Session
4 - Entry into the kingdom
By David Woodbury
Entrance into the kingdom of God was not a rite of any particular person or group of persons. Although God had chosen the Jewish nation to be the channel through which all nations would be blessed, it was in the person of Jesus that God would open up a way into the kingdom. However, citizenship in this kingdom was volitional and required that those who would inhabit it could enter by observing a simple process.
Entrance into the kingdom of God was not a rite of any particular person or group of persons. Although God had chosen the Jewish nation to be the channel through which all nations would be blessed, it was in the person of Jesus that God would open up a way into the kingdom. However, citizenship in this kingdom was volitional and required that those who would inhabit it could enter by observing a simple process.
14After John was put in prison, Jesus went into
Galilee and preached the Good News from God. 15Jesus said, “The
right time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Change your hearts and lives
and believe the Good News!” (Mark 1:14 - 15)
The
initial message of Jesus was threefold:
1 – The time had come when God’s plan
would be revealed,
2 – People needed to be willing to allow
their mindset and their lifestyles to be changed and brought into line with
what God wanted,
3 - People needed to be willing to
believe the good news that Jesus was bringing through more than just mental
assent to its teachings. It was total acceptance of the words and lifestyle
Jesus was about to teach.
KEY
2 - A new birth
In John chapter 3, perhaps the most
significant passage in the Bible, we read of the encounter between Nicodemus, a
Jewish leader, and Jesus. In this encounter, Jesus reveals a crucial key to the
kingdom of God, the new birth. After the first step of believing in God, the next
step in entering this kingdom of God is to experience spiritual birth, often
referred to as being born again.[1]
To be born again is to become a
member of God’s family and enter in the kingdom of God through faith in Jesus
Christ. This process is initiated by repentance and the desire to lead a new
lifestyle. Life in this kingdom is characterised by righteousness, peace, and
joy.[2]
Like many biblical phrases, the couplet
of born again, has suffered from bad
press. It has been used and abused by the secular media and many organisations
within the realm of Christianity. For some it conjures up images of excess, and
at times, inappropriate behaviour, and perhaps for this and other reasons, some
Christians steer clear of its use.
When Jesus used the couplet in
speaking to Nicodemus, he was describing with divine insight what needed to
take place in the lives of those who sought to enter the kingdom of God.
While everyone must be born again, this
experience is highly personalised, and we are in grave error if we try to make
a similar experience fit all those who seek to enter the kingdom of God. While
some may encounter a dramatic occurrence, for many others it will be a quiet
and infinitely deep experience. As an eight year-old I knelt at a wooden form
during a Sunday school meeting and surrendered my life to Jesus Christ. I was
filled with strange warmth within and knew beyond a doubt that I was at peace
with God. Although I could not at that age put words to it I now understand
that at that moment of time I entered the kingdom of God. As I write this 63
years later, the experience is still as real and as meaningful today as it was then.
This concept of a spiritual rebirth
defies human logic; certainly Nicodemus seems to struggle with the thought. We
have to concede there is a certain mystery here that we may never understand
this side of eternity and Jesus’ allegory of the wind blowing where it wants
seems to suggest that. We should not be deterred by this mystery for the
reality is that there are many things in life which remain beyond our human
comprehension.
It seems that Jesus’ reaction to
Nicodemus initial approach is in response to an unasked question. Quite early
in his ministry Jesus had proclaimed that the kingdom of God had arrived[3]. Perhaps it was Nicodemus’
awareness of this that encouraged him to approach Jesus with his unasked
question. Perhaps Nicodemus was searching for a more fulfilling existence and
suspected that Jesus had the answers he was looking for.
Most thinking people are genuine
seekers after the truth. We have an inner sense that there is more to life than
just the daily grind of work and the pursuit of plastic pleasures. There is
something within a human being that senses a deeper meaning to life; perhaps at
times it is no more than a nagging inkling that there is more to be experienced
in life. Like Nicodemus, often our questions are there, though unasked.
Perhaps in the back of our minds,
like this Jewish leader, we are pondering the existence of a spiritual kingdom,
something beyond our present understanding, and if it does really exist, how do
we access it? And why can’t we perceive it?
The reality is that this kingdom of
God is a spiritual realm that cannot be perceived by mere human logic and
rationale, or by the exercise of our own will. The kingdom of God is a present
reality but we are spiritually blind, unable to see what God has set before
us. It is through this experience of
being born again of the Spirit of God that we acquire spiritual sight that
enables us to enter and perceive the kingdom of God.
No other way
Inherent in the words of Jesus in
John chapter 3 is an imperative: Unless
one is born from water and the Spirit, he cannot
enter God’s kingdom.[4]
There is nothing complex or obscure about entrance into the kingdom of God,
the condition of entry is simple. However, the imperative cannot be ignored or
circumvented; entrance to the kingdom of God cannot be achieved by any other process
than a new, spiritual birth.
Nicodemus quite obviously recognised
the existence and presence of God. It was quite possible as a Jewish religious
leader he had led an exemplary life. However all that was
insufficient to gain him entrance in the kingdom of God. He needed to grasp the
next kingdom key, that of the new birth, of being born again of the Spirit.
Within our own community we can
identify people who we feel live exemplary lives. They are involved in the life
of the community, always ready to help others, show compassion and action that
validates their compassionate character. While such character traits and
actions are very commendable, the reality is that these will never unlock the
door into the kingdom of God. No matter how noble and altruistic our lives, the
truth remains unchanged - the key to entrance into the kingdom of God is purely
and simply the spiritual rebirth offered by Jesus.
