The Concept of Believing and Being Born Again - Essay Example

A Critical Analysis of John 3: 3-19: The Concept of Believing and Being Born Again Introduction In the above passage,Jesus was talking to Nicodemus about the new covenant, which he was sent by the father to bring and teach to humankind. Essentially, Jesus was talking to Nicodemus about the salvation of the cross, which begins with baptism of water and anointing of the Holy Spirit. At that time, the Holy Spirit had not revealed to the church the significance of baptism and anointing of the Holy Spirit, which is the making of one a new. One becomes a new creation through baptism. Jesus compared that newness with being born again, something that Nicodemus did not understand. As Jesus proceeded with his teaching to Nicodemus, reveals to him that man would no longer be justified by the law alone, but by believing in him as the light of the world (Witt 65). This passage has had issues of misinterpretation especially on the issue of being born of water and the spirit. Jesus also emphasized that being redeemed was pegged on believing in him. A number of Christian faithful have misunderstood the salvation that Jesus Christ brought (Witt 72; and Engelsma 1). Many have misinterpreted the concept of believing that Jesus talked about. Some have not believed in Jesus, for instance Judaism. For such category of people, this passage has been applied within a narrow prism due poor understanding. This passage is of great importance as it emphasizes the central role of Jesus in the new covenant. The understanding of verse 16 that “whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” speaks volumes. Confusion and misunderstanding arises when believe has to be defined. Assess verse 16 in opposite implication also indicates that whoever does not believe in him will perish. What then is it to believe? The purpose of this study is to alert everyone, irrespective of their faith, that failing to believe in Jesus is an eternal spiritual suicide on humanity (Witt 72). By reading this paper, I hope that the reader will understand the importance of salvation by faith. Main Body Summary of the Passage: John 3:3-19 In the above passage, Jesus tells Nicodemus that inheriting the kingdom of God requires one to be born again. Nicodemus has no understanding of what Jesus was speaking about at this time. Therefore, he put it to Jesus that it is impossible for one to be born again physically as he cannot enter into his mother’s womb again. In response, Jesus adds that inheriting the kingdom of God is tied together with being filled with the spirit. He proceeds to tell Nicodemus that there are heavenly things that would surprise him more if he tells him about them. Jesus is surprised that even teachers of the law (the old covenant) do not understand his teaching. He says this because Nicodemus is a Pharisee. As he proceeds (John 3:13-15), Jesus reveals his role and mission. He reveals to Nicodemus that he (Jesus) has come from heaven. He compares his coming crucifixion with the snake that Moses raised up in the wilderness. The comparison he makes is that just as the snake Moses lifted in the dessert was saved those who looked at it, so shall it be when he is lifted up for everyone who believed to have eternal life. In subsequent verses (16-19), Jesus proceeds to reveal to Nicodemus that God loved the world so much that He took an initiative to save the world. To do so, He sent His only begotten son as the source of life, that anyone who believes in him (the son) would not perish but have a place in God’s eternal kingdom. Jesus also confirms that he does not come to condemn the world, but that those who do not believe in him have condemned themselves for in so doing they have rebelled against the God’s wish. In verse 19, Jesus observes to Nicodemus that although God has sought to bring light into the world (through his son Jesus), men have continued in their evil ways without turning away from them. The Historical Context of John 3:3-19 The passage is written through the prism of John the disciple of Jesus. However, the passage is about the life and ministry of Jesus (Holmes 26). The passage is essentially authored by Jesus, but written by a third party. To that extent, Jesus is the author of the passage as the major claims are all his. A brief biography of Jesus is itself a complicated approach as he is divine. During this time when Jesus lived on earth and conducted his mission, he was born of Mary through a divine conception. Jesus lived with his parents Joseph and Mary. When he was twelve years old, he had gone into the temple and his parents searched for him for three days. The next time the Bible records of his life is when he is 30-years old and beginning his ministry (Holmes 26). The other biography about Jesus is that he was there before the world was created. He was the word through which God created the world and everything that is in it. He is also the light of the world. He was in the person of Melchizedek the great priest of Salem. Before Abraham was, he was. He is the first born of heaven. As seen, understanding the biography of the person of Jesus Christ is complicated and elaborate approach, which may involve interpreting many scriptures. The purpose for writing this text is to teach believers the true gospel of Christ. The passage addresses a number of themes such as faith, salvation, eternity, the role of the Holy Spirit, holiness and righteousness as well