John 3:1-3 Nicodemus was part of the in crowd of the Jewish community known as Pharisees. They were disciplined students and teachers of the Old Testament. They were highly respected in their communities and yet when Christ comes they are the ones he clashes with the most, but Nicodemus seems to be sincere in his inquiry. As the two converse Jesus has some shocking words for Nicodemus: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (Verse 3 ESV) In other words there is a problem with Nicodemus’ and our very nature. The Blacklist is an interesting television show about a CIA agent that went rouge and 20 years later starts assisting the US government in tracking down international criminals as a way of brokering his immunity. You quickly realize that no one in the series is who they seem to be. Is Nicodemus who he seems to be? Is he the upright religious leader that is concerned first and foremost with the glory of the God of Israel or is his religion and piety a show to make others think more highly of him and gain his access into the societal power base? Are we who we present ourselves to be or are we something different beneath the surface? The great English Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon had a pretty good idea of what we are all really like. He once told his congregation: “If any man thinks ill of you, do not be angry with him, for you are worse than he thinks you to be. If he charges you falsely on some point, yet be satisfied, for if he knew you better he might change the accusation, and you would be no gainer by the correction. If you have your moral portrait painted and it is ugly, be satisfied, for it only needs a few blacker touches, and it would be still nearer the truth.” Hmmm. Probably not what you will find in many self-help books. However, Spurgeon’s words are much closer to the truth than “I’m ok-You’re OK”. The problem we have is not just a few bad habits that need to be overcome. In reality we are all a spiritual dumpster fire. Actually we are incapable of even perceiving or seeing the Kingdom of God. Moral transformation is useless in light of our problem. God recreating us through a new birth is our only hope. Martin Luther said we are caterpillars in a ring of fire and that the only rescue in that predicament is from above.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 20:48:19 +0000
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