The Word “Except” Is Unchangeable – Sunday Thought For The Day

The verse John 3:3 (KJV) reads: 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.  It is one of the most ubiquitous scripture verses known and quoted by Christians and churchgoers, second, perhaps, only to John 3:16 (KJV).  John 3:3 is also one of the most dogmatic scriptures, if not the most inflexible verse in scripture.  The key word in the verse is: “Except!”

We’ve all heard someone make silly comments about going to heaven.  The problem with their self-evaluation, is that it is self-evaluation, based upon a standard acceptable unto salvation that they have constructed.  And therein lies the problem.

I think Barnes explains it best, when he writes:

Verily, verily – An expression of strong affirmation, denoting the certainty and the importance of what he was about to say. Jesus proceeds to state one of the fundamental and indispensable doctrines of his religion. It may seem remarkable that he should introduce this subject in this manner; but it should be remembered that Nicodemus acknowledged that he was a teacher come from God; that he implied by that his readiness and desire to receive instruction; and that it is not wonderful, therefore, that Jesus should commence with one of the fundamental truths of his religion. It is no part of Christianity to conceal anything. Jesus declared to every man, high or low, rich or poor, the most humbling truths of the gospel. Nothing was kept back for fear of offending men of wealth or power; and for them, as well as the most poor and lowly, it was declared to be indispensable to experience, as the first thing in religion, a change of heart and of life.

Except a man – This is a universal form of expression designed to include all mankind. Of “each and every man” it is certain that unless he is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. It includes, therefore, men of every character and rank, and nation, moral and immoral, rich and poor, in office and out of office, old and young, bond and free, the slave and his master, Jew and Gentile. It is clear that our Saviour intended to convey to Nicodemus the idea, also, that “he” must be born again. It was not sufficient to be a Jew, or to acknowledge [Him, i.e., Jesus,] to be a teacher sent by God that is, the Messiah; it was necessary, in addition to this, to experience in his own soul that great change called the “new birth” or regeneration.

So the next time you hear a person talking about going to heaven, ask them what they are basing their assertion upon?  If they answer anything other than they accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior, through faith, confession, and repentance; they are not saved.  If they answer they were born saved or they’ve been saved their entire life or any derivation of same, they are not saved.

There is no way and one way alone to spend eternity in heaven with our Heavenly Father and our Savior, and that is by being born again.  We are not born saved, we are not selected by preordination or by a priest baptizing us a baby.  We are saved by being “born again”

The week after Resurrection Day, I discuss: what is “born again?”

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