Time and time again I wonder at God’s word. I wonder at its depth! It is true that no one can plunge into God’s word and swim in it unless they are born of the Spirit of God! What a mystery this is! What a marvellous thing!

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life” John 6:63

To be saved is a mystery. One cannot understand how it happens. We see it explained by Jesus, when He was here on earth. That too is a mystery!

In John 3:8 when Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, He said to Him:

“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from or where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?”

It sounds like Jesus is saying, “What then are you teaching your students ?”

Jesus went on to say to Nicodemus, “If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?”

Pause.

So then, what we see with our eyes is not just it? You mean there are heavenly things too!

Jesus went on to say, “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.”

Pause.

These things are deep!

He went on to say, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

“that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

“And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

“For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

“But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” John 3:9- 10, 12- 21

To believe that Jesus is the Son of God. To believe that He was given to us to satisfy the wrath of God for our sins and to satisfy the justice of God. To believe that Jesus is the One who made it possible for us to be reconciled to God; is the gospel of salvation.

This is the mystery of the gospel. “The mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints.” (Col.1:26)

Jesus quoted Moses who lifted up a serpent in the wilderness; that whoever was bitten by the serpent would be healed by looking at the serpent which was hung on this pole.

So, In the same manner Jesus became sin for us and hung on a cross; that whoever looked to him, would live and not perish.

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” 1 Corinthians 1:18

“I write to you little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake,

I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.

I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one.

I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father.

I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.

I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you. And you have overcome the wicked one.”

1John 2:12-14