By Alden J. Ho, Pastor
Jefferson Academy
Seventh-day Adventist Church
There are many things today in the electronic world that have a default built into them. If something goes wrong, you can go back to this default setting. But is there a reset button for our own lives? Is it possible to start afresh when things have gone so wrong?
In the Bible, a story is told of a man who cautiously comes at night to meet with Jesus to avoid bringing undue attention to himself. He had listened to Jesus preach, heal the sick, perform miracles, yet this man named Nicodemus was incredulous. He says to Jesus, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
Jesus read his heart and responds, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Here we are shown the reset button! The opportunity for a new beginning, and to start things anew, fresh, and most of all, right.
All of us today have been born of the flesh. But when Jesus says, ‘you must be born again,’ He is saying you must be born of the spirit. Meaning, a realization that you must start again. This is a conscious decision that a baby or child cannot make, because one understands the need for the Savior. Thus being born again means that there must be a definitive change in your life because when you are born of the spirit, you have also died in the flesh, and don’t go back to your old way of life because you now must walk in newness of life with your Savior.
Here’s a couple references to read: John 3:1-21, 2 Peter 2:20-22.