as evil. Faith comes out as one of the key points in the passage (Simpson 180). Verse 16 is about faith. It says that whoever believes in (has faith in) Jesus will not perish. This means that the new covenant is introduced as based on faith more than on law, for the law cannot justify a man. Man was found to be too weak for the law (Witt 74). For that reason, God sought to save humankind through faith in the son He sent on earth as the perfect lamb. Salvation is also a strong theme that Jesus talks about to Nicodemus. He insists that the salvation he has brought is of water and the Holy Spirit. Through this faith in Jesus Christ, the salvation of water and the Holy Spirit earns one eternal life in the kingdom of God. That is only tenable through holiness and righteousness. Jesus emphasizes that he came to demonstrate that holiness and righteousness, but many people were still inclined to doing evil (darkness). Literary Context The text was written after Jesus Christ had died, resurrected and ascended into heaven. It is a dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus. It was written partly in response to his command to the disciples that they should go into the world and make disciples in his name. Having a written record of the mighty things he did was necessary for teaching this new covenant. When this passage was written, what was going on during this time can be assessed in twofold. In the physical realm, Romans had conquered Israel and forced them under their rule. Pilate and Herod were the governors. Spiritually, it was a time when prophecies about the coming of the Messiah indicated that it was the right time. The people had expected the Messiah’s reign to begin then. However, it was not the case. It was also a time when those charged with teaching the law were in hypocrisy. The teachers of the law did not observe the Torah they taught. For that reason, Jesus did rebuke them openly. Consequently, many of them denied his heavenly power and disassociated from him. They also felt threatened because crowd followed him. Such hypocrites included the Pharisees and the Sadducees. It is for this reason that Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night. Probably he did not want to be bashed by his fellow Pharisees who did not believe in Jesus. Spiritually, another thing that was going on at this time was that God’s punishment to snake when he made man to fall was being fulfilled. God had said to snake that the seed of the woman would crush its head. That was being fulfilled in the life of Jesus, as he was to later defeat Satan and take from him the keys of the abbeys (the underworld). Finally, another spiritual event that was taking place was the laying the foundation of the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth. That is because Jesus had to die for the sins of the world before he could eventually return with the saints and rule for 1000 year before judgment takes place. The passage fits into the authors overall purpose through its teaching about salvation. Emphasis is on John 3:16 that salvation of humankind is tied together with believing in Jesus Christ. Jesus had come so that humankind may be saved and be united with God once more. However, that salvation had conditions, which included baptism of water and the spirit, and believing in Jesus Christ. Believing is preceded by faith. Faith in this case is a state and an action. It is action in the sense that believing in Jesus involves doing as he does while he lived on earth (Simpson 179). In terms of the historical background of the Bible, the passage is a fulfillment of the law and the prophecy. The new covenant is anchored firmly on Christ. One has to believe in Christ so that he/she may be saved as God sends him as the light of the world (Witt 71). Literary Structure In this passage, one may observe a number of literary features such as repetition, parallels and symbolism. In verses 3, 5, and 11, Jesus repeats the phrase “I tell you the truth” to before talking over to Nicodemus. Such emphasis may be seen to drive home the importance of the New Covenant. Jesus was seeking to make Nicodemus understand that he (Jesus) was the fulfillment of the Old Testament, and that now his “I tell you the truth” in the dialogue. One may also note a lot of use of symbolism and parallels. When Jesus talks of being born again, he symbolically implied the salvation through baptism, anointing with the Holy Spirit and faith in him. Therefore, being born again symbolically implied being cleansed of one’s since so that before God, one is a new creation. Just as a newly born child is without blame before God, so it is when one accepts the salvation of Jesus Christ through faith and baptism of water and the spirit. Light and darkness have also been used symbolically to draw parallels and communicate the plan of God. Jesus implies that light (holiness and righteousness) is what God wishes for humanity although humanity has chosen darkness (evil). He draws a parallel that for his salvation, humanity has to come out of their evil ways. Jesus refers to himself indirectly as the light, which has come into the world, but that men (Jews in this case) have not accepted him. Grammatical Study In this passage (John 3:3-19), the key word in the text is being “born again.” Many churches have interpreted being born again as accepting Jesus by confessing verbally that one has accepted him as his Lord and Savior. It is usually followed by or preceded