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If you have not read chapter 3 of the Gospel of John lately, I hope you will read the entire chapter today. I want to draw your attention to a few things about this wonderful teaching from Scripture. You may know it covers the talk Jesus and the Pharisee Nicodemus had at night, and a few things John the Batist had to say about Jesus. Here is that discussion as given in the New International Version of the Bible, John 3: 1-21.

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 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.”

“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

We learn from this story that even a very religious man, who is a teacher, may not grasp the reality of what it takes to get into heaven. He (and You) may be a moral man, have a good reputation, treat others well, but all of that is not able to fit you for heaven. Jesus says you and I must be born again, or born from above, in order to receive eternal life.

We learn Jesus came to save us from our sins, not to condemn us. You see we are already condemned due to our sinfulness (John 3:36). This sinfulness, fallen condition is the lot of all Adam’s descendants. We are all recipients of the death (Spiritual separation from God) that sin brings. Only in the living and resurrected Christ can we be born again and fit for heaven. That is why the tomb was empty that first Easter morning. Jesus truly is the Savior of the World!

Would you today turn from your sins and ask Jesus to forgive you and come into your life? He is the Way, the Truth and the Life! He is the Savior of the World, but is He your Savior?

Dave Carroll is an area missionary with InFaith, America’s oldest Christian home mission agency. He is also pastor of the Wolf Creek Baptist Church. You can contact Dave at 406.459.8935 or davecarroll@infaith.org