"New vs. Better?"
After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. "Rabbi," he said, "we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you."
Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God." (John 3:2, 3 NLT)
Nicodemus is curious about Jesus. He believes that he is sent from God but that's all he can gather. He is in the minority when it comes to the religious leaders. He knows that Jesus has been sent from God to teach them but Jesus reveals his desire to do more than teach. Jesus tells Nicodemus unless he is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.
What Jesus is showing Nicodemus is that he doesn't need more teaching. Being a Pharisee, he would have had a lifetime of education & memorization. It is very likely that he has all of the Old Testament memorized. But he is still lacking something. He doesn't need more knowledge, he needs to be born again. He doesn't need another Bible study, he needs Jesus.
I believe this where many of us are with Jesus. We are searching for more Bible knowledge when what we need is Jesus. Not that more knowledge is bad, but it's not our deepest need. We don't need to be made better, we need to be made new. We must be born again. We must have something done to us that is outside of us & our control. We need Jesus to make us new not make us better. And this is what he came to do!
Have we been made new? Have we been born again?
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