John 3:1-21
There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."
Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"
Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one of born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, "You must be born again." The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"
Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not receive Our witness. If I have told you to earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent on the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world throughout Him might be saved.
"He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
I know some of you have often read what Jesus said about "You must be born again," and some are confused about that he was meaning by saying, "You must be born again," just like Nicodemus. Born again is also called the new birth. The new birth that Jesus spoke of was the heavenly birth. Jesus later used the wind as an example.
The wind came from the heavenly to dispatch the spiritual birth. Being born again, Jesus explained this new or heavenly birth in John 3:6-8. Believing that Jesus is the son of God, is going to change the way you think, act and believe.
Remember it's not God's will for us to separate from Him. He wants all of us to spend eternity with Him, but some are going to turn and go the other way. I want to leave you with this, one day everyone of us are going to stand before Jesus to be judged by Him, whether you believe in Him or not.
In Romans 14:11 it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God." Philippians 2:10-11: that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of those in heaven and those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
So, you can do it now or do it later. But, I beg of you, do it now while you have the peace in joy of knowing Jesus.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Marcus Chandler was the founder of One Way Ministries)
