Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night (John 3:1,2). The word Pharisee means separated one. The defining characteristic of Pharisees was zeal to keep the Law of Moses, to obey the oral traditions added to that Law and to live a life separated from sin. These are good goals but in practice, led to a life which was terribly burdensome and became an exercise in outward, external ritual often masking inner corruption.
Jesus was a fierce critic of the Pharisees, often proclaiming, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees (for instance, Matt. 23:13-16, 23, 25, 27, 29). There was often a gap between their profession of faith and their true spiritual condition which led to hypocrisy. Jesus called them blind guides of the blind (Matt 15:14).
The problem the Pharisees faced was that they sought salvation by keeping the Law of Moses and were deceived into believing that they were successful in this. But God’s standard for obedience is that we keep His law perfectly as He is perfect and no one can. The Law of Moses was not given to save us but to reveal our inability to live by God’s righteous standard.
The Law does not save, rather, reveals our sin and our need for a Savior. The Apostle Paul, one of the greatest Pharisees who ever lived, understood this truth and after his surrender to the Lordship of Jesus, considered all his prior religious works to be nothing more than rubbish. Therefore he declared, By the works of the Law no flesh will be justified (Rom. 3:20).
Nicodemus was not only a leader among the Pharisees but also a ruler of the Jews. This means he was a member of the Sanhedrin, the governing body of Jews in Israel. The Sanhedrin consisted of 71 members including influential elders, scribes, the High Priest and former High Priests. Their authority extended to civil, criminal and religious matters.
In John 3:10, Jesus calls Nicodemus the teacher of Israel. Nicodemus was an esteemed leader and teacher, standing at the pinnacle of Jewish religion. Why would he visit Jesus? Pharisees were His most hateful, hostile enemies. What motivates this highly respected rabbi and Pharisee to come to Jesus in the night?
Evidently he lacked assurance of right standing with God. Why else would he come to Jesus except that he was filled with fear, doubt, dread over the possibility that he was not going to inherit eternal life in the presence of God, that he lacked salvation, that he was excluded from the kingdom of God?
As a Pharisee, he believed in heaven, hell and resurrection — this was enough to frighten him if he had no assurance of salvation. He was a deeply religious man, a teacher and leader, yet evidently afraid that he was not in right relationship with God.
Nicodemus came to Jesus by night probably because he did not want to incur the disfavor of the other members of the Sanhedrin. However, it sounds like there may have been others who shared his opinion of Jesus. He says, Rabbi, we know that you have come from God (Jn. 3:2). More than Nicodemus believed that Jesus came from God as a teacher. How do they know this? Because no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him (3:2).
He addresses Jesus as Rabbi. Nicodemus also was a rabbi and a prominent one. He is approaching Jesus respectfully, giving honor. But more than this, he recognizes the miracles Jesus was doing as evidence that He was from God. There were many other rabbis but no one else was doing these miracles. Most of the Pharisees hated Jesus but the preeminent rabbi in Israel affirms Jesus as a teacher attested by miracles which only a man from God can do. Jesus was not just a rabbi to Nicodemus, He was a rabbi come from God (Jn. 3:2).
Though Jesus will confront him with the reality of his separation from God, the fact that he came to Jesus reveals a spiritual hunger. He is not saved but he is a seeker and this seeking is evidence of the activity of God in Nicodemus’ life. The true condition of a lost sinner is revealed in these words of Paul: And you were dead in your trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1). Sin separates us from God and creates the reality of spiritual death which permeates every aspect of human being and relationship. This separation also introduced death and decay into creation itself. But if Nicodemus, a spiritually dead man, is seeking God, then God must be stirring Him.
The Psalmist reveals, The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; there is no one who does good. The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one (Psalm 14:1-3). Separated from God, we do not naturally seek after God. Rather, We have all turned aside … have become corrupt … There is no one who does good, not even one.
