Christ Triumphant - A Devotional by E.G. White
| Christ Will Create a New Heart in His Followers |
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Today's Text:
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3:3
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The Message:
The change that must come to the natural, inherited, and cultivated tendencies of the human heart is that change of which Jesus spoke when He said to Nicodemus, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."... He virtually said to Nicodemus, It is not controversy that will help your case. Arguments will not bring light to your soul. You must have a new heart, or you cannot discern the kingdom of heaven. It is not greater evidence that will bring you into a right position, but new purposes, new springs of action. You must be born again. Until this change takes place, until all things are made new, the strongest evidence that could be presented would be useless....
To Nicodemus this was a very humiliating statement, and with a feeling of irritation he took up the words of Christ, saying, "How can a man be born when he is old?"... But the Saviour did not meet argument with argument. Raising His hand in solemn, quiet dignity, He pressed home the truth with greater assurance, "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."... Christ's words conveyed the lesson that instead of feeling irritated over the plain words of truth and indulging in irony, Nicodemus should have a far more humble opinion of himself because of his spiritual ignorance. Yet the words of Christ were spoken with such solemn dignity, and both look and tone expressed such earnest love that Nicodemus was not offended as he realized his humiliating position.... This lesson to Nicodemus I present as highly applicable to those who today are in responsible positions as rulers in Israel, and whose voices are often heard in council, giving evidence of the spirit that Nicodemus possessed. The words of Christ are spoken just as verily to presidents of conferences, elders of churches, and those occupying responsible positions in our churches.... Nicodemus was converted as the result of this interview. In that night conference with Jesus, the convicted man stood before the Saviour under the softening, subduing influence of the truth that was shining into the chambers of his mind and impressing his heart.... Jesus told Nicodemus not only that he must have a new heart in order to see the kingdom of heaven, but how to obtain this new heart.-Letter 54, 1895. |
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Commentary:
My friend, often times the plain truth is not agreeable to our pride and self-sufficiency. Nicodemus, like many others of his class, prided himself on his heritage, his position, and his own righteousness. Yet in the teachings of Christ, he saw something that was missing in his life. He longed for something greater than what he had. In meeting secretly with Jesus, he desired the peace that passes all understanding, and he saw it in Jesus Christ.
To be born again was not an unfamiliar concept to this teacher of Israel, and when Jesus said that he must be born again, he understood that Jesus was saying that his current condition was not acceptable to God. He saw that he needed a righteousness that was beyond his ability to obtain. In this his heart resisted. But Jesus presented only the plain truth to him in love and compassion that only the Savior could give.
In a like manner the message that the church needs today is a message that is not popular, but is just as needed today as it was on that night in Jerusalem. The message from the Faithful and True Witness today is "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:" (Revelation 3:15-17).
Like Nicodemus in that night interview, the church of today does not want to accept the message from God that their righteousness is not acceptable to Him. They pride themselves as being the remnant people, and are blind to their true condition before God. They do not want to accept that they are "...wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:", they do not want to accept that the righteousness that they have is not from above. His counsel to them is "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." (Revelation 3:18).
Through their worship of the trinity they have accepted a righteousness that is not from above, but is from Satan, and as such their condition before Him is nauseating, and unless they are zealous in their repentance, He will spew them from His mouth. But He delivers this message to them in love, for He says "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." (Revelation 3:19-21).
My friend, the time has come when the message from the Faithful and True Witness must be given, for the church is truly in this most dreadful condition. The church has supplanted the One true God of the Bible with the triune god of Babylon, and as such have led them to worship a false god, and accept a false righteousness. Unless they are awakened to their terrible condition, they will not be saved.
May we all be zealous in our repentance that we may put on the true righteousness of God through His Son Jesus Christ today.
God bless,
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Video of the Week
Matt Dooley of Line of Truth Ministries shares a message that looks at the Scriptures to answer this most important question. Is Jesus truly the Son of God, or is it only a metaphor or a title.
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