with baptism. Truth be told, being born again (of water and the spirit as Jesus said) is a spiritual walk. It begins with confessing Jesus and the Lord and Savior in one’s life, but then it is a continuous holy walk before God. One gets this in related scriptures when Jesus asks his followers why they call him Lord Lord yet they do not obey his teachings. The other important term uses is the word “believe.” In this sense, merely believing in one’s heart that Jesus is Lord does meet the implied meaning. Just as in salvation, believing means accepting and obeying the teachings of Jesus. One’s thoughts, words and deeds, have to show that he/she has come out of darkness by shunning evil and doing what is right before God. That is the spiritual meaning of believing. Otherwise, the term is commonly confused with agree (Simpson 179). In many cases, people agree with the teachings of Jesus without necessarily putting them into practice. Only putting them into practice qualifies for the definition of believing. That is the exact reason Jesus later says in some scriptures that not everyone who calls him Lord Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but they that do the will of his Father. It is the will of the Father that humanity should come out of their evil ways (darkness) and embrace light (holiness). Theology and Message The main issue solved by the text is that the passage informs the reader that without accepting the new covenant that Jesus brought, no one can be saved. The passage affirms that one has to be born of water and the spirit and believe in Christ Jesus so that he/she may be saved. Verse 16 emphasizes that whoever believes in him (Jesus) will not perish but have everlasting life. It essentially also implies that not believing in Jesus is the first step towards missing eternal life (Dorrell 1). There is no way one can claim that they love God, but deny Jesus. That is spiritually impossible. Verse 18 affirms that whoever does not believe stands condemned. The application of the text is that everyone (Christianity, Judaism and other world faiths) has to believe in Jesus for them to be saved. God did not love just Christians and Judaists, but the world. Jesus was the plan of salvation for all humankind. Therefore, other world religions that have rejected the Lordship of Jesus as the son of God and the way to the Father are all lost. However, if they turn back and accept Jesus, then there is the kingdom of God. For this reason, this verse does not speak to Christians alone, but to the whole world, that salvation is through Jesus as emphasized in John 3:16-17. Humanity may choose not to believe, but there are consequences in doing that. The passage has also been used to take the gospel of Christ to the whole world. The relevance of the message is that everyone has been called to accept the gospel of the cross for their salvation. Just as Moses lifted the snake in the desert, so it was with the Son of Man who was later lifted on the cross at Calvary. Jesus coming, therefore, was a fulfillment of God’s plan for the salvation of humankind. That New Covenant is based on faith, no wonder key verse (John 3:16) emphasizes that “whoever believes in him” shall not perish. Faith comes by believing. For this reason, all humanity that seeks not to perish are called upon to have faith in Jesus Christ. Summary and Conclusion As has been discussed, the passage John 3:3-19 offers a deeper understanding of the salvation of humankind. Jesus defines the key pillars of the New Covenant as based on faith in him as the Father’s choice for redemption of humanity. He also offers guidance that the truth is that humanity must be born of water and the Holy Spirit so that they may inherit the kingdom of God. Analyzing the passage has also demonstrated that although many people may not disregard what believing implies, it is not a mere state of the mind, but a lifestyle. One gets to understand that the role of the holy spirit is central in the New Covenant and that humanity must be holy spirit filled for them to inherit the kingdom (John 3:5). Therefore, Christian faiths that teach the gospel of Jesus without emphasizing on the central role of the Holy Spirit should change. Every Christian has the potential to be filled with the Holy Spirit. However, the passage has also made it clear that humanity have to come out of the darkness (evil) which has engulfed them and make salvation a lifestyle of righteousness. Only then shall one inherit the kingdom of heaven. From this, it has come out clearly that the kingdom of God shall not be inherited by merely going to church, but by believing (accepting and obeying) in Jesus and his teachings. Works Cited Dorrell, Jimmy. "Keeping Faith In Faith-Based Organizations: A Practical Theology Of Salvation Army Health Ministry." Journal of Church and State 1 (2014):  Engelsma, David J. The “World” of John 3:16 Does Not Mean “All Men Without Exception.” 2015. Accessed from http://www.graceonlinelibrary.org/reformed-theology/limited- atonement/the-world-of-john-316-does-not-mean-all-men-without-exception-by-david-j- engelsma/ Holmes, Christopher. "What Jesus Is Doing: The Ministry of The Risen Lord." The Christian Century 19 (2012): 26. Simpson, Gary M. "Faith Alone- Primus Inter Pares: Welcome To The Banquet." Dialog: A Journal of Theology 52.3 (2013): 179-181.  Witt, William G. "Anglican Reflections on Justification by Faith." Anglican Theological Review95.1 (2013): 57-80. Read More