Ignorance and Unbelief

Text John 3:9-12 Time 07/10/12 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

We have begun to look at John 3 and the story of how a rabbi called Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night and is told that he and everyone else needs to be born again.

So far we have looked at the first eight verses of the chapter and basically what we have been doing is to contrast Nicodemus and Jesus and what they say.

Nicodemus, on the one hand, who seems to have a lot going for him – he is a Jew, a strict Pharisee, a teacher and a well respected member of society. More than that, he has come to speak to Jesus. However, none of these things were enough to lead to eternal life for not only was it night but there was darkness in Nicodemus's heart too. Although in verse 2 he calls Jesus teacher and recognises that he is from God and God is with him and that he does miracles, it is not anywhere near enough. Much more needs to be said about Jesus and if Nicodemus thinks he can be a disciple simply by observing good things about Jesus he needs very much to think again. After Jesus tells Nicodemus about needing to be born again he once more lets himself down. He is clearly cynical and unbelieving. It shouldn't have been, but all this talk about being born again was a real surprise to Nicodemus.

Jesus by contrast speaks of seeing or entering the Kingdom of God and makes clear that being born again is essential to it. He goes on to explain something of the spiritual and mysterious nature of new birth in verses 6-8. It is not a matter of the flesh but of the Spirit of God. What the Spirit does is unseen and unpredictable but it brings about a mighty change within.

This again produces an unhelpful response from Nicodemus. How can this be? he says. And so Jesus needs to speak to him again, rebuking him and showing him where he has gone wrong.

I want us to look this morning at verses 9-12 then and I want to say three things to you.

1. Common. Realise that your biggest problem is your ignorance and unbelief

Now if I should ask you this morning about what your biggest problem is I wonder how you would respond.

I know a lot of people would answer money. Many people are firmly convinced that if they had a little more money or better a lot more money, then all would be well. Now the Bible itself tells us that, under the sun, money is the answer for everything and it would be foolish to pretend that money does not have its place. However, if money is a problem for you, you need to know that it is not your biggest problem.

Similarly, you may say that you have health problems or not enough friends, you may tell me that you are too old or too young or not given the opportunities you deserve. There are all sorts of problems that people are aware of but none of these can be fairly called any person's biggest problem.

No, your biggest problem and mine is our ignorance and unbelief. Now the extent of ignorance and unbelief will vary from person to person but we can highlight a critical point where the ignorance and unbelief is so great that it is crucial. Nicodemus here is an example of someone who, despite everything, is so ignorant and so unbelieving that it is not possible for him to know eternal life.

In verse 9 he says, in response to what Jesus has said to him about being born again, How can this be? Jesus responds with some incredulity in his tone (10) You are Israel’s teacher, … and do you not understand these things? Here is a Jew, one of God's chosen people and a teacher to those people but he doesn't know the answer to the most basic question – how to receive eternal life. What sort of teacher is that?

We may not be teachers but we ought not to be ignorant of the new birth and we ought not to lack the faith in Christ that ought to be there. You are a church goer, you may be from a Christian home; you may be quite an intelligent person, perhaps people think you are spiritual but if you are not born again and you do not see your need to be then then you are not intelligent and you lack faith and this is your biggest problem. You need to be informed of the truth from the Word and you need to ask God to give you the gift of faith to believe. In a word, you need to be born again.

Back in 1987 the government produced a leaflet that went to every household in the country. It was to do with AIDS and it was entitled Don't die of ignorance. It began rather frighteningly “By the time you read this, probably 300 people will have died in this country. It is believed that a further 30,000 carry the virus. This number is rising and will continue to rise unless we all take precautions.” The leaflet then suggested ways of avoiding the disease. Since then well over 20,000 people in this country have died from AIDS and millions worldwide are still dying. A lot has changed since 1987 and there can be far fewer dying simply of ignorance or unbelief but back then when AIDS was new and little understood ignorance was a major problem.

When it comes to spiritual realities ignorance along with unbelief is still a major problem. Many people, like Nicodemus simply do not know the simple fact that if you are not born again then you will not inherit eternal life. Even among those who have heard this there is great unbelief and people are going to hell because they will not trust in Jesus Christ. The fact is that we are all either born twice and die once or are born once and die twice. That is to say, everyone has to be not only born into this world but born again, born from above, born of water and the Spirit so that they are cleansed and renewed within so that they only die once and then enter heaven. Otherwise, they will die not just once as all have to but have to face the second death that is hell.

Are you ignorant of these things? Do not die of ignorance. Know that you need to be born again. Are you unbelieving? These things are true. Believe them and be saved.

2. Inexcusable. Accept that there is no excuse for this ignorance and unbelief

In verse 11 Jesus says to Nicodemus I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. This pinpoints the problem. The problem is not a lack of testimony but a lack of acceptance of that testimony.