Paul reveals, And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Cor 4:3,4). The god of this present age, Satan, has created a social / cultural / religious construct that blinds people who, in our fallenness, are already predisposed to reject the knowledge of God.
But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised (I Cor. 2:14). A natural man — spiritually unregenerated — cannot even understand spiritual truth or reality.
The Bible testifies that people separated from God by their sin are spiritually dead. Spiritual deadness is evidenced in the fact that the sinner is blind to the things of God, does not seek God, is unable and unwilling to seek Him and cannot comprehend spiritual truth.
Yet here is Nicodemus seeking Jesus. This is evidence that God is acting on his life, opening him, drawing him, preparing him, turning him, awakening him.
Nicodemus is convinced that Jesus is from God. He knows this by the signs that Jesus was performing — the miracles of healing and deliverance. Like others in Jerusalem, he is impressed with the authority and power of Jesus revealed in His works. He may also have been aware of John the Baptist’s testimony that Jesus is, The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29). We know that delegations from Jerusalem had gone out to observe and question John (Jn. 1:19), and Nicodemus may have been a member of those delegations or may have known men who were. So he may have been aware of John’s testimony concerning Jesus.
Now he comes to Jesus with a respectful greeting. But Jesus completely ignores the greeting, cutting immediately to the heart of the matter: Jesus answered and said, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God (Jn. 3:3).
Why does it say that Jesus answered, when Nicodemus did not ask a question? He merely made a statement, confessed non-saving faith that Jesus is from God. Jesus answers that Nicodemus is excluded from the kingdom of God. What is the relationship between Nicodemus’ confession and Jesus’ answer?
Jesus is responding to what Nicodemus is thinking, what is in his heart. What Nicodemus said was not as important to Jesus as what was in his heart. Nicodemus is troubled by the possibility that in spite of all his religious activity and knowledge, he might miss the kingdom of God. He held an exalted place in the Jewish religious community but not in the kingdom of God. He was trusting in religion to get him into the kingdom and he senses in his heart that his approach to the kingdom is not working.
In John 2:23-25 we read that Jesus knows what is in man. He knows the hearts of all people. He knows Nicodemus is concerned about salvation, eternal life. Jesus reads his heart, cuts to the root of he matter and answers him: Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (Jn. 3:3).
Truly, truly translates Amen, amen and is the way Jesus introduced truth of utmost importance. Jesus saying, “I am speaking absolute truth against the falsehood you have believed in.” The truth which He presents to Nicodemus is that unless he is born a second time, spiritually regenerated, he will not see the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus was trusting in the prevailing idea that all Jews would enter the fulfillment of the kingdom of God because they were Jews, descended from Abraham, had done the right rituals, prayed the right prayers, gave the right offerings and obeyed the right Law. Unless a Jew was apostate, the prevailing belief was that they all were going to be included in the kingdom of God simply because they were Jews.
Jesus is saying, “This is not true — your entire system is false. All your trust in religious behavior, ceremony, ritual, circumcision, sacrifices and Law keeping — all the merits of your religion account for nothing in reconciling you to God and gaining entrance to His kingdom.”
Jesus had great respect for the Law — He inspired it, fulfilled it by keeping it perfectly and fulfilled every prophecy regarding the Messiah but He knew no human being could be saved by keeping it. God gave the Law of Moses to show us that we cannot be right with Him by keeping it because no one can. We are sinners fallen from grace, born with a fallen human nature — a predisposition to reject grace and truth.
Jesus is saying to Nicodemus, “You must be born again, you must start over as a new creation regenerated by the power of God.” Born again may also be translated born from above. When we put these two phrases together we get a true sense of what Jesus was saying, “You must be born again from above.”
Born again refers to spiritual regeneration and implies that Nicodemus is spiritually dead. Unless he moves from spiritual death to spiritual life, he will not even see the kingdom of God, implying that he is currently outside the kingdom.
Born from above refers to the Person and power necessary to regenerate a spiritually dead sinner. Only God can do this. There is no other person or power in the universe that can resurrect spiritually dead people and open our entrance into the kingdom of God.
