The Paragon of Religion

I am starting to follow a series that has been bugging me for the past 1 year or so. I prayed about it on challenging my theology together with John Piper.

This series of lessons is by far one of the most important studies that a Christian should grasp. It's entitled "The New Birth". It has everything to do with Salvation. Faith. Jesus Christ.

2 days ago marked the start of this journey of learning for me. I pray most earnestly that the Lord Himself un-blind me to the beauty of His truth, and that I may experience the infinitely glorious reality of the new birth.

"Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 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."
In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
~ John 3:1-3 (NIV)

The above passage forms the baseline of the series. Let us start.

The passage above appears to be an ordinary passage that is oftentime taken to be historical in nature. But read it slowly and carefully again, how the passage begins.

Apostle John brought our attention to a seemingly innocent detail which certainly has full of intentions. We are introduced to Nicodemus. A Pharisee. A member of the Jewish ruling council. We've got to understand that the circumstance in those days. The pharisees (Jewish ruling council) are the most respected, most disciplined, most influential ruler among the society of the people. This man, Nicodemus, came to Jesus and began a conversation that would soon challenge the core of his being. He began by acknowledging the signs and miracles that Jesus performed, and acknowledged that He is from God.

The next event that was recorded could probably be listed among the most turned-around statements in the Bible. Jesus bluntly and honestly replied, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." (John 3:3 NIV). Huh!

What a strange answer! But precisely the point Jesus wanted to drive across.

Here is a summary of what we could learn in 3 points of which I've just learnt 2.

1. The new birth does not give us a new religion but a new life.
2. The new birth does not merely mean affirming the supernatural in Jesus but experiencing the supernatural in ourselves.

The very reason why John intentionally included that detail is to clarify to us that even the most manifest of religious are not saved apart from the new birth. Religion cannot save us. Not unless something is done by God to us, that is the new birth.

Notice how Nicodemus answers were also recorded. He acknowledged and affirmed Jesus of His divine power and being. To which, Jesus did not affirm his answer, but rather gave that strange reply that we read about just a while ago. In other words, it is possible that one acknowledge and affirm who Jesus is and never really experience who He is. It is possible that one goes through the motion of fellowship among fellow Christians, participating in serving in the ministries, being convinced of who Jesus is, but never really got to know who Jesus is intimately. Now, even the demons and fallen angel acknowledge and affirm Jesus of who He is, they are not saved!

We need to really grasp the fact that reality of the new birth does not happen unless the Lord causes it to happen.

"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 3:8 (NIV)