The reality is that we are all
fallible human beings, no matter how great our good deeds and intentions. We
are all guilty of wrong actions, thoughts and intentions and such failings need
to be addressed and resolved. The Bible refers to these as sin, and as
unpalatable as it might be we have to get down to basics and admit that we are all
guilty of sin. There is a tendency to want to avoid the use of such basic
terminology and excuse it on various circumstances that have impacted on us.
Many believe that humanity can
improve itself through its own efforts but history does not support this.
Humanity needs a way in which it can resolve the darker side of our nature once
and for all, and the new birth provides the way for this to happen.
A necessary process
The kingdom of God operates on a radically
different paradigm to that which we experience within the world of humanity.
Many accepted attitudes and behaviours will need to change to fit within this
new spiritual realm. Consequently, to experience this new birth we need to initiate
a process which will become an ongoing element within our new spiritual
existence; that of repentance and forgiveness.
Like many theological terms these
have suffered over the years from many definitions and explanations but for
this book, the following will suffice.
Repentance is an
inward and fundamental decision to make a significant change in the direction
of our lives. It means being willing, though not necessarily able at this point
of time, to allow a change in mindset, attitudes, values and lifestyle
objectives. It is a radical process that will become apparent in a changed way
of living.
Forgiveness is necessary
to resolve the wrong actions, thoughts and intentions which have been part of
our human existence. This forgiveness is attained by owning up and honestly
admitting our wrong to God.
We need to be aware that if
forgiveness is to be real and meaningful, that we acknowledge that someone,
somewhere had to invalidate the actions and effects of our wrongdoing, our sin.
It is in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that our sin is forgiven
and cancelled once and for all. Many images and metaphors are employed to
explain how all this occurs. However, at this point in our journey we need
simply to confess our sin and accept the forgiveness that flows from the death
of Jesus.
Many will struggle with this concept
of forgiveness. Some will feel that their lives have been so tarnished by wrong
choices and actions that they do not deserve to be forgiven. This can have
serious and ongoing consequences for it is possible, even unconsciously at
times, to reject forgiveness.
During my ministry in one church I had an elderly
man who always wanted to do things to help. One day he came and asked if could
he tidy up the gardens around the church buildings. His request somewhat
surprised me as I knew he was waiting to go to hospital for major knee surgery.
After explaining that the gardens were quite large I reluctantly agreed to his
request whereupon he faithfully began doing the work.
One day as I left my office I encountered him
kneeling on the concrete pulling weeds from the garden. Calling him by name and
feeling rather guilty at my earlier decision to allow him to do this work, I
said to him, “You really don’t have to do this.”
Slowly and painfully he got to his feet and
explained his motivation. As a young man he had felt that God had called him to
the ministry as a Salvation Army officer and he had been disobedient to the
call. Later on life as he reflected on his disobedience he told God he would do
anything for him. Now, well in his seventies he had never been able to fully
accept God’s forgiveness and the guilt of his earlier refusal now drove him to
try and expunge his sin of disobedience by doing such difficult work.
As this story illustrates, such
rejection of God’s forgiveness can be quite deep-seated and needs to be
addressed since it will significantly impact our ability to enjoy a kingdom
lifestyle.
Others will struggle with human
pride, having to admit to the wrong choices and actions. Once again it takes a
childlike simplicity to admit that we have made wrong choices, done wrong
things, and that just as a parent will forgive an errant child, so God will
forgive us.
For some
the new birth comes as a blinding revelation; for others it is just a growing
and positive awareness that something within us is changing and we now see life
with an ever-increasing enlightenment.
The experience of being born again (or born anew)
is but a step on a life of faith in the kingdom of God. It is followed by us
adopting a kingdom lifestyle and beginning to develop new attitudes and
behaviours. How we develop this radically different lifestyle will be the
subject of the next chapter.
BIBLE BACKGROUND
John 3:1 - 21
Mark
1:15
John
3:5b.
PERSONAL
REFLECTION
Ø
Have
I assumed some sort of spiritual security because of my Christian heritage or
church membership? If so, how has that impacted my spiritual life?
Ø
Have
I felt that my life was good enough
to be acceptable in the kingdom of God? If so, why is this?
Ø
Am
I ready to call my mistakes and wrongdoing sin?
If not, what is it that prevents me from accepting that I have a sinful nature?
Ø
Can
I accept that there is a need for me to be born
again and what will I do about that?
Ø
Am
I ready to repent of my sin? If so, list any specific attitudes that need to
change.
Ø
Can
I really believe and accept that God totally forgives me of all
my sin?
Ø
What
will this mean in my life?
ACTION PLAN
Ø
I
am willing to be born again and allow the Holy Spirit to renew my inner life? (To
assist you in this turn to the guidance given for prayer on page ??).
GROUP
INTERACTION
Ø Discuss some of the dangers
inherent in having a nominal church membership.
Ø What difficulties do we
see with using the phrase born again?
Ø If you are comfortable
with it, you might like to share your experience of being born again.
Ø Discuss the difficulties
of explaining to good people that
they must be born again.
Ø Discuss why we need to
repent.
Ø Why is it that some
people find it almost impossible to believe that they can truly be forgiven?
VIDEO:
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