Jesus Gave Nicodemus Something Better
Thursday’s Verse:
From John 3:5 ESV
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus came to Jesus under the cover of darkness, seeking answers to questions he could not fully understand. Jesus quickly turned the conversation away from what Nicodemus could do and toward what God must do. "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."
These words remind us that salvation is not something we achieve. We cannot reason our way into God's kingdom, earn our place through good works, or improve ourselves enough to become God's children. Instead, we must be born again. We must receive a new birth that comes from outside ourselves.
As Lutherans, we hear in Jesus' words a beautiful reference to Holy Baptism. Through water and the Spirit, God acts. He forgives sins, creates faith, and adopts sinners into His family. Baptism is not primarily our work for God; it is God's work for us. There, the Holy Spirit joins the promises of Christ to ordinary water and grants the new birth Jesus describes.
This is a comforting truth because it places our confidence not in our own strength but in God's faithfulness. The same Lord who gave us new life in Baptism continues to sustain that life through His Word and promises. When doubts arise, when weakness comes, or when the future seems uncertain, we can remember that our standing before God rests not on what we have done but on what He has done for us.
Nicodemus came to Jesus seeking understanding. Jesus gave him something even greater: the promise that God Himself gives new life to those who cannot give it to themselves.
✝️ A Prayer for Today:
Heavenly Father, thank You for causing us to be born again through water and the Spirit. Keep us steadfast in the faith You have given us in Baptism, and remind us daily that our hope rests not in ourselves but in Your gracious promises through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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