WATCHWORD:
1Well then, shall we keep on sinning so that God can keep on showing us more and more kindness and forgiveness? 2-3 Of course not! Should we keep on sinning when we don’t have to? For sin’s power over us was broken when we became Christians and were baptized to become a part of Jesus Christ; through his death the power of your sinful nature was shattered. 4 Your old sin-loving nature was buried with him by baptism when he died; and when God the Father, with glorious power, brought him back to life again, you were given his wonderful new life to enjoy. Romans 6:1-4
1-2 After dark one night a Jewish religious leader named Nicodemus, a member of the sect of the Pharisees, came for an interview with Jesus. “Sir,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miracles are proof enough of this.” 3 Jesus replied, “With all the earnestness I possess I tell you this: Unless you are born again, you can never get into the Kingdom of God.” 4 “Born again!” exclaimed Nicodemus. “What do you mean? How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” 5 Jesus replied, “What I am telling you so earnestly is this: Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. 6 Men can only reproduce human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven; 7 so don’t be surprised at my statement that you must be born again! John 6:1-7
Meditation:
Dying in Order to Live
Recently, a subscriber to Watchwords raised this question: What does it mean that you must die, if you want to be alive? Another friend responded by saying, “When you accept the Lord, your Old Self dies and a new person comes forth.” which I thought was a good point, but incomplete. Let’s sort it out.
The friend’s response seems to be an easy answer, but the question becomes, how does that happen? How does my old self die and what causes this new person to emerge?
Jesus, in his conversation with Nicodemus, was not very patient. Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a teacher of the law, yet he did not understand what was written in the Law. Jesus reminds him that “Men can only reproduce human life.” But, only by being “born again” by the Holy Spirit, can that human life become new from heaven.
It’s been nearly 45 years since my own singular born-again experience. I can recall the freeing sense of a new life that I carry with me to this day, following that sacred point in my life. Over these years, that sense of a new life by the Holy Spirit has been refreshed through worship services, friendship with fellow Christians, Bible studies, a program called The Great Experiment, multiple exposures to Cursillo weekends, as a pilgrim and as a “Cha”, a leader, and continuing gatherings of Fourth Day, in various forms.
I go back to the initial question raised by my friend. I would not call him a modern-day Nicodemus, because even in the question, he displays his faith. Was this a trick question? Tricky, but not a trick. It would appear that he believes there is something beyond when a person dies, “if you want to be alive.” Sometimes our faith is buried deep, beneath the pressures of everyday living, and it takes the abrasiveness of life to bring it to the surface, maybe through that little prayer: “Help me, Jesus!”
The imprint on a person’s “born again” spirit can be definitive, or subtle to the point where the only remnant is reflected in the life and attitudes of the person. A friend once told me that he never had a born-again experience. Born into a family of faith, father was a pastor, and he could not recall anytime when he didn’t commit his life to Christ. Yet, every believer has a point in her or his life when they acknowledge Jesus as God, maybe moving from parent’s faith to their own. That is being Born-again, to become truly and fully alive.
The Lord’s presence is implied in this passage from Romans 12:2– 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
There is more to be said on this topic, as I think about it, and I will try to continue in the next Watchword. As I close, I have two questions for you: First, can you recall a time when you felt your faith had come alive or was more pronounced? Secondly, do you know what “turn to Page 11”, means? If you know, then I would say you have been born-again. If you don’t, read tomorrow’s Watchword and be informed. Amen.
One More Point:
Death to sin refers to all baptized believers, and the words ‘died to sin’ refer to having ceased to live under the power of sin. We often think of Saul’s conversion to Paul and a believer in Christ, as happening on the road to Damascus. Maybe being knocked off his … donkey was a wake-up call, but when did he become an apostle, a disciple Jesus? Maybe it was sometime during his two years in the desert, prayerfully seeking an answer. For me, it took 43 years to fully accept Christ as Lord and Savior, apparently I was just a little slow in picking up the clues.
Prayer to Help My Unbelief:
Lord, I believe, but help with my unbelief! Help my head and my heart and my soul to believe in you and trust in you fully, without a doubt, knowing that in you all things are possible. Lord, strengthen my faith! Amen.
