How do you identify a born again Christian, an evangelical type, Cliffy?
Initially, the religious leader Nicodemus comes to Jesus secretly at night. He is a prominent public figure with much to lose socially by associating with the wrong kind of people:
"There was a man of the Pharisee sect, Nicodemus, a prominent leader among the Jews. Late one night he visited Jesus and said, 'Rabbi, we all know you’re a teacher straight from God. No one could do all the God-pointing, God-revealing acts you do if God weren’t in on it.' Jesus said, 'You’re absolutely right. Take it from me: Unless a person is born from above, it’s not possible to see what I’m pointing to—to God’s kingdom.' 'How can anyone,' said Nicodemus, 'be born who has already been born and grown up? You can’t re-enter your mother’s womb and be born again. What are you saying with this ‘born-from-above’ talk?' Jesus said, 'You’re not listening. Let me say it again. Unless a person submits to this original creation—the ‘wind-hovering-over-the-water’ creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life—it’s not possible to enter God’s kingdom. When you look at a baby, it’s just that: a body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can’t see and touch—the Spirit—and becomes a living spirit. So don’t be so surprised when I tell you that you have to be ‘born from above’—out of this world, so to speak. You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it’s headed next. That’s the way it is with everyone ‘born from above’ by the wind of God, the Spirit of God.” (John 3:1-8 The Message)
Knowing that Nicodemus desires to be identified with God, Jesus instructs Nicodemus in the prescribed spiritual path. It requires a new and spiritual birth. Physical birth is something that no one accomplishes for themselves. Likewise, spiritual birth. In his next gospel appearance, Nicodemus speaks out among his peers in an unprecedented defense of Christ:
"The Pharisees said, 'Are you carried away like the rest of the rabble? You don’t see any of the leaders believing in him, do you? Or any from the Pharisees? It’s only this crowd, ignorant of God’s Law, that is taken in by him—and damned.' Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus earlier and was both a ruler and a Pharisee, spoke up. 'Does our Law decide about a man’s guilt without first listening to him and finding out what he is doing?' But they cut him off. 'Are you also campaigning for the Galilean? Examine the evidence. See if any prophet ever comes from Galilee.' Then they all went home." (John 7:47-53 The Message)
Something changes in the very nature of Nicodemus. His appetite for the applause of men ceases. In this final gospel account of him, Nicodemus publically identifies with Jesus by retrieving and preparing his body for burial:
"After all this, Joseph of Arimathea (he was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, because he was intimidated by the Jews) petitioned Pilate to take the body of Jesus. Pilate gave permission. So Joseph came and took the body. Nicodemus, who had first come to Jesus at night, came now in broad daylight carrying a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. They took Jesus’ body and, following the Jewish burial custom, wrapped it in linen with the spices. There was a garden near the place he was crucified, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been placed. So, because it was Sabbath preparation for the Jews and the tomb was convenient, they placed Jesus in it." (John 19:38-42 The Message)
Does Nicodemus qualify as a "born againer," Cliffy?
