What is the meaning of Matthew 18:3? Truly I tell you Jesus prefaces His statement with a solemn assurance, signaling that what follows carries divine authority. • Similar emphatic openings appear in Matthew 5:18 and John 3:3, underscoring the certainty of His words. • He is not offering an optional insight but revealing a non-negotiable truth about life with God. unless you change The Lord calls for a decisive turning. • “Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away” (Acts 3:19) echoes the same demand. • Change is more than adjusting behavior; it is a Spirit-enabled reorientation of heart and mind (2 Corinthians 5:17). • The verb points to abandoning self-reliance and pride that keep us from God. and become like little children Jesus illustrates the required posture with the picture of a child. • Children naturally trust, depend, and submit—qualities God commends (Psalm 131:2; 1 Peter 2:2). • This is not childishness but child-likeness: – Humble recognition of need (James 4:6). – Willing reception of the Father’s care (Matthew 19:14). – Simple, unfeigned faith that takes God at His word (John 1:12). you will never enter the kingdom of heaven The consequence is stark. • Entry into God’s reign is impossible apart from this humble, repentant faith (John 3:5). • Moral effort, religious pedigree, or intellectual achievement cannot substitute (Ephesians 2:8-9). • Those who refuse remain outside, as 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 warns, but those who come as children inherit citizenship with the saints (Colossians 1:12-13). summary Jesus insists that the door to His kingdom swings on the hinge of humble repentance and trusting dependence. Only by turning from self and embracing the Father with childlike faith can anyone enter the life He offers. |
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