"Ye Must Be Born Again"

After taking a class in Greek at Pillsbury Baptist Bible College in 2003-04, one of my goals was to read the entire N.T. in the original language. One of the books I have remaining, and which I am reading now, is the gospel of John; today, I read the first 21 verses of Chapter 3. This is where Nicodemus comes to Jesus "by night" and is told in verse 7, "Ye must be born again."

Two particular words in this passage, in the Greek, were very interesting. The first is the word "must" in verse 7. It is a word whose common meaning is "It is necessary." Becoming born again is not to be thought of in the sense of "You must try this restaurant," or "You must meet my friend Bob"—these are only non-literal meanings of the word. Instead, it should be thought of as a "necessary" thing—something we have an obligation to do. It is necessary for each of us to be born again.

The second word I found very interesting, was in that most famous of verses, 3:16. In the phrase, "that whosoever believeth in him..." the word "whosoever" is actually the common word for "all" (e.g., the "every one" in vs. 20 is this exact same Greek word). When we think of salvation, we should remember that it is offered to all—every man, woman, and child of every people, country, or language. It is not offered only to some, nor are there other conditions which must be met; all who believe will have eternal life in heaven.

Conclusion: It is necessary for all to be born again. Are you?