In all of us there is a little bit of the unbelief seen in Nicodemus. Like him, we do not understand, completely, the full implications of God’s new covenant promised to Israel concerning the new ‘spirit’ and heart of flesh that God would give His wayward chosen people that would cause them to renew their love and commitment to God—an astonishing change in their attitude and demeanor that would move even Gentiles to become believers in Christ. Christ of course meant God’s sanctification process through which all of mankind—Hebrews and Gentiles—who were first born again then saved and justified could then be transformed into the image of Christ.

Since this spiritual Truth was way above the heads of the people in Christ’s day, Christ tells Nicodemus that He recognizes that because spiritual discernment is lacking in mankind, even in men and women who are of the type of high moral, religious, social, and economic caliber as is Nicodemus, no one FULLY will be able to comprehend the spiritual Truth concerning mankind’s total new birth process. Furthermore, Christ tells Nicodemus that because he did not believe in all of God’s earthly principles, he also will not be able to grasp heavenly principles with his own wisdom, knowledge and understanding.

Such is the case with many New Testament believers. Knowing that it is most expedient that every man and woman become born again and believing totally in that new birth’s full process are two completely different spiritual Truths around which we need to wrap our minds. The first spiritual Truth (we must be born again and justified), our Positional Sanctification, we readily accept by faith. However, the second spiritual Truth (we must be filled with the Holy Spirit), our Practical Sanctification, we try to comprehend, but our blasted unbelief causes us to miss the mark. It is time for us to grasp the “heavenly things” of God. Let us be born of God’s Holy Spirit in the true sense that Christ proposes, which is for us to become new creations in whom His Holy Spirit not only indwells but also infills with God’s desires and His anointings (divine empowerments) like spiritual gifts, holiness, righteousness, power, and authority. AMEN.

“If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell ye of heavenly things” (John 3:12, KJV; cf. Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:22-31)?