The Great Do-Over

John 3:1-3 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: (2) The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. (3) Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

When I was a child, I would often play games, like tag, with a number of neighborhood kids. Almost every game there would be a dispute among players. To end the dispute quickly, some one would simply yell out “Do Over” and magically we would act like nothing ever happened and we would resume the game.

Have you ever wanted a “Do-Over” in your adult life. I certainly have more times than I care to remember. But in real life it is not that easy.

However, Jesus, while talking to a follower named Nicodemus, informs us about a spiritual “Do-Over”. As humans, we disappoint our creator because of sin in our lives. Because of that sin we are separated from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). Unfortunately, there is nothing that we can do on our own to create this “Do-Over” effect that would allow us to be reconciled back to God.

But Jesus says there is a “Do-Over”. We must be born again! It is not a physical rebirth as Ncodemus imagined, but a spiritual rebirth. Jesus does not give us all of the details of how this is achieved in this passage, but simply makes us aware of its possibility. However, throughout the rest of his ministry, he fills in the gaps. Jesus says that we MUST:

1. Believe in Him: John 3:16

2. Repent of our Sins: Luke 13:3

3. Confess Him Before Men: Matt 10:32-33

4. Be Baptized for the Remission of Sins : Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16

5. Be Faithful Until Death: Rev. 2:10

If your life is not what you need it to be...if you know that you are separated from God, If you need a Spiritual “Do-Over, there is nothing that you can do on your own to repair that damage. However, God has put a system in place by which he will accept us back as his children and allow us to be reborn to walk in the NEWNESS of life. What a beautiful thought that we can have such an awesome blessing from a God that loves us so much!