The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1905-01-27
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON v, FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JAN. 20.

lNN llOiNNL 0EnlEOg JAIN. So
Text of the Lesson, John iii, 1-15.
Memory Verses, II, 15-GOIden Text,
John iif, 1G-COmmentary Prepared
by Rev. ID. NJ. Stearns.
copyright, 1906 by American Press Association.l
IL we take the last sentence of chap.
ter ii and the first sentence of chapter
iii from the revised version we read,
"He Himself knew what was in mani
now, there was man." thus bringing
before us this Nicodemus as n sample
man representing a very large class OF
we'll to do, moral, religious, devout
men, who are found in all churches as
members in good standing, but in the
sight of Him who reads the heart, and
before whom as their judge they must
appear, lacking the one essential to fit
them for the kingdom-viz, the birth
from above Verse 3, margin). The
subsequent history of Nicodemus would
indicate that his eyes had been opened
and that he became q true child of
God.
Nicodemus knew and acknowledged
Jesus to be teacher come from God
and that God was with Him, but such
knowledge could not save him. And
yet that is more than some of His pro.
fessed friends, who think they are
saved, know or acknowledge today,
counting Him to be ignorant Of many
things which they think they know bet.
ter than He did Notwithstanding all
that so called wise and learned men
say and teach, we must accept the
opening statements OF John concerning
Him-that He was God. that He made
all things, that He made the world
that lie is the only revealer of God the
Father Gohn i. 1, 3, 10, 49,.
The Lord Jesus seemed not to notice
what Nicodemus said; but reading his
heart and seeing his real need, He
said, Verify. verify, l say unto thee
except Il man be born again [margin
from aboye'l he cannot see the king.
dom Of God" This is the second of
the twenty-five double "verilys' or
"amens' Of this gospel. and the next
two are found in verses > and II. We
have in all these sayings the most
abundant possible testimony to the i'm
portance of the truths enunciated, the
first referring TO the kingdom and glory
and the next to the only way to see
that glory.
NicOdemus, being only Il natural man,
although so very religious. could not
understand this new birth. for the nat
ural man receiveth not the things of
the Spirit of God, because they are
foolishness unto him q Cor. ii, IA,
and he therefore asks what seems like
a very foolish question. Not many
people consider that the foolish ques-
tons they often ask concerning spir-
itual things may indicate that they are
only natural people, not born again,
not spiritual. The natural birth by
which all come into this world can only
produce natural people, for that which
is born Of the flesh is flesh"
When our Lord replied to Nicodemus'
first question He said, Except Il man
be born of water and of the Spirit lie
cannot enter into the kingdom of God"
What does this signify and just how
is this new birth accomplished? Jas.
/, Is. says, "Of His own will begat He
us with the word of truth" | Pet. ii.
%, says, Being born again by the
word of God" But our Lord said we
must be born of water" Now turn
to Eph. V, PC, and read, "That lie
might sanctify and cleanse it with the
washing of water by the word" Al
though this refers to an experience
which follows the new birth, yet it
tells us that water is a symbol of the
word and that ''boIn of water means
"born of the word" as James and Pc
ter plainly state. But our Lord said,
Born of water and of the Spirit" Now
turn to John vi, G3, and read, 1.-THE
words that I speak unto you are Spirit
and are life" And is 1t not conclusive
that the new birth is accomplished by
the word of God and the Spirit of God?
And by this means God does all His
work. In Gen. /, 2, 3, the Spirit of God
moved, and God said, and the work
was DONE "By the word of the Lord
were the heavens made, and all the
host of them by the breath Tor Spirit
Of His mouth" Cps. xxxiii, g..
Only by the word of God in the pow
er of the Spirit of God can we know
anything of the things of God, but I'M
less we meekly receive the testimony
of God we cannot know the things Of
God. Not only was Jesus teacher
sent by God, as Nicodemus confessed
(verse p, but He came down from
heaven, and, though visibly on earth,
He was at the same time in heaven
Verse 49,. If this sounds foolish to
any consider what we have already
written. To understand more fully let
us go with our Lord to the wilderness
story of Mum. xxi, 40. The people
did not like Gods way nor Gods pro-