Saturday, July 22, 2017

Day 25

Day 25: John 3
Yesterday’s reading pointed us to the fact that we need a new heart. Today’s reading finds Jesus explaining that by saying that we need to be born again. The Pharisee, or Jewish teacher of the law, named Nicodemus is rightly confused. He assumes that Jesus is speaking of another physical birth, but Jesus explains to him that it is a spiritual rebirth. Because of the sin of Adam and Eve (see reading for Day 2), each of us is born with a natural tendency towards sin and rebellion against God. We need a fresh start, a clean slate before God. We need a total and complete salvation.

Jesus goes on to assert that this salvation is in him: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (vv. 16-17). These familiar verses are full of precious promises. God loved us so much that he would send his Son to die on our behalf, and as a result we can have eternal life in him! Throughout the Old Testament, we saw the people of God trying and failing to live up to the standard of holiness that would allow sinful people to reside with him. Even here, in this passage, we see that people reject Jesus and his message because they love their darkness and their sin (v. 19). But here too, we see that for those who believe, God himself has provided the way. In our new birth and with our new heart that God has graciously offered, we are now changed from the inside out to love God more than we love our darkness.

Questions for reflection and discussion: What do you think Jesus meant by saying, “You must be born again”? Comparing this to a physical and natural birth, what implications does this have for our spiritual rebirth? How does John 3:16 sum up the gospel message?

Next Steps

Next Steps The past 40 days have taken you through 40 key passages in the Bible. You have experienced God’s overarching storyline of cre...