Genesis 17:13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

John 3:3,7 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

This morning I took exception of an author’s use of the word must. I said it in a group study and few who read this will have seen it. Must I explain myself? No, but I choose to do so because the issues of what we must do and what we should choose to do are two distinctly different things.

I have set these two lines of scripture to try and distinguish differences in the use of must. In the first verse Abraham is told he must circumcise all males within his household as a sign of keeping covenant. That symbolism was to be a reminder of who they were and to keep covenant. Did they? No.

According to Joshua 5 those born in the wilderness were not circumcised and were circumcised before they crossed over the Jordan to enter into the Promised Land. They followed God for forty years without keeping covenant and were told to rededicate themselves. Their failure to keep covenant by the sign of the flesh did not hinder God from leading them nor in protecting them those forty years.

The second example is one of exception. It is not an effort of the flesh, it is not a try if you can. You will not enter into the Kingdom of God without being born again. Denial of Christ is a nullifier.

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

There is that must again. Jesus and Jesus alone and no other.