Day 6
John 3
3 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemuswho was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”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. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”16 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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 23 Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. 24 (This was before John was put in prison.) 25 An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”27 To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.”31 The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard,but no one accepts his testimony. 33 Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. 34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.
As an OB/GYN, I deal with a number of patients who suffer with a condition called endometriosis. The way I usually explain it to patients is that the lining of the uterus that sheds every month causing a period, has set up little seeds of itself throughout the pelvis and abdomen causing internal bleeding every month. At first this causes a little pain but left unchecked will grow and get worse on a monthly basis. The patient did nothing to cause this but generally there is a strong family history. In other words they probably inherited it. There are basically two treatments - medical and surgical. Lupron is a medicine that they can get injected on a monthly basis for 3 months which shrinks the endometriosis to near invisible levels but 18 months later it will come back and need more injections. The other cure is surgical to have it removed and take out the ovaries, which are flaring it up, and replace those hormones with different ones which don't let the endometriosis come back.
I'm sure you are wondering what this has to do with possibly the greatest chapter in the Bible. Well, when you look at sin, like endometriosis, it is inherited. We are born with it thanks to Adam and Eve. If left unchecked it causes increasing pain and destruction in our lives. The Old Covenant illustrated by John's baptism, like Lupron, temporarily keeps the disease of sin in check. Like the teen going forward again and again for rededication, salvation, or baptism, they know that this striving for obedience and "goodness" doesn't last. Pretty soon the irresistible pull of the flesh brings sin back to the surface. What is needed is two surgeries - one to remove the sin (born of water - the water of repentance preached by John the Baptist illustrated by the blood of Christ on the cross) and one to replace the instigator of the regeneration of the sin with a new instigator, the Holy Spirit, the One that regenerates only well being and health.(The baptism of the Spirit. The Resurrection life of Jesus)
Paul talks about this in Romans 7. No matter how hard he tried not to sin, he kept failing. Just like when we were told as kids, "Don't peek", which caused an irresistible urge to peek, so the law saying, "Don't covet", gave Paul an irresistible urge to covet. This is religion - this is the Old Covenant - this is Lupron so to speak - it is bound to fail. However in Romans 8 he talks about being "born again", being born of the spirit which gives us power not to sin - The New Covenant!
Why live a life of pain doomed to defeat and failure? Quit trying to be a Christian, it doesn't work. Allow Christ to come in and take control. .You need a rebirth. You need to be born again. You need spiritual surgery. You just need to give consent to it.
