Too Many "Water" Christians
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which born of the Spirit is spirit. John 3:3-6
Jesus knew what was in Nicodemus' heart. And He knew what the rich, pharisaic ruler needed.
Nicodemus needed to be born again or born from above. It wasn't enough merely to be born as a child of Abraham into the covenant people of Israel. He somehow needed something more.
Here the fourth Gospel picks up on the theme it first introduced in John 1:12, 13. There we read that "to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God" (RSV).
Many in our day seem to believe that all humans are automatically children of God--that God is the Father of all people. Not so. He may be their Creator, but that does not mean that He is their Father.
The Bible is clear on this point. It is only those born of the Spirit and who have responded in faith who belong to the family of God. They may have been born Jews, Catholics, Adventists, or Baptists, but that doesn't make them a part of God's family.
That is what Jesus is telling Nicodemus. He needs a double baptism--both of water and of Spirit so that he might be born from above as a part of God's kingdom.
In our day it is at the point of the double baptism that the problem enters the church. All church members have by definition been baptized with water. But that is only half of what they need. And it is by far the lesser half. More important, they must have a new heart and empowerment for Christlike living through the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
The problem is that there are too many "water" church members. They belong to the church but not to God's family in heaven. It is from the "water" group that comes dissension, backbiting, and trouble of every kind within the visible church.
Lord, help me today to desire to move beyond the water and into the Spirit. I need Your help right now.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which born of the Spirit is spirit. John 3:3-6
Jesus knew what was in Nicodemus' heart. And He knew what the rich, pharisaic ruler needed.
Nicodemus needed to be born again or born from above. It wasn't enough merely to be born as a child of Abraham into the covenant people of Israel. He somehow needed something more.
Here the fourth Gospel picks up on the theme it first introduced in John 1:12, 13. There we read that "to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God" (RSV).
Many in our day seem to believe that all humans are automatically children of God--that God is the Father of all people. Not so. He may be their Creator, but that does not mean that He is their Father.
The Bible is clear on this point. It is only those born of the Spirit and who have responded in faith who belong to the family of God. They may have been born Jews, Catholics, Adventists, or Baptists, but that doesn't make them a part of God's family.
That is what Jesus is telling Nicodemus. He needs a double baptism--both of water and of Spirit so that he might be born from above as a part of God's kingdom.
In our day it is at the point of the double baptism that the problem enters the church. All church members have by definition been baptized with water. But that is only half of what they need. And it is by far the lesser half. More important, they must have a new heart and empowerment for Christlike living through the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
The problem is that there are too many "water" church members. They belong to the church but not to God's family in heaven. It is from the "water" group that comes dissension, backbiting, and trouble of every kind within the visible church.
Lord, help me today to desire to move beyond the water and into the Spirit. I need Your help right now.
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