Alive To God

In John 3:17 we see the contrast between the “saved” and the “condemned.” Condemnation implies that judgment has been passed upon us by the Judge, and we are all guilty of breaking God’s laws. If we are saved, we who were under condemnation are no longer condemned.

According to Jesus in 3:16, we would perish for being under condemnation. But Jesus gave His own life in place of ours, receiving in Himself our sentence of condemnation and death. When we place our faith in the Son, the condemnation passes away and we receive a new kind of life where God counts us innocent not guilty; accepted in His sight and not condemned.

In John 3, we have an interesting interplay of words here. The term “born again” is introduced, and as the chapter continues, it is expanded on with new words, such as Spirit (as opposed to flesh), everlasting life (as opposed to perishing), saved (as opposed to condemned), and light (as opposed to darkness). In my understanding, all these words and concepts help us appreciate how the Lord intends the born-again life to be understood.

Jesus puts born again against the backdrop of flesh and Spirit in vv. 5-8. So being born again is emerging out from the flesh-dominated life to being born into a Spirit-dominated life. The senses and abilities of our bodies are disregarded in favor of the leading of the Spirit. He doesn’t guide us according to normal ways and means.

Nicodemus, a respected Jewish teacher, meets with Jesus and starts of with a positive address to Him, though he saw Him only as a “teacher from God” (3:1-2). (Jesus is possibly referring to this title in 3:12-13, that He was literally from heaven and therefore could speak of heavenly things. Nicodemus spoke the truth better than he knew!)

Jesus seems to cut Nicodemus’s flattering introduction short by jumping straight to the core issue that Nico (and by implication the whole body of religious leaders) have not recognized. He must be born again (vv. 3-8). He saw the signs but didn’t understand their significance. They are signs of the kingdom of God come to earth.

When Jesus visited Jerusalem on a Passover, He found something in the temple that did not belong there. “And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business” (John 2:14). Does this sound familiar?

In the book of Revelation chapters 2 and 3, Jesus examines seven churches. As in Jerusalem, He found something in the churches that did not belong there. The church of Ephesus had left its first love. Pergamos put a stumbling block before the children of God. Thytira allowed a woman prophetess to woo God’s servants into sexual immorality. Sardis was a dead church. The Laodicians were a lukewarm church.

In John chapter 2, Jerusalem’s issue was making “My Father’s house a house of merchandise” (John 2:16). In every case, the church and temple had not lived up to its calling. The temple was the place where God’s holy presence dwelt. And from there He was to rule and bless those who kept His commandments. From within His people, He would make Himself known.

Jesus performed various signs, or miracles, at a certain Passover, and many believed in Jesus as a result, v. 23. But that wasn’t enough for Jesus to return their trust, v. 24. This response should interest us. What is Jesus looking for in His followers that was missing in these believers?

When the Jews asked for a sign that showed He had authority to drive out the moneymakers, Jesus pointed to the temple of His body. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:18-19). Why did Jesus point to His body? 1) Because His body was the incarnation of the divine with the human. The tabernacle and temples were merely signs pointing to the true tabernacle of God’s presence. The Son of God “tabernacled” in the human body of Jesus. His was the true and superior dwelling place of God’s presence, v. 21, like a flame of fire that outshines a mere drawing of a match. God was working through Him.

2) Because the true light now shines to help people see the “real world” of God’s kingdom. Role-reversals like those of Christ ruling over the temple become commonplace in the kingdom of light. Christ and His work of preaching the kingdom with its healings exposes the darkness of men’s hearts, who are valuing things and activities over God Himself. Idols become apparent next to the character and power of God in Jesus. Who should you base your life on, God’s incarnate Son, or a man-made thing?