Basically Speaking…

December 13, 2024

Before anyone is Born by the Spirit of God, one cannot possibly understand the fullness of meaning in the verses of the Bible. There are many who pretend to know and will tell you so. They will quote others’ opinions and speculations -even quoting formal works, texts, or other intensely reasoned essays.

However, that is like the idea of me presenting a Doctoral Thesis on Genetics, or Calculus, or Psychology, or Aeronautics to Professors at MIT or Harvard. That also would be like me trying to explain what living in Outer Space is like. Those are well beyond my experiences and my educational attainment.

Would I ever presume to talk or write about those?

Would you ever consider believing anything I told you about them? …I sure hope not.

There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again,a you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” — John 3" 1'8, New Living Translation.

So, what does Jesus’ and Nicodemus’ discussion reveal about understanding the fullness of meaning in the verses of the Bible?

• Each person needs a new birth to begin to understand the Bible..
• Everyone needs to be born again by God’s Spirit to understand the fullness of meaning of the Bible…
• Without the newness of the Spirit of God it’s all mysterious to people…

People are presumptuous to think that they have a handle on the Bible, but that doesn’t stop some or give pause for some to pretend that they “know” or have “new evidence” or whatever that gives them some sort of insight or anointed authority to write extensive critiques refuting the Bible’s historical accuracy or profound and pragmatic wisdom.

“But it was to us that God made known his secret by means of his Spirit. The Spirit searches everything, even the hidden depths of God’s purposes. It is only our own spirit within us that knows all about us; in the same way, only God’s Spirit knows all about God. We have not received this world’s spirit; instead, we have received the Spirit sent by God, so that we may know all that God has given us.

So then, we do not speak in words taught by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, as we explain spiritual truths to those who have the Spirit. Whoever does not have the Spirit cannot receive the gifts that come from God’s Spirit. Such a person really does not understand them, and they seem to be nonsense, because their value can be judged only on a spiritual basis. Whoever has the Spirit, however, is able to judge the value of everything..,” — 1 Corinthians 2:10–15, Good News Translation.

Notwithstanding all of this precept of how to understand the Bible, where does one begin? How can a person be born again?

Here’s the basic method from Jesus:

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” — Matthew 7:7–8, New Living Translation.

(I used this translation specifically because it conveys the correct verb tense of the original Greek texts.)

The only understanding that I can add to this is from my own experience that unfolded this way:

• looking around at the world falling apart around me
• challenging God to do something
• looking at the nasty situation within my own life
• reaching out in a blind hope that God of the Bible was actually real
• realizing that changes had to first start with me
• being convinced that I was responsible for the mess my own life was in and not anything oranyone outside of me
• Asking Jesus to forgive and to come into my life
• I surrendered all and began to read the Bible and turned at every chance I got turning into every path the Spirit pointed out and took up every opportunity God provided,

Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” — Matthew 11:28–30, NLT.

Casting Crowns — Somewhere In Your Silent Night (Official Lyric Video)