John the apostle shared how Jesus told Nicodemus, “Marvel not that I said unto you, You must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound thereof, but can not tell from where it comes, and where it goes: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Are you a master of Israel, and know not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto you, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and you receive not our witness”, and in chapter three and verse twelve of his book, John shared how Jesus asked Nicodemus, “how shall you believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?” where we read:
If I have told you earthly things, and you believe not,
how shall you believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
The verse reads, “If I have told you earthly things, and you believe not, ...” John began with the words, “If I have told you” which means “whether and since I, Jesus, have spoken and brought word to you, Nicodemus, about” “earthly things” or “things which are terrestrial and worldly”, “and you believe not” which means “and you, Nicodemus, did not think them to be true, were not persuaded or had confidence within them” the following question must be asked. John shared how Jesus referred Nicodemus to his “unbelief” when He spoke of “worldly things” and wondered how the following question would be believed by him.
The verse continues, “... how shall you believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?” John added the words, “how shall you believe” which means “in what way and manner would Nicodemus think to be true, be persuaded or have confidence”, “if I tell you” or “whether I, Jesus, speak and bring word” “of heavenly things” which means “pertaining to things which are from the heavenly region which is the abode of God and angels”? John shared how Jesus questioned how “Nicodemus” would “trust and have confidence in” “things” which were in “Heaven” where God and the angels live.
When we think through John's words in this verse, we see how Jesus presented Nicodemus with another question concerning his “belief” not only in Jesus, but also in “earthly and heavenly things”. It was difficult for Nicodemus to understand how a person could be “born again” because he was thinking only in the “physical” realm. “Heaven”, on the other hand, is in the “spiritual” realm, and if Nicodemus was having difficulty “believing” in the “physical” world, he was certain to have difficulty in the “spiritual” one. “God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth”, John will later write in chapter four and verse twenty-four of his book, and those who believe and trust in God must have a “spiritual rebirth” or be “born again” to have a personal relationship with Him. Let all who read these words believe in Jesus with both the “physical” and “spiritual” things.
Next time John shares how Jesus says, “no man has ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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