Gospel

THE REAL JESUS, Part 2

by John Clark 
06/01/22
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THE REAL JESUS, Part 2, How To Enter God’s Eternal Kingdom, and What is Belief in Jesus? 

     Jesus was constantly interacting with people. A religious leader, of all people, asked Jesus, “How can a person be born again when he is old?” Jesus  answered, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God” (3:4-5). What did Jesus mean by this?

     When people accept Jesus as their Savior, God’s Holy Spirit indwells their life. Everything begins to change - their motives, attitudes, actions, and victory over addictions and a destructive lifestyle. They will, over time, become a totally different person. It is like being “born again.”

     The Kingdom of God refers to God’s spiritual family of those who have decided to commit their lives to following Jesus. They have a different worldview, opposite that of the secular culture. Not every Christian is always Christ-like, but as a composite whole, the universal family of Christian believers is different. The Kingdom of God offers all the things that so many are seeking - peace, hope, and a purpose for living - but are seeking these things apart from a relationship with God, their creator. 

     Because people are living apart from God, much turmoil and evil exists in the world, and the political systems are in a mess, The world needs a savior, but not just any savior. John 3:16, one of the most popular verses in the Bible, says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, will not perish but have eternal life.” 

     The problem is that many have chosen to live in darkness rather than light so that their evil deeds will not be exposed (3:19-20). They don’t realize that the real Savior, Jesus, will make changes in their life that far surpass what the world has to offer. 

     Let’s stop here and talk about belief, which is mentioned six times in chapter three. I mentioned in Part 1 that simply believing in a historical Jesus doesn’t cut it. It consists of four elements. One, belief that Jesus is God in human flesh, supernaturally conceived by a virgin, thereby not inheriting human DNA and the sinful condition of humanity. Two, belief that Jesus died on a cross for your sins and bodily rose from the dead. Three, belief in the claims he made about himself, which will be stated throughout this series of articles. Four, belief that Jesus is the One and Only Savior. There is none other. 

    If any one of the above four elements is lacking, one does not believe in the Jesus who is able to save a person‘s soul and seal their eternal redemption. Any person who is staking their spiritual salvation on anything less is greatly deceived with a false sense of security. 

     (The next article, part 3, will discuss how Jesus crossed over cultural barriers. You don’t want to miss this!)