The previous blog post ended with a question: why do we often talk and act so difficult, complicated or even vague when it comes to the need of being born again, especially within the church...? I honestly do not know the answer, if there is one. I am glad Jesus kept it simple and said: You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ (John 3:7). Do not be surprised! It is normal.
The Bible shows us that prior to these words Jesus spoke to Jewish scholar Nicodemus, He said: Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. Well, duuhhhh... that is kind of logical, right? You don't need to be a rocket scientist to understand that. Not exactly what we expect to hear in a discussion about important matters between the Son of God and a theologian. But you know what we can learn from His words? There is more than a natural or human birth, there is also a spiritual birth. Those are two different happenings.
Well, that makes life a bit less complicated, doesn't it? We enter this earth through natural birth, which was not our choice, but the choice of our parent(s). Then there is something like a spiritual birth. Do we have a choice in this or not? Read it in the next blog....
Marja: We do have a choice about the spiritual birth. We either accept Jesus into our hearts or we don't.
ReplyDeleteAmen sister, I'll write about this in the next post!
DeleteYes, Marja, I agree that we over complicate the gospel message. Jesus communicated it with simplicity so that even a child could understand.
ReplyDeleteyes, often we have made it too complicated, don't know why :)
DeleteVery good discussion. The word for born again, anothen, can also mean "born from above." I like to look at this from both angles. Being born again means being born from above - the spiritual rebirth.
ReplyDeleteBorn from above... I like that Warren. it is such a great mystery and yet so simple!
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