1. The testimony

You see, Jesus says first I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen. Nicodemus began with using we back in verse 2 where he says We know that you are a teacher come from God. Nicodemus believes he is representing widely held ideas and that they know certain things. Well, says Jesus, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen. Not only Jesus but the Father who sent him and the Spirit upon him and not only they but all the Old Testament prophets too speak and testify not to things they vaguely know but things they know with certainty and fullness. Since then the Apostles and many others have also added their testimony. Again and again the same basic truths have been set out. God made this world perfect but sin has come in and we have all gone astray like sheep. We have all fallen short of God's glory and deserve to be judged. Unless we are radically changed within we will never enter the kingdom of God. We all need to be born again. Without that there is no hope. The testimony is clear. Even people who have never seen a Bible at least know there is a God, the God who created them and who created this while world. They have a conscience that testifies against them and tells them they have sinned. Their ignorance and unbelief on these points is inexcusable. No-one can say on the Last Day “I didn't know there as a God” or “I hadn't realised that I was a sinner”. We all know there is a God and we all know that we are sinners, whether we admit it or not. It is only ignorance and sheer unbelief that holds us back from openly admitting it.

2. The rejection

And so Jesus says we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. That is where the problem lies. All of you here this morning you have heard the testimony – you must be born again. Some of you have heard it many times. You cannot pretend you haven't. But somehow you remain ignorant and unbelieving, unenlightened and unwilling to put your faith in Christ. It is like this. We are in a room and God keeps putting the light on but every time it is put on, you reach out and switch it off again. Or you are like a school child revising for an exam. God goes through the work with you and it seems as though you know it. Pythagoras' theorem? The square on the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the square on the other two sides. The order of the spectrum? Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet. However, the next day when you are tested again, it is all gone. Snell's second law? The sine of the angle of incidence is proportional to the sine of the angle of refraction.

How we need to cry out to God to take away our persistent ignorance and these evil hearts of unbelief and give us new hearts that know God and know his will and that are full of faith in him. Pray for the heart of stone that we are born with to be removed and the heart of flesh that God alone can give to replace it. And even when we are converted there can still be much ignorance and unbelief. Like the man in the Gospels who Jesus urged to believe we can say I do believe. Help my unbelief. Often we are like the blind man in Mark's Gospel who at first can only see men who look like trees walking but who then comes to full sight in the end. Proverbs 4:18 says The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

There is no excuse for our ignorance or our unbelief. The testimony both in creation and in the Bible is very clear. Ignorance and unbelief are therefore culpable. We are to blame for it. We must be rid of it. Therefore look to God to remove it.

3. Dangerous. Understand the further problems that are cause by ignorance and unbelief

Ignorance and unbelief are common and they are inexcusable. Not only that but they are dangerous. If we do not overcome our ignorance and unbelief by the grace of God the consequences will be eternal. In verse 12 Jesus says to Nicodemus I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? When Jesus says he has been speaking of earthly things he means that he has been speaking about things that happen on earth. Obviously, if it is birth from above, being born of the Spirit then it is heavenly in that sense but it happens here on earth. Jesus says if Nicodemus does not understand when he speaks about such things then how is he going to understand when he speaks about heavenly things things to do with the world to come. In other words, these are just the basics, the things that beginners need to know. If Nicodemus is struggling now, how will he cope with deeper or higher things again? If you find it difficult in the shallow end where your feet can touch the bottom, how will you cope in deeper waters? If you struggle with your GCSEs, then how will you cope with A levels or a degree? If you can't pass Grade 1 piano, what makes you think you will be able to write a piano concerto? If a man is not very good at handling machinery here on earth who will suggest they let him learn to fly a plane?

When we speak about the need for new birth we are speaking about the most basic and fundamental part of being a Christian. This is where it begins. This is where it starts. If you do not grasp the need to be changed within by God then how will you grasp anything else? How will you begin t understand what God is like? Do you expect to understand the Trinity? What can you know about Christ's intercession in heaven? How can you know about holiness, being made ready for heaven? How can you learn about prayer? What progress can be made in understanding guidance or suffering? What will you understand about how the church is to be organised and to live? How can you understand what the Bible teaches about heaven and hell and the final judgement?

In 1 Corinthians 2:9 Paul quotes those words from Isaiah No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. What glories lie ahead for every believer.

All these things will be a closed book to you unless you can get this most basic truth about your need to be born again. Ignorance and unbelief are the barrier that stop you knowing all these good things, and that will keep you from heaven itself. If you are not born again, realise what danger you are in. Call out to God to teach you and to give you faith. If you are born again be thankful and ask God to teach you more and to increase your faith. The more we know and the more we believe the truth, the better it will be for us. Paul had to say of the Corinthians I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly - mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. We ought to be moving on from the milk to solid food, knowing not just the earthly things but the heavenly too. These also come by knowledge and by faith.