John 3:9 (ESV)
Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?”
You can know a lot and still not understand, especially when it comes to the things of God. Nicodemus, a great and learned Jewish teacher, was struggling to understand what Jesus was telling him. He was stuck in his literal thinking and most likely in his pride, as well. Nicodemus was an incredibly religious man, doing all that the Law commanded, yet this upstart Jewish carpenter/teacher was telling him he still lacked something when it came to being made right with God. The great J.C. Ryle commented, “The successors of Nicodemus, in every age, are far more numerous than the successors of St. Peter.”
I grew up in mainline Protestant churches. We went most Sundays and I recall going to Sunday School most of the time, especially before my high school years started. By the time I went off to college I had no use for church but would still go with my parents on Christmas and Easter (of course). If you had asked me if I was a Christian upon graduating from college, I’m sure I would have said, “Sure!”. If you had asked me if I was going to heaven when I died, I most likely would have said, “I hope so” or “Probably.” So, when I heard that I “had to be born again” to become a “real Christian,” I was confused…just like Nicodemus. I thought I already was one! My wife thought she was, too, and she grew up Catholic. We were both wrong.
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned (1 Cor. 2:14). My wife and I praise the LORD that we were curious about this “born again” claim, rather than dismissive. The Spirit of God was at work, drawing us to Jesus (Jn. 6:44), and that is why we stayed in the conversation. The same was true for Nicodemus, and as a result we have some of the most impactful statements Jesus ever uttered recorded in this third chapter of John’s Gospel. For others, however, the conversation ends with confusion and/or anger…or perhaps even apathy.
“That’s ridiculous!”
“How dare you say that I’m not a real Christian!”
“Whatever.”
BUT…if the person asks a question, like Nicodemus did, then Hallelujah! Interest is what you are looking for, but sometimes, you might be surprised to find simple acceptance. “OK! I want to be born again! How do I do that?” They realize the facts of their condition before a holy God and understand that they must be born spiritually (“again”) to join God’s spiritual family. Confession? No problem. Repentance? Definitely. Placing 100% of their faith for salvation in Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection? Absolutely! And when they do, if they are sincere, they are born again. A spiritual claim became a spiritual understanding then a spiritual reality. That’s how “these things” can be.
