Every typical human aspires to achieve eternal life. Jesus proclaimed that attaining everlasting life is unattainable without Him, declaring Himself as the way, the truth, and the life. Being alive transcends the physical state of humans, who are prone to illness and mortality. A lifespan implies a temporary state, which prevents humans from achieving eternity. Being made in God’s image, humans are inherently meant to exist eternally. Thus, one’s purpose in physical life should be the pursuit of eternity, not temporality.
This instalment is designed to help those in search of eternal life realize that the journey towards eternity may be as straightforward as understanding Jesus’ teachings. These teachings are succinctly captured in His short conversation with a Pharisee leader who visited Him at night. This dialogue offers a comprehensive insight into the notion of eternal life. Additional Scriptures reinforce, rather than elaborate on, the tenets presented in that concise exchange.
There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “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 answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For everyone practising evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God” (John 3:1-21 NKJV).
Nicodemus, a prominent figure among the Jewish rulers, recognized in Jesus qualities that persuaded him of Jesus’ extraordinary nature. Despite the inconvenient timing, it was opportune for Nicodemus’ profound realization, which had previously eluded all Jews. He began by recognizing Jesus’ divine origin and authority. Jesus, seizing the moment, promptly delved into a discourse on eternal life, emphasizing the necessity of being born anew. This information was so monumental that the senior Pharisee was caught unprepared.
Rebirth is a prerequisite for entry into the Kingdom of God, signifying the achievement of eternal life. While human birth is biologically complex, it pales in comparison to the extraordinary nature of being reborn into eternal life. The inquiry about the possibility of being born again indicates a desire to undergo such an experience. This provided Jesus with an opportunity to explain, presumably to the inquirer’s satisfaction, that a spiritual rebirth is required, distinct from the physical conception in one’s mother’s womb.
The concept of being ‘born of water’ implies baptism following repentance, and subsequently, the assurance of the Holy Spirit. Jesus further clarified that spiritual rebirth pertains to that which is not physically perceptible. The impact of someone having undergone a rebirth would be evident, though the precise cause might not be visible. There is a profound contrast between physical birth and spiritual rebirth, but serving analogously. Essentially, physical birth necessitates a biological father, whereas spiritual birth necessitates a Spiritual Father. This may serve as an effective summary of what Nicodemus needed to understand, yet Jesus offered additional details.
Jesus aimed to affirm His divine origin to Nicodemus, enabling him to understand the veracity of His teachings. In explaining the complexities of the divine, Jesus used metaphors to facilitate Nicodemus’ understanding. He stressed that heavenly concepts are not readily comprehended by the human intellect. The continuous inquiries from Nicodemus revealed his profound misinterpretation of the Scriptures, which were deeply revered by the Jewish people. Even with his elevated status in religious circles, he did not grasp the essence of God’s Kingdom.
The dialogue culminated in Jesus disclosing His identity as the Messiah, whose presence made human redemption possible. This necessitated faith in Him to escape destruction. Should Nicodemus have harboured doubts regarding the seeming triviality and purposelessness of human existence, Jesus provided definitive responses. These answers were independent of an individual’s history, focusing solely on faith in Jesus and adherence to His teachings.
Believing in Jesus was as simple as accepting His words as truth. The only barrier was the fear of exposure due to pride. Humans frequently live lives of pretence, desiring to appear virtuous. Jesus explained to Nicodemus that the real reason people avoided Him was to keep their sins hidden. Pride was the main barrier, leading them to shun the truth. This is in stark contrast to the perspective of someone considering rebirth, who rejects all that was previously considered important by societal norms.
The fundamental principle granting humanity the potential for eternal life is humility. This principle overlooks society’s view of one’s ethics and status. Humility requires the forsaking of all one considers important in this life, reflecting the fleeting nature of human existence. It is pride that aggrandizes the inconsequential and belittles what is genuinely important. James’ admonition may be sufficient in helping one to adopt the blessings, leading to eternity, offered by Jesus.
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?
Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.’ But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:7-17 NKJV).
Resisting the devil requires eschewing pride, which leads to duplicity in one’s interactions. James counsels negating the pursuits that one might find enjoyable or significant. Often, it is the pursuit of status that hinders repentance, more than any other causes of avoiding repentance. Everyone is assigned a rank, either knowingly or unknowingly, by worldly standards, deeming us to be considered important or unimportant. There is a certain allure in being regarded as important.
One of the primary motivations for speaking ill of others is the desire to be seen as superior socially. It may seem important to discredit another person’s character to cast ourselves in a positive light. However, a humble individual seeks to defend those deemed sinful. The misdeeds of others ought to be viewed as reflecting our own failings, as we should have been a positive influence on the sinner’s behaviour. Paul also noted that no one can be considered truly righteous in this world.
“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:21-26 NKJV).
Jesus was not merely a teacher but also a model of righteousness. He was never linked to sin, yet He chose to stand in place of Barabbas, deemed the worst of sinners. Through this act, Jesus set an unmatched precedent in advocating for human redemption. His actions displayed profound unpredictability, exemplifying true humility. For Nicodemus, or anyone seeking to grasp the essence of humility, nothing could exceed the sacrifice Jesus willingly endured upon the cross. For someone who has dismissed the importance of physical birth, choosing instead to embrace the concept of being born again, this is not a difficult notion.
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:5-11 NKJV).
Greatness may be characterized by the capacity to love, even when there is ample reason to hate. James underscored the error in failing to differentiate between obeying the law and passing judgment on others according to the law’s demands. Inheriting the sinful actions of our ancestors, Adam and Eve, we merit death by the law’s standards. Anyone who absolves themselves from the behaviour of these ancestors is either uninformed or deceitful. If a sinless individual like Jesus assumed the place of the most egregious sinner, then what of someone born of sinful progenitors? We continue in sin as long as we fail to embrace the ethos of being our brother’s keeper. Love is a spiritual condition of taking responsibility for bad things affecting humanity.
Eternity is not linked to the physical realm and cannot be experienced without forsaking the physical. This means adopting a contrary position to what appeals to the physical senses. A radical approach involves loving one’s adversaries, not just choosing to love one’s friends and relatives. It also entails consciously participating in activities that are traditionally uncomfortable to the physical body. The spiritual state aspires to transcend the physical body, as the consciousness of spirituality negates the need for a physical existence.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilization, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from the current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, bringing relief to those having witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions––leading to the current economic and social decay. Most Zimbabweans should find the book as a long-awaited providential oasis of hope, in a simple conversational tone.
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