Born from Above

Reading: John 3.1-17

Introduction - Religion doesn’t work

I have to tell you that religion doesn’t work, it doesn’t matter that you’ve been to church all your life, that you come from a family of believers, that you have the right connections, do good to your neighbour – its not enough – you have to be born from above.

That’s what Jesus tells Nicodemus in our reading from John’s Gospel.  You can almost hear Nicodemus wince when he heard those words.

If you ask anyone what sort of people God really likes, they’ll probably say its those who are really righteous, always behave well, prays lots, know their Bible – well Nicodemus was one of those people.  He was a Pharisee, who always strived to keep the law, he gave away a tenth of his money, and he even prayed seven times each day – that’s more than I ever do!

Nicodemus is an established Rabbi and teacher and he is a member of the Jewish ruling council.  This righteous man, Nicodemus, comes to see Jesus.  Maybe he was coming to talk about the kingdom of God that Jesus was always proclaiming.  Nicodemus wanted to see the kingdom of God arrive too – but sadly he was going about it all wrong. 

Jesus says "I tell you for certain that you must born from above before you can see God’s kingdom".  That word above in Greek is ‘anothen’ – which means above, and can also mean again.

Poor old Nicodemus gets confused and Jesus has to explain it to him.  It’s no wonder, because it goes against all our religious teaching – but it’s very important that we understand this.

Born from above

What is it that makes us a Christian?  Is it doing good things, helping our neighbours, coming to Church, reading our Bible or praying?  Jesus tells us No – Religious activity like this is good, but it’s not the most important thing.  According to Jesus we need to have a living faith, and be born from above. 

So how do we do that?  Jesus talks of being born of water and the Spirit.  It brings to mind our physical births and our baptism in water.

Being born again by the Spirit is something that God does in our lives when we believe in Jesus and invite him live into our lives. 

If we are open to him, and want to live for Jesus, then I believe he will give us his Holy Spirit, and we will be born from above.  This is the work of God, and I think it’s always a miracle – a time when God reaches out and touches us.

But this is not some special thing that is reserved for a special class of people – we all need to be born from above!  We may not be able to put our finger on the moment it occurred, but we know that we are spiritually alive. 

To have the Holy Spirit in your life is to see as Jesus sees, it is to love as Jesus loves, it is to hurt as Jesus hurts, it is to have the strength and courage that he has.

If in your heart you want to live for Jesus, if you are moved by hearing his word and are moved to acts of love and compassion – these are signs of the Holy Spirit already working in your life. 

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So you may recognise how the Holy Spirit has been working in your life already as a Christian, you may be aware of spiritual gifts and fruit in your life.  Other people see these things in us better than we do, so its important to tell each other what God is doing.

However, you may find that talk of being born from above leaves you feeling empty and in need.  You may be longing to know the Holy Spirit, or you may be just confused just like Nicodemus did when Jesus spoke to him. 

Either way, the answer is the same.  We ALL need to come to God, to be open to his new life from above.  We all need to be filled with the Holy Spirit, again and again.

God’s priority

Jesus said that God so loved the people of the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. 

This is a wonderful promise from God, and it shows us God’s priorities.  The most important thing for God is to save us from a meaningless life and separation from Him. 

He wants above everything to save us, to give us abundant life, to be reconciled to us.  I think that’s such a wonderful word, to be reconciled to God and to each other, and its God’s top priority.

God wants us to do the right thing, but its much more important to him that we have a life lived open to God, a life of faith and daily dependence on the living God. 

If you have this living faith, then everything else will follow – we will want to live for God and please him by loving God and loving our neighbours as ourselves.

But the cost to God was enormous.  He had to give up everything and be born as a baby on earth in dangerous times.  He had to live an uncertain life, he gave up so much for us during his life on earth, and ultimately he gave his life for us all on the cross.  That took courage, grit, determination, tough love and above all perseverance – and it demands the same from each of us.

Eternal life starts here and now

Is this life of faith worth it?  I think it is.  The promise is that we will never really die, we will have eternal life.  Jesus is the only one who has gone up to heaven and he came down again to show us the way.  We can trust his promise that God has a place for us there -- so we’re just passing through this life on earth.

As one of my favourite hymns puts it:

No guilt in life, no fear in death,

This is the pow’r of Christ in me;

From life’s first cry to final breath,

Jesus commands my destiny.

No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man

Can ever pluck me from His hand;

‘Till He returns or calls me home,

here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand!

For those with faith in Christ, eternal life starts now and goes on and on.  Eternal life is an ever growing and deepening experience that will never be exhausted – that’s what we can live now, and its what we have to look forward to on earth and in heaven.