Eternal Life

 John 3: 7b-15

Born of the Spirit

⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

⁹ “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

¹⁰ “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? ¹¹ Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. ¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

We can imagine how a well-educated man like Nicodemus was struggling to digest this strange concept of being born again.  Did Jesus mean it literally?  And, if not, what did this "born of the Spirit" mean?  Certainly, at that time, no one understood the Holy Spirit as we do today, and even now our understanding is incomplete and keeps growing.  Yes, we must be echoing with Nicodemus, "How can this be?"  We won't fully understand until we leave this life and enter Eternal Life, but in our communities and through prayer, we can know, feel, and experience his Presence.  When impossible situations are resolved "mysteriously" in answer to our prayers, we can assume that it's the Spirit. When we are guided on the right path during our "journey" through life, it's the Spirit. Again and again, let us pray for the coming of the Spirit into our daily lives, making each day a "mini-Pentecost." 

Bro, Rene

Bro. Rene