John 3:3 “Jesus declared, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’”
Anyone who has watched the TV shows, Extreme Makeover, knows we’re not talking about a little touch-up here and there. Whether in the personal edition or home segments, the redo brings drastic change. Normal looking women become drop-dead gorgeous and once barely sufficient houses turn into covers for 25 Beautiful Homes.
Jesus was pointing to our spiritual need for an extreme makeover when he said in order to participate in the kingdom, we must be born again. No one has described it better than CS Lewis: “Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing….But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense….You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage; but he is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”
God has always been in the makeover business:
- Moses went from murdering an Egyptian to being the meekest man on earth.
- Gideon was transformed from being a man of insecurities to a mighty man of valor.
- Abraham lied about Sarah being his wife twice, but became the father of our faith.
- Peter changed from an impulsive, unsteady denier of Christ to the Rock.
- John, the “Son of Thunder” who wanted to bring down judgment on unreceptive towns, grew to be the apostle most known for his love.
We are contaminated with sin more than we realize. We may think we need slight changes here and there, but the reality can’t be ignored: we are totally corrupt. Each and every one of us without exception. So don’t be discouraged in whatever part of the makeover process you are presently undergoing. Let God finish the construction. Something drastic has to happen to alter our situation. Something as extreme as being born again.