The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1937-01-07
Read John 2:l to 1886. Study
A q

of Nicodemus put him in the atti-
tude of a learner. Rabbi, we
know that thou art a teacher come
from God" With the way thus
omen. Jesus laid bare the funda-
mental fact in true religion: Elk
cept a man be born again, ne can
not see the kingdom of God" The
necessity Of the new birth presses
upon this aged tkeologian with no
less force than upon the hayward
and the lowly.. (2) The meaning
of the new birth. Nicodemus was
startled and, in his question, blum
dered toward the truth over a
physical imposibilisty: "How can a
man be born when he is old?" In
reply, Jesus unveiled the nature OF
the new birth: Except a man be
born of water and Of the Spirit, ne
cannot enter into the kingdom OF
God" Whatever may be the ref
erence of water" here, the teach
ing of the passage is that the new
birth is spiritual. THAT which IS
born of the Spirit is spirit" And
WIN should they marvel at this?
The whispering winds of that
April night illustrated it; they
were invisible to human eye and
impossible Of construction by hu-
man force, and yet by their effects
they were clearly perceivable. $50
is every one that is born OF the
Spirit" (3) The method OF the
ne wbirth. In some measure Nico-
demus now understood what was
necessary, but the method Of at
tanning unto it was still incompre-
hensibie to him. "How can these
things be-" The reply of Jesus
opens with a mild reproach: Art
thou a master of Israel, and know
est not these things" Acquaint-
ance with the Old Testament
should have taught him that the
new heart is necessary to the new
life. Jesus adds that his teaching
is that of personal knowledge al,
though the nation as represented
by Nicodemus receives it not. And
if thew reject things which arc
earthly and verifiable how should
they believe if he should tell them
of heavenly things? Here is de-
mand for faith in him who came
down from heaven. To him alone
can we look, for "No one hath
assembled into heaven" to bring
back to us its revelations. The
best illustration of the needed faith
was found in the wilderness ex-
perience of Israel. The viper-bit-
ten Hebrew looked believingly to
the brazen serpent uplifted by
Moses and was healed; so the en-
venomed soul today looks by faith
to the crucified Lord and is saved.
(4) The acceptance of the new
birth. At this point, we take it,
the conversation ceased. I'm
doubtedly, Nicodemus was pro-
foundly impressed with the per-
sonality and the teaching of Jesus.
The central truth Of Christianity
must have sunk into his Utmost
soul. Twice again in the gospel
history his name appears: Once
when Jesus was in danger of VOL
cnce. he spoke n his behalf before
the Sanhcdrin John 7:50); and
on the day of the Crucifixicn he
sent a hundred.weight Of niyrrh
and aloes to be used in the burial
Of Jesus John 1887.
LOVE FROM GOD THE FATHER
New Life in Christ Must Come
Through Faith. (1) The gospel of
the love Of God overwhelmed the
sacr depenman as he glimpsed the
cross Of Christ. The closing
words of Jesus to Nicodemus
threw light backward upon the
wilderness and forward upon Cal
vary. So John gives US the golden
text, not alone of our lesson, but
of the entire Bible. No more preci-
Gus or pregnant words are to be
found in all the pages Of Holy
Scripture. Yet the love of God
and the gift Of his only begotten
Son and the promise of eternal
life are efficacious only to those
who believe on him as their Saw.
Jour and Lord. '. ..,-
Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ. and thou shalt be saved"
(2) The gospel of the justice of
God must not be overlooked. God
sent his son into the world not to
destroy it through divine justice
but to save it through divine love.
So "he that believeth on the Son
hath eternal life: but he that
obeyeth not the Son shall not see
life, but the wrath of God abideth