Singing About Jesus

A great benefit to having daughters is that they remember the songs we used to play over and over in the house when they were kids. Jackie and I would always be playing Christian albums so even though I'm not current with what's being played today on their ipods/iphones/i-whatever I can still pipe up out of the blue the Evie tune, “One man came to Jesus, John in chapter 3”, and any one of them (much better if they are all together) will join in, “and so afraid, oh oh so afraid”.

From Evie's YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN and 4'11 to Keith Green's THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS, complete with every Keith Green nuance, it's in their hair covered computers and quick to their lips. Praise God! Oh course, behind many Christian songs are the scriptures they are inspired by. And so here is the rest of the story after Evie sings, “and Jesus said be born again.”

A prominent member of the Jewish Sanhedrin comes to Jesus at night and makes this statement; "Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with Him." Nicodemus is looking for God to establish an earthly political kingdom and wonders if God has sent Jesus for this purpose. Jesus answers Nicodemus by saying; "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." (quotes from the 3^rd chapter of John)

Nicodemus asks the obvious question; "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?" To which Jesus replies; "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." In other words, what we are, flesh, blood and spirit, comes from our parents, but who we will become in the spirit comes from God.

Nicodemus, recognizing that Jesus was sent from God, wanted to gain understanding in his mind (soul) as to what the will of God was. Jesus tells him that the will of God is to be "born again". He goes on to say that one must be born of "water", which I think is referring to the baptism of repentance happening with John the Baptist at that time, and "the Spirit", which I believe is talking about the regeneration, or rebirth, of the human spirit, dead through sin, through the action of the Holy Spirit. "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

Jesus then gives Nicodemus an example from scripture that will also apply to Jesus. "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whoever believes may in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."

The example Jesus gives comes from the 21st chapter of Numbers. The Jewish people complain against God and Moses that they were brought out of Egypt only to die in the wilderness, to which the Lord responds by sending fiery serpents among the people. Many were bit and many died. The people then go to Moses, repent, and ask Moses to intercede for them. The Lord instructs Moses to make a fiery serpent in bronze and set it on a standard, and then if anyone is bitten they should look at the bronze serpent on the standard and they would live.

Jesus too would be lifted up on a standard and seen as detestable like the fiery serpents. The cross was a symbol of shame, but much more, the shameful sins of mankind would be put upon Jesus. The result would be that all who look upon Him in faith, believing that it was our sins and shame he was bearing, would live.

Jesus suffered, bled, and died for us as the perfect, God proscribed sacrifice. And God raised Him from the dead that not only would we be changed spiritually, but one day physically as well. Jesus always was (“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” John 1: 1-14). Through Mary and by the Holy Spirit Jesus became a person built just like us, physical body, soul and spirit. This means that the spirit of Christ that went to the cross for us can now by the power of the Holy Spirit unite with our dead spirit, and we can become "born again".

The exciting thing here is not only are our sins forgiven, not only will the sin of Adam be canceled, but we can have a spirit made new by Christ. In Him we are indeed a new creation. And the Holy Spirit, who reveals to us that Jesus is God, who brings the spirit of Christ to unite with our spirits so that we become a new creation, will also live in our reborn hearts (spirit) as well. This allows for fellowship with God, but more than that, we now are part of God’s family, truly brothers and sisters with Christ.

This new life in Christ Jesus is exciting. It is not because we have followed a teacher sent from God and have advanced in our soulish efforts. Instead, our spirits are alive, allowing the Holy Spirit to minister His joy, His truth, His power in our lives. As Evie so cheerfully sings: “Born again, there's really been a change in me. Born again, just like Jesus said. Born again, and all because of Calvary. I'm glad so glad that I've been born again.”