The kingdom of God refers to the sovereign rule of God’s grace, a realm which is entered spiritually through faith in Christ. It is a rule which is established in the hearts of those who have surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and will be established someday across the earth.
As we said, Jews of that day believed that they were already members of the kingdom of God because they were descended from Abraham and because they observed the Law and the sacrificial rituals prescribed in the Law. The men trusted in circumcision as proof that they were covenant members of God’s kingdom.
Jesus is saying to Nicodemus that none of that avails anything. The fact that he was a Jew, a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin availed nothing. He was spiritually dead, separated from God by His sin, living outside the kingdom and not by nature a child of the kingdom but a child of judgment (Eph. 2:3) and in need of spiritual regeneration. This new birth is not something that Nicodemus could produce, any more than he could produce his original, physical birth.
John has already introduced this concept of the sovereignty of God in salvation in chapter one of his Gospel. Referring to Jesus, he said, He was in the world and the world was made through Him and the world did not know Him. He came to His own and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God,” (Jn.1:10-13).
How do lost sinners, who are by nature children of judgment, who are spiritually dead and blind, become children of God? It is a work of God which comes to those who cease trusting in self, in religion, works and ritual and believe in Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Savior.
Only God can give new life to dead sinners. It is a miracle that comes from above. The regenerating, life giving power of God is released into the lives of those who believe on the Savior whom God has sent.
So for Nicodemus, so for us. We may be a priest or an atheist but if we want to be forgiven of sin and reconciled to God, we must be born again by the power of God. For all his religious activity, Nicodemus was only dead in trespass and sins.
Jesus’ words swept away all the rituals, formulas and doctrines that Nicodemus had placed between God and man. Nicodemus did not need more candles, more incense, more ceremonies, rituals or prayers. He needed to be spiritually regenerated, born again by power from above.
Nicodemus responds, How can a man be born when he is old? (Jn. 3:4).
It is doubtful that anyone as intelligent as this esteemed Pharisee and rabbi would have completely misunderstood Jesus’ analogy. Surely he does not believe that Jesus is referring to physical rebirth. It is more likely that he understands exactly what Jesus is saying, that he needs to start over spiritually. But he is stunned. “Everything I have done, spiritually, religiously, everything I have based my life on, amounts to nothing? How can I, an old man, begin again?”
He is right to be astonished. Aside from the revelation that all of his sincere, passionate religious activity has failed to gain him entrance to the kingdom of God, there is also an element of impossibility here. Jesus is asking Nicodemus to participate in something which he cannot accomplish. Just as a baby has nothing to do with its conception or birth, neither can we accomplish our entrance into the kingdom of God.
Jesus never compromised the truth in order to add a convert. He said to His disciples, Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God (Mark 10:24).
Enter through the narrow gate; for the way is broad that leads to destruction and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life and there are few who find it (Matt. 7:13, 14).
Jesus said, How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God (Luke 18:24). This is not because wealth bars entrance into the kingdom but because wealth can foster a sense of independence, of personal autonomy and can numb a person to their need for a Savior.
The disciples responded, Then who can be saved? (Luke 18:26). Jesus answered, The things that are impossible with people are possible with God (18:27). From a human standpoint, salvation is impossible. Only God can save lost sinners, whether wealthy or poor.
Jesus is telling Nicodemus that nothing of his self effort has gained him entrance into God’s kingdom and he must begin again. Jesus is saying that this new beginning is as definitive as our physical birth and there is nothing any human being can do to bring about new, spiritual birth. It is a human impossibility, a miracle which only God can accomplish.
Several years later, another zealous Pharisee, Saul of Tarsus, was converted by the direct intervention of Christ Himself. Saul, later known as Paul, then wrote these words, But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith (Phlp. 3:7-9).
