Oh, What Love!

Sunday, August 14, 2011, 7:56 a.m. – The song, “How Deep the Father’s Love For Us,” sung by Philips, Craig and Dean, was playing in my mind, only I could not recall the words to the song, so then the song, “Magnify Him,” began playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read John 3:1-21:

Jesus Teaches Nicodemus

1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

3 In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

4 “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!”

5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 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.”

9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

16 “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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

My Understanding: Nicodemus came to Jesus at night, perhaps because he was afraid to be seen with Jesus during the daylight out of fear of what his fellow Pharisees might think of him. It appears he came out of curiosity, with an inquisitive mind, desiring to know more about this man Jesus. He recognized and acknowledged that Jesus was a man sent from God, and that the things he did were evidence that he was sent from God. So, Jesus seized upon this divine appointment and opportunity to tell Nicodemus what was required of him in order for him to have eternal life in God’s eternal kingdom.

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

“Born again” is a phrase that has been used and misused by so many people that it brings about various responses from people today when they hear that phrase spoken. Yet, when we understand its true meaning and how Jesus intended the phrase to be understood, even though the phrase itself may have a bad repute in our generation due to its misuse, I think we will come to appreciate what Jesus was saying to Nicodemus and the importance that Nicodemus understood what Jesus was saying and why he said it this way.

Nicodemus was thinking with a natural mind. He was trying to image a full-grown man being born again out of his mother’s womb, and of course, this made no sense to him. So, Jesus took what he was thinking and explained further what he meant. He said,

“I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit."

This is yet another part of Jesus’ words that have been interpreted many different ways today, yet I believe, if we read what Jesus said in the context of how he said it, that it will become clear as to what Jesus meant. Jesus had told Nicodemus that he must be “born again.” Jesus was speaking of a spiritual birth, not a physical birth. Nicodemus, on the other hand, was thinking of a physical birth and his question to Jesus was asking him how a man could be born again physically, recognizing that this must certainly be a physical impossibility. So, when Jesus said that we must be born of “water” and the “Spirit” he was talking about the fact that we must be born physically, yes, but we must also be born spiritually. That is why he followed that statement by saying “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” He was letting Nicodemus know that he was not talking about having another physical birth, but that the birth he was speaking of was spiritual.

Nicodemus wanted to know how one could be “born again” spiritually, so Jesus answered him. He let him know that Jesus had to first be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. He was speaking to Nicodemus about how Jesus must be lifted up on the cross to die for our sins so that we, through faith in him, could be saved from our sins and so we could gain eternal life with God in his eternal kingdom, beginning right now. Then, he went on to tell him something which we now, in our time, have come to accept as the primary or main passage of scripture that presents the gospel of Jesus Christ:

“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.”

This is where it gets sticky, though. Many have watered down the word “believe” to where it means nothing more than acknowledging that Jesus Christ was sent from God and that he died on the cross for our sins and that we are sinners in need of a Savior. That is really not much different from where Nicodemus was when he came to Jesus at night, for he recognized that Jesus was indeed a man sent from God and that the things he did were of God, yet what Nicodemus lacked was a heart transformation, being “born again,” of the Spirit of God. When one is born, he starts out new and fresh, and that is what it means to be born spiritually, too. We don’t invite Jesus Christ into our old lives for him to save us from hell and yet continue to live just like we did before. No! Being born again means to have a radical life-changing and life-altering renewal of heart and mind to where we actually become a new person, leaving our sin behind us, and walking in obedience to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, imperfect as we may yet be, yet trusting Jesus each step of the way.

Jesus said, in speaking further on this subject of new birth and belief in Jesus Christ for salvation, This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” He said that those who continue to do evil will not come into the light lest the light expose their evil deeds. In contrast to this, he said that those who love the light and who live by the truth, will come into the light so that it may be seen plainly that what they do has been done through God.

Basically, he was saying that “belief” in Jesus Christ means turning from our sin, no longer living lives in darkness and doing things we wouldn’t want other people to see us do, but rather living as people who have come into the light whose deeds can be seen to be of God. Nicodemus came to Jesus at night, not because his deeds were evil necessarily, but perhaps because he was ashamed to be seen with Jesus. Many “believers” are ashamed to be associated with Jesus, too, and still live in darkness. Jesus came to set us free from that darkness so we can walk in the light. True belief means living as people of the light and having a life-altering transformation of our hearts to where we truly become new people, repentant of (turning from) sin and obedient servants of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

How Deep the Father’s Love for Us / Philips, Craig and Dean

How deep the Father's love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
And make a wretch His treasure…

Why should I gain from His reward
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV2zMZ-nZ7k

Magnify Him/ An Original Work / April 17, 2011

Glory to the Father, and glory to the Son;
Praise the Holy Spirit – our God, the Three in One.
Alpha and Omega, beginning and the end;
Savior, sanctifier, healer, the Amen!

Jesus reigns forever; He is the King of kings.
He is our Redeemer, the Lord of everything.
Through His blood He saved us, and brought us victory;
Purifying, our debt buying, so we’re free!

Soon He’s coming back for us, to make us His bride.
He asks that we watch ‘til the time when He arrives.
When He comes, what glory then will be ours to share;
Magnify Him when we meet Him in the air!

Song Lyrics @ Public Domain

https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs/home/songs/magnify-him