Unlimited: Who Will See the Kingdom of God?
Dec 17, 2019 2147
Except a person is born again from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3, CJB).
Christ said these words to a visitor two thousand years ago. On another occasion, he expressed the same thought in the following way: “Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). These “excepts” stand between every man and eternal life.
Consider the most frightening aspect of Christ’s words: “You must be born again”. He was telling this to a man in good standing in the community, a teacher, who had devoted his life to God and the study of the scriptures. It was not to a Mary Magdalene, a prostitute. It was not to Zacchaeus, a cheat and a thief. Nicodemus a man of spotless reputation. (See John 3:10, RV.)
Most people of his day, and we ourselves, could not claim to understand the Word of God as well as Nicodemus did. Yet even Nicodemus needed to be born again. No wonder that when the great preacher John Wesley was asked why he preached so often on the text “You must be born again,” his reply was, “Because ‘you must be born again.’”
– Des Ford (adapted)
Eli’s Reflection: What is your salvation story? Have you ever written it down? Plan to tell someone this week about how you have been born again and why it is significant in your life.
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