HEBREWS 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 

Understanding the Scripture | “How can these things be?”

The unseen things of this world are hard to be understood. Nicodemus knows this to be true as he listens to Jesus teach him things that are hard to be understood.

The Kingdom of God can only be entered by the man who has been born again. What caused trouble for Nicodemus was his lack of understanding of what it meant to be “born again”. “How can a man be born when he is old?”

If we are not careful we begin to look down on Nicodemus because he doesn’t understand what Jesus is teaching. It seems so clear that Jesus is not speaking physically, but rather spiritually. And yet Nicodemus is in awe of this truth that is being taught.

Spiritual birth; is a simple, yet profound, doctrine that has become old hat to modern Christianity. If I am honest with you: I did not, until recently, start truly understanding what this meant.

I knew that “born again” was a phrase that was popularly associated with conservative Christianity. I also knew that “born again” is a phrase that is used to describe your association with conservative Christianity. I also knew that “born again” was a popularly used term to describe someone coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

But besides that, I really had no clue what the Biblical implications were when it came to being “born again”.

Through studying my Bible I have come to realize that there are often 2 different “worlds” (for lack of better terms) that are spoken of. There is a natural world and there is the spiritual world. (John 3:6, 1 Corinthians 15:40,45, Romans 8:5,6).

When Jesus speaks to Nicodemus he is speaking solely of a spiritual world. When Nicodemus is listening to Jesus he is hearing solely of a physical world.

And therein lies the problem for Nicodemus. His lack of understanding of the spiritual side of Jesus’ teachings.

This all seems super obvious and easily understood. The fact of the matter is sometimes there’s a line that is blurred between the physical and the spiritual. When that line is blurred interpretation of Scripture can become vague because we are not understanding the spiritual aspect of it. Many problems in our interpretation occur because, just like Nicodemus, we are looking at the physical “world” and not seeing the spiritual “world”.

Unfortunately for man; the spiritual world cannot be seen and is invisible. That is why it is hard to be understood. Fortunately for man, Paul wrote that “The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made…” (Romans 1:20). We are given such a tremendous opportunity to be able to understand spiritual truths by things that are made.

That is why Jesus used birth as an analogy to represent new life in the Kingdom of God. Because birth was something that Nicodemus could see and understand but all he had to do was translate it to a spiritual interpretation.

I say all that to conclude with this: The scriptures, at times, are very hard to be understood, and it can become frustrating to try and learn it correctly. If you are “born again” then you are blessed with being able to see the spiritual things of the Scripture.

The Father has sent us a Comforter that can teach us all things (John 14:26). Understand that the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God, neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14). If you are “born again” you have received the mind of Christ and can clearly see the invisible things.

Let us then, as a “born again” people, not cry out “How can these things be!?”. But shed off the natural man’s thinking and apply the mind of Christ. Look past the physical, and understand that there is a whole spiritual kingdom that is waiting for you to seek first (Matthew 6:33).

~ MD

3 responses to “Understanding the Scripture | “How can these things be?””

  1. Angela Braucher Avatar
    Angela Braucher

    Great read Micha! Looking forward to following your Blog.

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  2. Great read, but …

    I don’t know much about blog posts, but I do know people don’t stop and look up or read (or generally know) parenthetical Scripture references. I always add them as foot notes, block quotes or text boxes. Perhaps that is available in a blog. i.e.

    “Through studying my Bible I have come to realize that there are often 2 (oh, also in general type numbers … “two”) different “worlds” (for lack of better terms) that are spoken of. There is a natural world and there is the spiritual world. (John 3:6, 1 Corinthians 15:40,45, Romans 8:5,6).

          ”That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that        which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (Jhn.3:6).

    “There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. … 45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit” (1Cor.15:40,45).

    “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Rom.8:5,6).

    Also if possible in blogs, and certainly on your web page, include pictures.

    Keep it up, God Bless, Grandpa

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  3. Another Pic for the web site or blog

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