When Nicodemus came to the Lord Jesus by night, he said:

John 3:2
2 . . . "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." (NKJ)

If Nicodemus was speaking on behalf of the Pharisees, he was not telling the truth. The Pharisees did not accept the Lord Jesus as a teacher from God, but rather as a blasphemer who was worthy of death. But maybe Nicodemus just said that to open up a conversation about who Jesus really was.

However, Jesus ignored his statement and totally changed the subject.

John 3:3
3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (NKJ)

It is almost as if Jesus was saying, “Nicodemus, we have to talk about you, before we can talk about me. You want to inherit the kingdom of God, but you aren’t ready for the kingdom. In fact, there is nothing about you that is acceptable to God. Before you can even see the kingdom of God, you will have to be made completely over again.”

This was going to cause Nicodemus to do some real soul searching. He must have started wondering if all of his assumptions about himself were really correct. He had always viewed himself as a law-abiding, responsible person. Even all of his very legalistic friends accepted him as such. As a Pharisee, he was even in a position to judge the actions of other people. But Jesus told him straight up, “You have to be born again to see the kingdom of God.”

Sometimes, it is hard to be honest with ourselves because the truth hurts. On the road to Damascus, Paul was devastated to realize that all of his good works and religious zeal were actually a curse upon his life rather than a blessing. Later, he said:

Phil 3:4-9
4 though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:
5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;
6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; (NKJ)

When Paul put his faith in Jesus Christ, he became a new creation in Christ and was born again.

After telling Nicodemus that he needed to be born again, the Lord Jesus went on to explain that He had been sent into the world to save the lost.

John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (KJV)

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

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