Paul, like Nicodemus, had risen to the apex of Jewish religion but later testified that all his previous religious works of Law-keeping amounted to rubbish and could never have brought him into a righteous relationship with God. However, through faith in Christ, God sovereignly did for Paul that which he could not do for himself.
Nicodemus had spent his life trying to work his way into the kingdom of God and Jesus is saying that none of his effort has gained him entrance. He senses the truth of this — that’s why he came to Jesus. He lacks assurance of salvation.
However, he does not understand how this spiritual rebirth can take place. “How can this be?” Nicodemus understands what Jesus is saying, “You need to start over.” But this is such stunning news to him and he does not understand the means, how it happens. “How can this be? How do I start over?”
Jesus answers his question with the assurance that the spiritual rebirth necessary for anyone to enter the kingdom of God is entirely a sovereign work of God: You must be born of water and the Spirit (Jn. 3:5). Born of water cannot refer to Christian baptism because Jesus did not baptize people (see Jn. 4:1,2). Some commentators would translate Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water even of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Jesus may have been referring to a familiar passage of Old Testament Scripture which Nicodemus certainly would have known. Centuries before the birth of Christ, Ezekiel prophetically described a work of God which would take place someday. Through Ezekiel the Lord said, For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you will be careful to observe my ordinances (Ezkl. 36:24-27).
Note the six I wills which God declares:
I will take you from the nations ... gather you ... bring you.
I will sprinkle clean water on you.
I will cleanse you.
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you.
I will remove the heart of stone.
I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes.
Ezekiel says that someday God will perform this work of purification, creating a new heart and placing His Spirit within His people so that they can obey Him. King David, as he cried out to God for forgiveness after sinning with Bathsheba, asked God to wash and purify him and create in him a clean heart (Ps. 51:7,10). Nicodemus would have been familiar with these passages referencing God’s sovereign act of washing, purifying, cleansing.
In Jeremiah 24:7 the Lord said, I will give them a heart to know Me. That is a new heart. In Jeremiah 31:31-33 the Lord said that there is coming a day when He would make a new covenant with Judah, not like the old covenant (based on the Mosaic Law). What would be the difference? This new covenant will be written in the heart of God’s people.
Through the prophets, God had promised to cleanse and create a new people with a new heart, a renewed spiritual being, which will enable them to obey God. This work of washing and regeneration would be accomplished by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus refers Nicodemus to the Old Testament because as a renowned teacher, he would have been familiar with these passages. The Lord is placing this discussion in a Scriptural context that a rabbi can relate to. Now that Jesus has given him a context, Nicodemus would not misunderstand born of water and the Spirit (3:5) as a reference to human birth or to water baptism because although Jesus’ disciples had done some baptizing (Jn. 4:1,2), Jesus had not yet instituted the ordinance of baptism.
Even though Nicodemus is stunned to realize that all of his religious life has availed nothing, he was also aware of the inadequacy of his religious life. This is what had drawn him to Jesus. And lest he be crushed by the realization that he could not bring about his salvation, Jesus will continue, in the following verses, to emphasize the truth that salvation is a sovereign act of God. That which Nicodemus cannot accomplish, God will accomplish for him and in him.
In the New Testament, being born of water and the Spirit is interpreted as the washing by the Word of God through the agency of the Holy Spirit. New Testament passages which interpret this are numerous, including: He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5).
So that He might save her (the church) having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word (Eph. 5:26).
You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you (Jn. 15:3).
Again, washing and cleansing are not references to baptism but to a supernatural work of purification which the Holy Spirit sovereignly performs in the inner being of people who are convicted of their sin by the word of God. The Spirit of God takes the word of God and applies it to the heart. The result is cleansing by the washing of water with the word (Eph. 5:26).
Jesus is saying, “Nicodemus, the only way you can enter the kingdom of God is by an act of God in which the Spirit of God takes the Word of God and applies it to your heart, washing you, cleansing you and generating a new heart, a new spirit within you.”
Jesus is introducing the doctrine of regeneration — something which God alone is able to do. He continues to emphasize that this work can only be carried out by God the Holy Spirit: That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (Jn. 3:6).
