Salvation or religion?

Question

If salvation depended on religious sincerity and knowledge, the Jewish ruler called Nicodemus would certainly have qualified. Yet the Lord Jesus said to this morally upright man, "You must be born again." What do you think this means?

Answer 1

Our salvation does not depend on our "religious activities" or involvement. It depends on our acceptance of Christ's love. The acceptance of the free gift of salvation because of His sacrificing His life on the cross. We are saved by faith. Not by works.
The Bible teaches that when a person is saved they become a new creation. Not new physically, but spiritually, and that is what it refers to when it says "born again." It's not a physical birth. It's a spiritual birth.
We are saved by faith... and faith is not a blind faith. Josh McDowell says in "Evidence that Demands a Verdict"... "Often the Christian is accused of taking a blind "leap into the dark." This idea often finds itself rooted in Kierkegaard. For me, Christianity was not a "leap into the dark," but rather "a step into the light."
Ephesians 2:8-9 says "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."

Answer 2

Nicodemus was a priest and a pharisee, not a ruler of any kind.

What Jesus was saying is that everything you do isn't enough, there will still be sin in your life. There is absolutely no way you can make it into heaven on your own steam. Rebirth is a metaphor for what happens to you when you accept Jesus as your savior, you are no longer that sinful, imperfect person, but instead you are clean and holy, forgiven of all your sins because of Christ's sacrifice.
So in essence you get to start over, thats why the use of the phrase "born again" is there, because you get a second chance; just as if you had gone back to the moment you were born and tried it all again.

Answer 3

Salvation does not depend on religion. The Bible tells us in many places that the Pharisees were the most religious group of people that they had back in Bilbe Times, however Jesus call them a bunch hypocrites,and vipers. Salvation depends on your belief and trust in Jesus as Lord and Saviour and whether or not you ask Him into you heart and soul. Nicodemus was religious leader, but he knew that something was missing in his life. That is why he came to Jesus and this is when Jesus told him "You must be born again", meaning spiritually. Read John Chapter 3 the hold chapter

Answer 4

So many Christians go nuts when they hear their beliefs described as a religion, even though the Bible itself says that religion is a good thing. One of the few good books in the New Testament, James, says that "religion that is acceptable to God" involves looking after orphans and widows and such. Eh? The Bible says this is religion, and it tells you to do it.

That's certainly better advice than anything you'll get in a Pauline epistle, but Christians seem to like those better because they don't involve any responsibility. Just say a little prayer and you're all good without even having to help the poor!

Answer 5

There are two facets to every religion:
1.to believe in a superior Being who is omiscient,compassinate..etc.He created everything and he has the capacity to punish and reward us as detailed in the Holy Scriptures( The Qur-an,Bible,etc).
2.to perform acts he liked us to do to show our obiedience.All religious people should be morally right.This jewish ruler is also so but he has clear instructions to follow Jesus and he refused.Here came his great sin.Jesus suffered as a cosequence of similar acts of other rulers.This culminated in a conspiracy to kill him.It failed because he was lifted up,body and spirit ,to heaven.So Jesus had the huge advantage of never experiencing any death or any agony at all.In this regard he was special.A few centuries later his followers made the same mistake.They did not believe what Mohamed has told them.Human history has been immensely influenced by this denial.Most atrocities are committed in the name of God.It is clear that this was wrong.God never wanted us to kill each other ,not in his name anyway.Perversion reached a climax on the hands of the present day Germans and Der Fuhrer.It was claimed that he ordered some professor of religion to produce a german religion because Jesus is afterall a jew! Die Vernichtung der Juden followed that.And now Jews are learning almost nothing they are killing Lebanese children in order to gain more spoils.May God=Gott=Allah destine most of them to failure and similar death to their children.Amen,Amen,Amen

Answer 6

Nicodemus had to be born again, not in the sense that he had to reenter the womb and come out again, but in the sense that he was born into sin and had to die to this old life of sin (which means recognizing his sin and confessing it to God and accepting God's gracious gift of his own Son, who actually did die for our sin). Then, he could be born into a life of righteousness. He was not righteous on his own merit (like you noted, if that could be done, he would have done it already), but only on the merit of Christ, who rose victorious over sin. Christ was born again out of hell into His glorious new body. We can share this born again existence with Christ by accepting Him as our Savior. The rest, the living for Christ, the renewing of our lives, is called sanctification and happens continually because of the Holy Spirit living inside of us. Eventually, when Christ returns to earth, those who are born again will receive new bodies and live in a new earth. These will be perfect.

Answer 7

If you keep reading, Ol' Nic asks how this is possible, and Jesus clarifies...

Born again...means you are a new creature in Christ...when you accept Christ into your heart, you are born again...a new creation. Baptism does NOT save you...a true loving relationship with Christ does. We do not WORK for our salvation. We could never work hard enough to deserve that.

Answer 8

Salvation has nothing to do with religion there are all types of religion today what Jesus is talking about is being born again in to the family of GOD being born again spiritually because when someone is in the world they are dead to God and living for Him, they are just living for themselves, but when you except Jesus Christ into your heart he comes in and makes everything brand new your whole life changes, the way you think and act and even speak, you want to please God in everything you do and these changes do not always happen overnight it is a growing process you have to grow spiritually to maturity in Christ to live as he would have you to. Just as a newborn child has to grow and be nurtured to adulthood so it is with Christ when we are born again he nurtures us and molds and shapes us to be like Him, WOW to think we can be born again it is worth it all because He made it possible for us to.

Answer 9

Salvation is not dependent on religion,it's found in Jesus Christ.
being born again,means a change of lifestyle.

Answer 10

I have studied Jewish history and I have never heard of a ruler called Nicodemus. Can you please site your sources.

PS the Messiah in Jewish culture is dependent on his actions not on what he professes.