True Repentance Series

I’ve been reflecting on a powerful truth: two men can receive the same divine revelation, yet have completely different spiritual conditions. This is strikingly illustrated in the lives of two very different people: Peter, a simple fisherman, and Nicodemus, a highly educated teacher of the Jewish law.

Logically, we would expect the scholar to receive the greater reward, right? But the opposite happened. To Nicodemus, a respected religious leader, Jesus issued a profound and necessary correction:

“Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.’” (John 3:3)

Yet to Peter, who had just confessed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus said:

“…this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 16:17)

This brings us to the core issue. Perplexed, Nicodemus asked, “How can someone be born when they are old? Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” (John 3:4). He was stuck in a physical, intellectual understanding.

Jesus answered him with a crucial spiritual definition:

“Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.’” (John 3:5-8)

This moved me deeply and brought to mind the words of John the Baptist, who was preparing the way for Jesus:

“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matthew 3:11)

John makes a critical distinction. His baptism with water was an outward sign of repentance. But the baptism that Jesus brings is an inward, transformational reality—it is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is not merely a "package deal" or an add-on; it is the very essence of the new birth. To be baptized into Christ is to be immersed into His Spirit.

This seems simple, but it is profoundly deep. What Nicodemus experienced is what many in the faith are going through today. We can go to church, claim to know Christ, and be experts in biblical knowledge, yet our inner spirit remains unchanged and unreborn.

I tell you, brothers and sisters, if the spirit within us has not been made new and holy by His Spirit, we remain as though we do not truly know Christ. Knowing about Him and His work is not the same as experiencing a spiritual rebirth. Without this rebirth, there is no entering the Kingdom of God. It is by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that we are truly marked as His. When this Spirit takes residence in us, there are things we simply cannot go back to; we are forever changed.

There is no better time to repent than now. I urge you: find a church that teaches the true, life-giving Word of God. Repent, seek Him daily, and yield yourself completely to the leading and teaching of the Holy Spirit. Then you will witness the profound and necessary change that only He can bring.

This is just part one of a growing series. The next parts will be here shortly.

tan y tro nesaf