John 3:4 (KJV)
Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
The impossibility of the new birth.
Nicodemus found himself in a quandary. He had come to Jesus not merely out of curiosity but drawn of the Spirit toward truth. Yet the truth he heard immediately collided with the religion he had long served — a religion he believed was authentic, true, and from God.
Oh, how Nicodemus longed for the kingdom of God. He had given his life to seek it. He knew the anguish of his nation under Roman rule, but he also knew the promise God had given to Israel.
That kingdom was their hope.
But here stood Jesus — a man Nicodemus instinctively sensed God was with — declaring that he, and all others, could not even see the kingdom unless they were “born again.”
How could that be?
It sounded impossible.
Right here lies the line of demarcation between religion and genuine Christianity. Religion attempts to practice the faith in human strength. It treats the teachings of Scripture as events, morals, or concepts one must make happen. Throughout history, religious men have used military power, political influence, persecution, and even death as tools they hoped would bring about the kingdom.
Christianity rests on a completely different foundation. We know that with God nothing is impossible. He is alive, present, and mighty. We follow Him. We obey Him. We speak of Him. But we do not “do for Him.” He is fully capable of accomplishing His own work.
The new birth?
With man, this is impossible.
But “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
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Born Again: Humanly Impossible, God’s Gift
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