John 3:3 Jesus replied, "I assure you: Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Today's verse is a natural progression from yesterday's thoughts of regeneration, replacing our heart of stone with a new heart of flesh and a new life in Christ. The verse starts out with strong words, the translations differ in what words they use, but they are all stressing the point, I assure you, or truly truly. Jesus is leaving no room for error. If you want to see the kingdom of God, you must be born again.
The phrase literally means be "born from above". Just as our birth into this life, it is something that we didn't do on our own. So it is with our salvation, it is the work of God. And as a baby is born, it must learn, grow and develop, this growth is a process. So it is spiritually, we aren't just born again and then live our lives as if nothing had changed. Tim Keller writes, "The Christian life is a process of renewing every dimension of our lives - spiritual, psychological, corporate, social - by living out the ramifications of the gospel. The gospel is to be applied to every area of thinking, feeling, relating and behaving."
Reading this verse and Tim Keller's statement, has our being born again had an impact in renewing "every dimension of our lives"?
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.
Blessings,
Mike
Follow the verse of the day at www.mikesvotd.blogspot.com
John 3:2-4 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
2 This man came to Him at night and said, "Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher, for no one could perform these signs You do unless God were with him."
3 Jesus replied, "I assure you: Unless someone is born again,[a] he cannot see the kingdom of God."
4 "But how can anyone be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked Him. "Can he enter his mother's womb a second time and be born
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