It is not uncommon for the Christian (and when I say Christian I mean one who is in the word and walking in faithfulness) to get frustrated when others shrug at the truth. It is not uncommon to be feel dumbfounded that unbelievers just don’t get it. This morning I was reminded of this feeling when an opportunity came to counsel another who had (has) this feeling.

I am reminded of the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, who upon sharing with Nicodemus that unless one is born from above he cannot see the kingdom of God, encountered someone who just couldn’t comprehend the truth. The fact of the matter is that Nicodemus was a teacher of Israel and should have known better; yet, he just didn’t get it. Jesus told him, “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above’” (John 3:7).

We who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ must never forget that when dealing with unbelievers, we are dealing with an entirely different animal. Yes, we’re all human, but there is as much different between one who believes and one who doesn’t believes as there is between a living man and a cadaver. Unbelievers remain “dead in [their] trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1) while believers have been “made alive together with Christ” (Eph 2:5). The difference is night and day. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2:14 that the natural man cannot understand the things of God because they are spiritually discerned. A spiritually dead man has no capability of processing such information. Only by the grace of God can that happen. Continue reading →