To Encourage You

John 3:3 “Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’”

One of the marks of the Hebrew language that was spoken by the Jews when Jesus walked this earth was its use of repetition.  It was a means of emphasizing a thought.  We see it in the verse above when Jesus said “Truly, truly, I say unto you . . .”  “Truly” is translated from the same Hebrew which is sometimes translated as “amen” and  “verily.” It’s a mark of affirmation, meaning “surely.”  So, when the One Whose name is Truth emphasizes the truth of what He says by repeating the word “truly” it would pay us to sit up and take notice. 

You see, every single word that Jesus ever spoke was true, for it was impossible for God the Son to lie (Hebrews 6:18).  Therefore, for Jesus to make the effort to emphasize a statement with “truly, truly,” He is speaking with a soberness and urgency that we would be fools to dismiss. This is God speaking!  He’s telling us that we need to get this truth, above everything else, right, for if we don’t, there will be very grave consequences for us.  He’s grabbing us by the ears! He’s calling us to turn away from whatever we might be doing and listen to what He has said!  And what is it that is so important, so very critical for us that the God who cannot lie emphasizes the truth of what He’s about to say? It’s that we must be born again in order to ever see the kingdom of God. There is no other way. No matter what else we might have heard or thought, no matter if we believe it or not, or heed it, or care about it, if we are not born again, we will never see the kingdom of God. 

So, do you want to see it?  Do you want to go to heaven someday? Do you assume that that’s where you’ll end up because you’re such a good person? Are you a believer in the philosophy of “universalism” that teaches that everyone will go to heaven, no matter what they believe?  Well, if so, you better think again, for Jesus is telling you that if you aren’t born again, no matter what others have told you and no matter what you might think, on the authority of the God Who created heaven and earth, you will never see the kingdom of God.  He’s talking about being born of the Spirit.  He’s talking about the means to spiritual life.  It’s all a miracle of God brought about through faith in His Son.  It’s another way of repeating the most well-known verse in all the Bible, namely, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). 

So, have you heard this message? Have you believed in its absolute, eternal, immutable truth?  Well, if not, even though you may have read this, what will you believe, if you won’t believe the truth?