The Mississippi enterprise. (Jackson, Miss.) 1938-current, 1961-01-14
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
BY Rev. George A. Harper,
511 Avenue G.,
Greenwood, Miss.
WHY CHRIST CAME

GREENWOOD, Miss.
WHY CHRIST CAME
Lesson - John 3; Print -
John BIT, 1921.
MEMORY SELECTION -
For God sent not his Son into
the world to condemn the
world but that the world
through him might be saved.
John BID. The world here
means men, even the human
race.
Since all men were born in
sin and are sinful, and since
all men have sinned, they are
condemned already. For this
reason all men in sin are lost.
These men need to be saved.
This is the specific reason why
Christ came into the world,
even to save them. There is
only one Saviour, and one way
into life, and that is through
the death and resurrection of
the only Saviour. The one
condition on which men are
saved is faith in Christ. The
Father is the Sender, Christ
is the Sent One, and the Holy
Spirit is the One Who effect
ed the Incarnation. The sim
plicity of salvation on the hui
man side is for men to accept
salvation through faith in
Christ.
NICODEMUS COMES TO
JESUS:
Much is made over the fact
that Nicodemus came to Jesus
by night. He is frequently
called timid, and at times even
cowardly. 1t is felt that he
came at night in order to
shield the fact of his coming.
On the other hand one should
consider this also. Upper class
Jews were content to deny the
truth of Jesus teaching with
out examining it. 1t should be
to Nicodemus' credit that he
resolved to reserve his judg-
ment until he could see Jesus
in person. The rest of his So
cial class did not do even that.
JESUS ANSWERS NICO-
DEMUS QUESTIONS:
Nicodemus was actually in
tereSted in what Jesus had to
say about the Kingdom of God.
This, Jesus knew. Therefore in
verse Jesus went straight to
the point. Jesus knew that
Nicodemus had great faith in
being child of Abraham and
a Pharisee. Nicodemus felt
that certainly he (and his So
cial class should share in any
and all benefits that might
come from God. He wanted to
know if he were not eligible to
enter into the Kingdom. Jesus
said NicodemuS must be born
again even to see the King
dom. In verse 4 NicOdemuS
is not as confused about
Jesus answer as he is unwil-
ling to admit his unwOrthi-
ness. Jesus was also a keen
and quick discerner. Jesus
would not be diverted from his
course. Except man be
born of water" The water bap-
tism of John was a public re-
unciatiOn of all of ones past
life and a symbol of inward
death to that past. Verse 6
points up the principle that
every element in nature gen
crates its own kind. Therefore
natural birth can only bring
forth flesh. Flesh has its God
ordained place but that place
was never intended to be in
the realm of the spirit. Thus
spiritual life must be genera
ted by the Spirit.
THE UTTER HOPELESS
NESS OF UNAIDED FLESH.
In these verses Jesus reason
ed further with Nicodemus. He
declared that he had talked in
terms of things with which
Nicodemus ought to have been
familiar. Now if Nicodemus
failed to understand that with
which he had had contact, how
could he ever understand that
which was absolutely foreign
to all of his experience. In
other words Nicodemus came
inquiring about heaven which
neither he nor any other man
had ever seen, but he fails to
understand this life which he
has lived for en- MANY voarc