YES, indeed! A message from God! And God sends this message by the most faithful and trustworthy messenger that ever lived. For God hath spoken unto us, in these last days, by His Son. The Messenger has come direct from heaven, direct from God, and faithfully and lovingly delivered the message.
But the Messenger has been despised, and mocked, and cruelly put to death. Nevertheless, the message which has been given holds good, yea, it cannot be silenced or destroyed, for it is life in itself. It is quick and powerful! It liveth and abideth forever!
Hearken to the Messenger, who says thus, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” His enemies (and He had many) said, “Never man spake like this man.” A man of authority indeed whose words and messages will live on and on, and never, no, never, be forgotten. May God command attention now, and command His rich blessing as we consider the message which reads thus: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again (born from above, or born anew), he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus, to whom these words were spoken (surely a man of great intelligence and knowledge), could not understand them at all. By his remarks we see his mind simply turns to the natural birth. But no! Jesus sought again to teach and convince him, saying the second time these words, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (See John 3 verse 1 to 7).
Whether the reader understands it or not, you must have a new birth. Man must have a divine nature, must have life divine in his soul, or else he will remain in darkness and ignorance and doubt and uncertainty all the days of his life, and never, no never enter heaven. How could man be happy with God, in his old Adam nature? Impossible!
The truth remains, and the truth abides, “Ye must be born again.” Education and religion and morality and respectability, won’t do for God. We must begin at God’s beginning. “We MUST be born again.”
May every reader ponder it well. Man, by nature is lost, and dead, and in the darkness and thralldom of sin and Satan; a rebel sinner against God, and also an enemy; a slave to sin and Satan. And Christ, and Christ only, can deliver from this condition, the result of Adam’s sin. The carnal mind is enmity against God.” “There is none that seeketh after God.” “Men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil.”
But thank God, the Messenger makes known the remedy. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:14, 15, 1614And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:14‑16)).
Thank God! now we have it, the message of love itself. And all this comes out after four thousand years have rolled by in the history of man, or the world. A message of love from God. God’s great and perfect love to man, who has proved himself to be over and over again, a rebellious worm, a creature of the dust, a rebel sinner against God. Yet God loves him. “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.”
Now dear reader, mark well the result: “He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already.” And why? Because “he hath not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:1818He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:18)). Believe the Messenger, I beseech thee, and believe the Message.
A Message from God! Yes, indeed! God hath made Him to be sin for us, Him who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. All is settled. Peace is made. “The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from all sin.” And the Messenger says: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)). Look and live. Believe and live.
R. S.