Flesh refers here to that which is human. There is no negative connotation here. Jesus merely means that human seed and human effort produce that which is human. Only the Holy Spirit can produce that which is spiritual. Only God can accomplish the regeneration of a dead soul.
The Apostle Paul expressed this truth: And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience … and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) and raised us up with Him ... For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast (Eph. 2:1-6,8).
How are we saved? By the grace of God operating through faith. And faith itself is a gift of God. How does God plant faith in us? Through the preaching of His Word. James said, In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth (James 1:18). Who brought us forth, who regenerated us? God did. How did God do this? By His Word of truth.
Paul reminds us, So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ (Rom. 10:17).
The Apostle Peter said, For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring Word of God (I Ptr. 1:23).
Paul, in his letter to Titus, reminds us that this rebirth or regeneration is entirely a work of God: But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior (Titus 1:4-6).
Jesus continues to bring this truth home to Nicodemus: Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit (Jn. 3:7,8). The wind blows where it wills — so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.
Jesus is emphasizing the sovereignty of God in the salvation process. We cannot increase or decrease the wind; cannot summon it or send it away; cannot bring it into being or cause it to cease. The wind is invisible, uncontrollable and unpredictable. Just as we cannot stop, start or change the direction of the wind, neither can we control the work of salvation. We can cooperate with the work of salvation as we will see, but we cannot initiate it.
The wind blows where it wishes … so is everyone who is born of the Spirit Jesus says. He is speaking of the work of the Holy Spirit in agreement with the Father and the Son in saving a lost sinner.
Jesus said, For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes (John 5:21).
Jesus said, All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out (John 6:37).
A transformed, reborn Pharisee, the Apostle Paul, later wrote that God chose us in Him (in Christ) before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4).
Paul wrote to Timothy that God called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity (2 Tim. 1:9).
Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church, God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation (2 Thess. 2:13).
Salvation takes place because God, in His unsearchable, unfathomable love for us, has chosen from eternity to save lost sinners. God not only chooses us for salvation, but He accomplishes this work entirely by His power released through the preaching of the word of the cross of Christ, For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (I Cor. 1:18, also Rom. 1:16).
Nicodemus continues to express his bewilderment, How can these things be? (Jn. 3:9). If salvation is a sovereign work of God, then all his efforts to fulfill the law and carry out the rituals of Jewish religion have availed nothing. Jesus has just abolished a man’s entire religious system, nullifying the idea that Nicodemus can do righteous works which will allow him to enter the kingdom of God. Further, if God is absolutely sovereign in the saving of souls, then what part must Nicodemus play? How can these things be? he exclaims.
Jesus answers, Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? (Jn. 3:10). The teacher indicates that Nicodemus was a prominent rabbi, one of the most respected rabbis in Israel. Jesus is saying, “How can you not know what the Old Testament says about sin and how can you think that you can solve this problem by your own religious works?”
The Old Testament clearly reveals the corruption of the human heart and the inability of sinners to save or cleanse themselves. In Genesis 6:5 we read, Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Job asked, Who can make the clean out of the unclean? He then answers his own question, No one (Job 14:4).
One of Job’s friends asks, How can a man be just with God? Or how can he be clean who is born of woman? (Job 25:4).
David said, Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity and in sin my mother conceived me (Ps. 51:5). David was not trying to avoid accountability for his sin. He was confessing his sin nature. He understood that he was not a sinner because he sinned. He sinned because he was at heart a sinner. That was his inherited nature — he was born with a predisposition to sin.
In Psalm 14:2,3 we read, The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
Isaiah said, For all of us have become like one who is unclean and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment (64:6).
Jeremiah said, The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? (17:9).
Jeremiah also said, Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then you can do good who are accustomed to doing evil (13:23).
The doctrine of human depravity and the inability of any man or woman to change their sin nature was clearly revealed in the Old Testament. Jesus considered these truths to be evident and was amazed that a prominent rabbi could not recognize them.
