John 3:5

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit ~ John 3:5

 

There are many “cannot enter” signs in the Bible, leading us to the recognition there are right, and, wrong ways to enter the Kingdom of God. I think of the “narrow gate” Jesus talked about, and the story of the sheep and the goats, where the sheep can stay but the goats must leave. Then, of course, there is the story Jesus told about it being easier for the camel to enter the kingdom through the eye of the needle than a proud, rich person. These are some of the verses that directly mention a right way into God’s kingdom. The Bible, though, is filled from beginning to end with stories of how to enter into the presence of God. It is a universal story, a continuing story. Today, on this the 40th day after Easter called Ascension Day, when Jesus rose up into the heavens to be with the Father, we listen in on a conversation He earlier had with Nicodemus. You must be born of water and the Spirit, Nicodemus. You and I replace Nicodemus’ name with our name…you must be born of water and the Spirit, ________. There is no other way to enter into God’s kingdom. In other words, Jesus is saying you must believe in the gospel message of Jesus Christ by believing in Him. You must repent of sin, confess His name as Lord, and thereby be baptized into Him. This does not mean that if I am baptized in water alone, I am saved. No, the same is if I take communion and drink of the cup and taste the bread; these do not save me. The change is not outward, but inward. The transformation is not to our exterior, but to our interior. This is a heart issue! We live in a world which says, “I am spiritual. I believe there are many ways to God, or, for sure, I must seek god within me, for it is there!” Some will even pray to a “god”, but forget about repenting, confessing, and submitting to a Being outside ourselves who makes the awesome claim to be Creator God. There is only one way to enter His kingdom. No other way will lead you there. Only by believing in Jesus Christ can you receive the salvation and the Spirit offered to you.

Pastor Julia


Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for your comments

Popular posts from this blog

Romans 8:26

Image
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans ~ Romans 8:26 Many days, many times, I have the words for prayer. It comes forth and flows fairly naturally as I converse with my Lord God. I hope in the God I worship to hear me, and to receive my words, as I pray in the name of Jesus and believe in Him, my intercessor. He is my Living Saviour, my High Priest, standing at the right hand of God the Father. But there are times when my pain has been so deep that my words will not come. There are times when my agony is so piercing that what words I may speak would not be enough. And so, in my deep, black moments, I come before my God and let my darkest emotions erupt in sounds that only He can understand. The Holy Spirit within me cries out in my stead, and He becomes my second intercessor. It is not that He is not there with me in all my prayers, but there are times wh...
Read more

Proverbs 18:2

Image
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in sharing their own opinions ~ Proverbs 18:2 If we are going to understand something, we must fully digest it so that when we speak, we speak with wisdom. When we have only half truths in our mind, our words become empty and senseless. We then puff out air rather than understanding when we speak. A wise person will want to improve their mind through learning in various ways from the world around them. A person who delights in spiritual understanding will find peace and enjoyment in reading the Word of God on a daily basis, and in participating with God’s people in a learning and praising environment – the church! We come together in corporate worship with the understanding that not one of us knows all things, but we bend our mind and heart to learn what God has to show and say to us. A foolish person makes a show of what they “know” to please their friends or to save face in front of them. More often a wise person will hold t...
Read more

Isaiah 43:19

Image
Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert ~ Isaiah 43:19 When we meet a challenge, we are often found discouraged, lost, even hopeless. Nothing is working, everything seems to be against us. We do not know how to move forward, so we remain curled up in a ball. Then, a glimmer of light shines through! Hope is regained and movement is stirred within. Don’t we become excited when we begin to feel it? God moves like that. We cannot see our way around it, but He can and does. And He makes a way for us out of the calamity of our fears. It is the feeling of springtime after a long winter, or the smell of fresh cut grass. Life stirs within and we move and we see what God saw all the time – the answer to our dilemma. Our desert place becomes an oasis, and we can do what we are called to do. Something totally unexpected happens, something unheard of, but it begins in our life, and we feel the...
Read more