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T H E K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S
The Birth from Abo\)e By Dr. A. C. Dixon P asto r of University B ap tist Church, Baltimore, Maryland. “M a r v e l n o t t h a t 1 s a id u n t o t h e e , Y e m u s t b e b o r n f r om a b o v e .” J o h n 3 :7 . “A s M o s e s l i f t e d u p t h e s e r p e n t in t h e w i ld e r n e s s , e v e n s o m u s t t h e S o n o f M an b e l i f t e d u p , t h a t w h o s o e v e r b e l i e v e t h m a y in H im h a v e e t e r n a l l i f e . ” J o h n 3 :1 4 , 1 5 . “H e t h a t b e l i e v e t h o n t h e S o n h a t h e t e r n a l l i f e ; b u t h e t h a t o b e y e t h n o t t h e S o n s h a l l n o t s e e l i f e , b u t t h e w r a t h o f G od a b id e t h o n h im .” J o h n 3 :3 6 .
children back to th e wigwam in th e woods away from the corrupti g influences of city life; and I m ust confess th a t his plea was so convincing I felt like going w ith him. It is certain th a t the civilization of to-day is n o t saving the world. It does not produce b irth from above, bu t rath e r infests w ith a death from beneath. “Nicodemus, religious and civilized as you are, you m ust be bom a g a in !” The new b irth is Not Education. Nicodemus was, beyond doubt, as a member of th e Jewish Sanhedrin, a man of culture. Though “ knowledge is pow e r,” th ere is only one kind of knowledge th a t has power to save th e soul and th a t is the knowledge of God in Christ. Unless we know Him, who is the B right and Morning Star, all knowledge of the sta rry heavens will leave us as cold as th e arctic regions w ith th è sta rs shining upon them . Un less we know th e “Rock of Ages,” all knowledge of the rocks will leave us as hard as the granite. Unless we know Him, who is love, our knowledge of philosophy will make us self-sufficient and vain-glorious. Unless we know th e g reat central fact of all time, th e incarnation of God in Christ, our knowledge of history will not transform our charac ters .nor fill our lives w ith self-sacrificing m inistries. “Yes, Nicodemus, religious, civilized, learned as you are, you m u st be born ag ain !” The new b irth is Not Morality. Nicodemus was evidently a moral man. If he had not been, he could not have been a member of the Sanhedrin. So far as we know, he was living in rig h t relation w ith every body around him. Morality is rig h t relation w ith people. Spirituality is rig h t relation w ith God. We may be in rig h t relation w ith our fam ilies, our neighbors, and y et in wrong relation w ith God. Getting rig h t w ith people does not make us rig h t w ith God, though getting rig h t w ith God will, sooner or later, bring us into rig h t relation w ith all people. “Nicodemus, religious, civilized, educated and moral as you are, you m u st be bom ag ain !” The new b irth is Not Accepting Christ as a G reat Teacher. Nicodemus said: “We know th a t Thou a rt a teacher come from God.” Mr. Ott, in his charm ing book, “The F ifth Gospel,” declares th a t Nicodemus was one of a committee, perhaps a comm ittee of one, appointed by th e Jew ish San hedrin to propose to Christ th a t, if He would w ithdraw His claim of Deity, they would accept Him as a teacher w ith divine credentials. But Jesus refuses on the ground th a t suah a denial of Hi's sup ern atu ral being would make it im- pos'sible for Him to give to Nicodemus and all others what they need most, th e b irth from above. Nicodemus, in order to experience th is b irth from above, you must believe in Him who came from above. (Continued on Page 118)
HE How of everything is mysterious, while the Why is plain enough. I cannot tell How fire burns or wheat grows, bu t I can tell Why, if the world is to be heated, lighted and fed. So th e How of the new b irth is mysterious like the wind, bu t the Why— the Must Be— is plain enough, if we are to be prepared for th e place which Christ is preparing for us. Nicodemus—marvel a t th e How as much as you please for you can no more explain it than, you can explain the source of the w ind; bu t do no t marvel a t the Why— the Must Be— for th a t is evident to every one who, in thinking clearly, sees th e necessity of preparing people for a pre pared place. There m ust be a correspondence of character With holy environm ent if th ere is to be happiness. This new b irth is . Not Getting Religion. Nicodemus was already an intensely religious man. He fasted, gave tith es and prayed w ith conscientious regularity. Indeed, a ll m en are religious. It was once th o u g h t th a t the aborigines of A ustralia were w ithout religious instincts, h u t it was a m istake. They, too, have th e ir worship. We are born religious. The m a tte r w ith pagan lands to-day is th eir religion. Next to sin, religion has done more to damn the world th an anything else in it. It drags th e African down below the rep tile he worships. It tu rn s Hindoo temples into houses of prostitution. Even in Christendom it satis fies people w ith architecture, stained glass windows, elo quent o rato ry and classical music, w ithout any atonem ent for sin, and then makes them com fortable in luxurious and lu stfu l living. Religion needs to be saved by th e grace of God in Christ. I t takes th e touch of His cleansing blood to purify the re ligious n atu re and make it look up while it lifts up. R e ligion, left alone, degrades more th a n it elevates. “Nicodemus,” said Jesus, “religious as you are, you m u st be bom ag ain !” The new b irth is Not Civilization. Nicodemus was a highly civilized man. He was far re moved from savagery. And civilization is a good thing. We though t more of it a few years ago th an we do now, because civilization of a very high type plunged th is world into the abyss of w ar and carried it on afte r a m anner dis graceful even to savages. I t has been proved th a t civiliza tion may he a veneer which covers most revolting corrup tions. I heard an American Indian lecture for an hour on th e advantages of savage life in the open air over civilized life in crowded cities, pleading for th e privilege of tak ing his
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