A ruler once came to Jesus by night
To ask Him the way of salvation and light;
The Master made answer in words true and plain,
“Ye must be born again.
Ye children of men, attend to the word
So solemnly uttered by Jesus the Lord;
And let not this message to you be in vain,
“Ye must be born again.
O ye who would enter that glorious rest,
And sing with the ransomed the song of the blest,
The life everlasting if ye would obtain,
“Ye must be born again.
A dear one in heaven thy heart yearns to see,
At the beautiful gate may be watching for thee,
Then list to the note of this solemn refrain,
“Ye must be born again.
Refrain:
Ye must be born again,
Ye must be born again;
I verily, verily say unto thee,
Ye must be born again.”
William T. Sleeper, 1877
Read John 3:1-12
(Perhaps our familiarity with the terminology has blunted how radical Jesus’s suggestion was to Nicodemus. It was on the order of: “Throw out everything you are, everything you know, everything you’ve achieved and start completely over. You were wrong about how to honor God, how to be righteous and your only hope is to abandon everything you thought you knew.” No wonder Nicodemus didn’t know how to respond. Jesus says the same thing to us. Stop trying to be good enough. Stop thinking you are good enough. Trust in what I have already done for you. An amazing transformation happens when we are born again. Never lose your wonder at that transformation!)
Read more about Nicodemus: What Nicodemus Teaches Me about Being Born Again