Fullers Folio
  • Blog
  • Book List 2015-16
  • Book List 2014-15
  • Book List 2013-14
  • Book List 2013
  • Book List 2012
  • Book List 2011-12

Birth and Re-birth

9/18/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
Cute Baby Lamb
It is said that there is one thing we cannot really influence or control and that is our birth. (Though I am sure there are some Paediatricians out there who will say that the baby does control the birth telling the mother when it is time) but generally it is thought that the baby does not have control on how it is born. The mother or other external influences do this, (drugs inducing the birth for instance or even a caesarian)


Roughly 2000 years ago one of the rulers of the Jews called Nicodemus had to ponder the question about birth. Nicodemus was talking to Jesus one evening about things, especially the miracles that Jesus had been performing, and suggested that Jesus was a great man from God. Jesus answered Nicodemus

Jesus said, “You’re absolutely right. Take it from me: Unless a person is born from above, it’s not possible to see what I’m pointing to—to God’s kingdom.” (The Message John 3 v3)

Nicodemus's reply was to ask how can one be born again when they are fully grown, It would not be possible to re-enter your mothers womb and be born again.

Jesus said, “You’re not listening. Let me say it again. Unless a person submits to this original creation—the ‘wind-hovering-over-the-water’ creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life—it’s not possible to enter God’s kingdom. When you look at a baby, it’s just that: a body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can’t see and touch—the Spirit—and becomes a living spirit. (The Message John 3 v5-6)

“So don’t be so surprised when I tell you that you have to be ‘born from above’—out of this world, so to speak. You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it’s headed next. That’s the way it is with everyone ‘born from above’ by the wind of God, the Spirit of God.” (The Message John 3 v 7-8)

The question logically comes, "Why does a person need to be born again (born from above)?"

The simple answer is that we have all done wrong and so can't have a relationship with a perfect God. There is a gulf between us that needs to be spanned to allow the relationship to occur.

Paul in Ephesians 2 says It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah (The Message Ephesians 2 v 1-6)

Paul also goes on to say in Corinthians -

Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way any more. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you. (The Message 2 Corinthians 5 16-20)

Now I know Nicodemus did not have Paul’s writings to help him understand but he did have the chance to actually question Jesus in person, and we hope that he must have realised that being born again (or from above) is not a human activity but a miracle inspired by God

You can read more about this amazing chapter of John's Gospel – chapter 3 in our home group notes on the chapter here. 

Just remember Pauls invitation to become a friend with God still stands today

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Tim Fuller

    Dyslexic doodles on photography, food (growing, cooking & of course eating), faith and other fascinating things. This is a personal blog expressing my views.


    www.fullersfolio.co.uk
    www.trostriecottage.co.uk
    www.thespinneycottage.co.uk
    www.cardswithamessage.co.uk
    www.gallowaygetaways.co.uk
     www.tpfuller.com


    Archives

    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011

    Categories

    All
    1 Peter
    1 Samuel
    2 Kings 6
    2 Samuel
    52 Books In 52 Weeks
    Acts 14
    Adrian Plass
    Agatha Christie
    Alanna Knight
    Alexander Mccall Smith
    Alexandre Dumas
    Alistair Moffat
    Amy Orr-Ewing
    Andre Norton
    Andrew Harrington
    Andrew Paterson
    Anna K Green
    Ann Cleeves
    Anthony Horowitz
    Arthur B Reeve
    Autumn Colours
    Banana
    Baroness Orczy
    Beetroot
    Biomass
    Blackberries
    Blog Sites
    Booklist 20112012
    Book List 2012
    Book List 2013
    Book List 2013 2014
    Book List 2013-2014
    Book List 2014
    Booklist 2015
    Bread
    Bt Broadband
    Business (Ad)venture
    Butterflies
    Charles Dickens
    Charles Elliott
    Charles Petzold
    Chicken
    Chocolate Brownie
    Christmas
    Christmas Traditions
    Chutney
    C J Sansom
    Clare Francis
    Colin Dexter
    Conn Iggulden
    C S Lewis
    Dan Brown
    Daniel Defoe
    David
    David Baldacci
    David Donachie
    Derek Wilson
    Desmond Bagley
    Diet
    Dorothy L Sayers
    Edmund Clowney
    Elijah
    Elisha
    Elizabeth George
    Eric Van Lustbader
    Faith
    Fish
    Folio
    Food
    Frederic Forsyth
    Frederick Bartlett
    Free Wallpapers
    Freeware
    Gardening
    Gayle Lynds
    George Hendry
    George R R Martin
    G K Chesterton
    Good Choice Foods
    H G Wells
    Holiday Cottage
    Home Group
    How To Loose 50lbs Or More
    H Rider Haggard
    Hungry Giraffe
    Ian Rankin
    Irfanview
    Jack Higgins
    Jam
    Jean-Yves Ferri
    Jed Rubenfeld
    Jeffery Archer
    Jeffery Deaver
    J Jackson Bentley
    John Buchan
    John Cheeseman
    John C Lennox
    John Grisham
    John Le Carre
    John Mortimer
    Johns Gospel
    John Thomas McIntyre
    John Wyndham
    Jo Nesbo
    Jules Verne
    Kate Atkinson
    Ken Follett
    Kielder Power Problems
    Kielder Water
    Kirkcudbright
    Laurence Clarke
    Laurie R King
    Lee Child
    Len Deighton
    Lentils
    Librivox
    Librivoxorgb9a2cc43c9
    Louis De Bernieres
    Low Fat
    Luke
    Margery Allingham
    Martin Bell
    Martin Cruz Smith
    M C Scott
    Michael Chabon
    Michael Crichton
    Michael Dobbs
    Mick Brooks
    Mincemeat
    Monty Don
    Netprotectplus Problems
    Ngaio Marsh
    Nicky Gumbel
    Northumberland
    Oats
    Open Source
    Pasta
    Patricia Highsmith
    Patrick O Brian
    P D James
    Peter
    Peter F Hamilton
    Peter May
    Peter Robinson
    P G Wodehouse
    Phillip Margolin
    Photos
    Pierson
    Plums
    Prayer
    Productivity
    Prophecy
    Python
    Raspberry Pi
    Recipe
    Richard Preston
    Risotto
    Robert Dale
    Robert Goddard
    Robert Harris
    Robert Louis Stevenson
    Robert Ludlum
    Roger Stelljes
    Rory Clements
    Sardines
    Scottish Borders
    Sebastian Faulks
    Simon Conway
    Simon Monk
    Simon Scarrow
    Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
    Sir Walter Scott
    Snow
    Software
    Soup
    Spiders
    Spring
    Stella Rimingtom
    Stephen
    Steve Berry
    Steve Timmis
    Story Behind Image
    Stuart Clark
    Summer
    Superfoods
    Suzanne Collins
    Talk
    The Cloud
    Three Wise Men
    Tim Chester
    Trostrie Cottage
    Valerio Massimo Manfredi
    Vegetation
    Victor Appleton
    Vince Flynn
    Watermakering
    Wayne A Grudema172e2ef81
    Weather
    Web Site Design
    Wigtown
    Wilkie Collins
    William Boyd
    William Le Queux
    Willow Wood
    Winter
    Yann Martel
    Zane Grey

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.