in the river of Jordan. After his resurrection Christ gives this mission to his apostles: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." To fulfil all righteousness, Jesus’ submissive baptism by John the Baptist, is a gesture of
And what is more the Father himself bore witness of Jesus by sending him in his own image. Jesus then rebukes them, warning them that they do not have God’s word or God’s love in them, neither have they believed in him. They have not come to him that they might have life. They have not received Christ, even though he was sent in his Father’s name. Jesus calls them out for being more ready to believe man than God.
distinguish themselves from those who are not baptized; but is also a signal which points to the act of regeneration encompassing being born anew. In addition, the baptism of children is
...Today as a Christ follower, we will never be satisfied if our life is not bearing lasting fruit because we are not fulfilling the purpose for which we were “grafted “into the Vine. Let’s examine the “fruit” of our lives. Is it the kind of fruit that reveals the character of Christ? Let’s not settle for fruitless Christianity. God will do the work of making us fruitful – we must only abide, surrendering our lives to His mission of making disciples of all nations through us. The whole notion of mission is to stretch out to work the work of evangelism not through hierarchy, sovereignty, rather through humbleness, hospitality, affection love for the others. That is what Jesus who portrayed as the one who we do not deserve to untie His sandals straps in the first Chapter of John, later become feet washer, intimate with humanity leaving His equality with God.
Rebirth and renewal are nearly synonymous metaphors. If the intent is for to have "washing of rebirth" and "renewal by Holy Spirit" as two separate events. , it seems to need a repeated preposition "through" (διὰ) to make it clear. Zehr says that "Interpreting the text as referring to two separate experiences creates a danger in some Christian traditions of making infant baptism an outward ceremony without an inner transformation of the heart". By understanding as two events it will create the problem of separating salvation from sanctification.
Nicodemus asks how a man can be reborn from above. Jesus tells him by analogy; now He tells him more directly. If anyone is to be saved from the penalty of their sins, they must “look up” to Him for salvation. He, like the bronze serpent of old, will be “lifted up” on a cross, and He will later be “lifted up” in His resurrection and ascension. In so doing, He will be “lifted up” in another way—He will be exalted by God for His sacrificial obedience at Calvary.
The Wesleyan argument would be that there no regeneration before new birth, so that regeneration follows being born again. The strangeness in the warming of the heart is life transforming by which in dying with Christ, believers are regenerated unto the new life with Christ. 4.
Nicodemus had no concept of the grace of God, nor the concept of the new birth. He failed to understand that his wicked heart, which was received by inheritance from Adam, needed to be regenerated and created into the image of God. The rebirth is not outward but inward, it is not of the body but of the soul (John 3:6). Jesus likens the saving work of God through the His Spirit to the working of the wind. Just as no one knows whence cometh the wind, or “whither it goeth,” yet everyone the under its influence, can feel the effects of the wind, as such is the case with the
John MacArthur states in his commentary “The most beautiful and graphic explanation of regeneration is in Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus, a devout and highly respected Pharisee and teacher.” (chapter 5, section 2, para. 6) MacArthur goes on to say that “The leader only made a statement about Jesus and did not say anything about himself or ask the Lord a question. But the Lord knew what was re...
Sin is something that we all will struggle with for the duration of our lives. Some people live in bondage to their sin because they don’t know how to undo the patterns of their sins, but, because of our Lord Jesus Christ, we do. Living and growing through Jesus is the only way to undo the patterns of our sin and not revert to sin again. Jesus fulfilled His destiny through His death and resurrection. Now we must fulfill our destinies and train ourselves so our sin does taint them.
We are all born with original sin that has passed to each human being based on the first sin that occurred with Adam and Eve. To escape this sin, we must undergo the first sacramental requirement, baptism. This is where we officially become a child of God as well as a member of the congregation. Confession first began between the Christian faiths to allow humans to seek forgiveness. After committing a sin, one may feel guilty or violated.