Can an Anglican Priest and Missionary really not be born again? Yep, it happened to John Wesley. Wesley knew a lot, patterned his life on biblical standards but was well aware he was more or less faking it. He was as confused as Nicodemus in our lesson this morning from John 3.1-17. Nicodemus had a lot of religious knowledge, he was a Pharisee and a teacher in Judaism but when Jesus spoke to him of spiritual things he was clearly lost. The good news is this isn't the last we hear of Nicodemus nor was Wesley's failed attempt at mission work the last word on his ministry. Paul was another guy who had a lot of religious knowledge but it was insufficient to know the Messiah when he saw Him. Both Paul and Nicodemus thought they won the eternal life lottery when they were born into the right people group and circumcision sealed the deal but both realized that being born again was necessary. Paul argues in Romans 4.1-17 that circumcision is nothing at all without faith in Jesus, he saw the truth, that Abraham's faith was counted to him as righteousness not his circumcision. Life is a journey that begins with a step of faith, just like Abram's faith in leaving everything familiar behind when God called him to do just that in Genesis 12.1-8. We never know where the journey leads but we know it begins at the cross and ends in eternity.