The fact that Nicodemus was unable to understand the clear testimony of his own Scriptures and was struggling to accept what Jesus was saying demonstrates the blinding influence of a religious system based on works-righteousness. It also reveals the spiritual bankruptcy of Israel at that time and the veiling of human perception by the god of this age.
Jesus marvels that Nicodemus was unable to recognize the deep, corrupting roots of indwelling sin and God’s salvation purpose revealed in the Old Testament, Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? (Jn. 3:10).
Jesus also confronts Nicodemus with his unbelief, You do not accept our testimony (Jn. 3:11). The problem was not a lack of information, revelation or light. The problem was blinding unbelief. In Romans 1:18-20 we read, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen.
There has always been enough revelation for people to know that there is a God and to know something of His nature. The problem is that people suppress the truth in unrighteousness.
Nicodemus had the Old Testament Scriptures which testified of humanity’s depravity, of God’s promise of a Redeemer and God’s promise of a new covenant based on grace and not works. Jesus had alluded to these Scriptures and in verse ten reproves Nicodemus for his lack of understanding
Now again Jesus reproves him, You do not accept our testimony (Jn. 3:11). Like many in Jerusalem, Nicodemus was impressed with the miracles of Jesus but did not believe in Him as the Messiah who brings God’s gracious gift of salvation. Though he considered Jesus to be an esteemed rabbi sent from God, he did not believe or understand what the Scriptures say about the depravity of human nature or the necessity of spiritual regeneration.
An interesting note: You do not accept our testimony — you is plural. Jesus is speaking of all the people in Jerusalem who had access to the Scriptures, who had seen Him and heard Him, yet refused to believe. Nicodemus, like the multitude, was impressed by Jesus but unwilling to recognize Him as Savior and Messiah because this would have destroyed the foundation of their self righteousness.
The Jewish religion (as well as Islam and Hinduism) are systems of works-righteousness in which we earn our righteous standing before God through our law-keeping or good works, offerings and rituals. But if we recognize Jesus as Savior, then we are admitting that we need a Savior. If we admit we need a Savior then we are also admitting that we cannot save ourselves through our religious works.
Jesus reminds Nicodemus that if he cannot grasp simple, foundational truths (earthly things), then how will he understand deeper, heavenly truths (Jn. 3:12). Unbelief and spiritual ignorance walk hand in hand. Nicodemus was blinded by a religious system that taught him to earn his righteousness with God. Satan, the god of this age, has many veils which he uses to blind people to the light of Christ. Self-righteousness is one of them.
Jesus now reminds Nicodemus of His authority to speak of heavenly things (Jn. 3:13). He alone possess knowledge of heavenly truth and He alone has descended from heaven to earth to reveal this truth. He was in the beginning with God (Jn. 1:2) existing with the Father and the Holy Spirit from eternity.
We read that No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him (or interpreted Him) (John 1:18). Only Jesus can interpret God to humanity because Jesus is God and has existed with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit in perfect fellowship from eternity.
This is what Jesus meant when He said, No one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him (Matt. 11:27). Jesus is able to interpret and reveal salvation truth to Nicodemus because He is the only person who has come from heaven to earth with that truth. All other witnesses come either from the earth or from hell.
But if Nicodemus is unable to save himself through his religious works, if in fact he is spiritually dead and blind and unable to interpret even his own Old Testament Scriptures, what can he do? If God is sovereign in saving sinners and the wind blows where it will, what can Nicodemus do? Jesus is holding him accountable but what can he do?
He can listen and believe. Listen and believe is all he can do. In our next lesson we will discuss the human responsibility to listen and believe.
Study Questions
1. Why did Nicodemus, a prominent teacher and Pharisee, visit Jesus?
2. What did Jesus mean when He said, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again (or from above) he cannot see the kingdom of God (Jn. 3:3)?
3. Can Nicodemus cause himself to be born again?