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Over the years, millions of people have come to the U.S. by way of Riker’s Island and the Statue of Liberty in New York. This statue is such a powerful symbol of freedom for the U.S. and the world to see. It is a symbol of a new life, a better place to live, and the ability to pursue any good that one desires. There are those who have come to the U.S. and gone through a lengthy process to be called an American citizen, and they are proud of that accomplishment.
Often I think about what it would be like to live somewhere else where people do not enjoy the freedom that we experience. Because of those thoughts I appreciate our country even more, and they help me to appreciate being a citizen of the United States. I also often think of those who paid the ultimate price, giving their lives, for the freedoms that you and I enjoy.
Scripture tells the story of Nicodemus and the encounter that he had with Jesus late one night. Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the ruling council. He went to Jesus at night acknowledging that indeed Jesus must have come from God because of His ability to teach and perform miracles. Jesus immediately informed Nicodemus that no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again (John 3:3). Nicodemus’ response was, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?” (John 3:4, KJV). Then Jesus answered Nicodemus’ question, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5, KJV). Actually, Jesus’ answer continues through verse 21 of John chapter 3. In fact, Jesus went on to admonish Nicodemus for being one of Israel’s teachers and not understanding what He was teaching.
God made one requirement to enter into the Kingdom, to become a citizen of the King: “You must be born again!” Just as there are requirements for becoming a citizen of the United States, so God has only one requirement for citizenship in the Kingdom. You must be born again! And yes, it is exclusive only to those who surrender their lives to Christ.
Jesus gave the reason to Nicodemus in this most familiar verse, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16, KJV). There is no compromise; this is not one of many ways as some, as Oprah, would have us believe. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6, KJV). Bible-believing Christians everywhere are criticized for holding to this position, for standing up for the truth of the Word of God. There is an easy “believism“ floating around Christendom that says that as long as you are a good person, then you are all right in God’s eyes or that God is a God of love and there is no such thing as Hell, and everyone goes to Heaven if they “believe” something. One of the greatest lies in the life of the church today is being perpetrated by those who have embraced the Emerging Church philosophy. This philosophy is based on the “post-modern thinking,” which basically involves having conversations about Biblical interpretation. Whether one is a Christian or not they can be a part of the conversation with the understanding that anyone’s interpretation—even one who is not a believer—is acceptable and there are no absolutes.
I would suggest that God made it easy for mankind to become a citizen of the King by leaving us only one choice, Jesus, and that God paid the ultimate price for our citizenship with Jesus’ death on the cross. The Scripture teaches us that God sent “His one and only Son.” God the Father was willing to pay the ultimate price for you and me by becoming God in flesh and sacrificing Himself as the Son.
And, yes, citizenship with the King is exclusive. That is an absolute, according to the Bible. Only those who are willing to surrender their lives to the King, Jesus, are citizens of the Kingdom. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12, KJV).
Dear friends, we enter into citizenship upon confessing Christ as Lord and are then a part of the King’s kingdom. We are taught that the Kingdom of God is within us: “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21, KJV).
Praise God we don’t have to wait to become citizens of the Kingdom. The King is living and reigning now, and we are living and reigning with Him, and will be for eternity.
So many—literally, millions of people—have yearned to be citizens of the United States and made that dream a reality in their lives. But there is no comparison to becoming a citizen of God’s Kingdom; that is the best life now and for all eternity, no matter where we are on the face of the earth.
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Ye Must Be Born Again By Charles W. Naylor, 1907
That heavenly Teacher in words that are plain, This truth declared to men, If ever they would to His kingdom attain They must be born again.
No mere reformation your sins can erase, You cannot remove their stain; If ever in heaven your soul has a place, Ye must be born again.
Good works will not answer, no penance will do, Morality, too, is vain; For naught will avail but a creature made new, Ye must be born again.
In Adam we lost all our righteous estate, And would we it regain, To Jesus must come and repent ere too late— Ye must be born again. |