Nicodemus Comes to Jesus (Verses 1-8)

In John chapter 3 we read of a Pharisee named Nicodemus who came to Jesus by night. We are not told in the text why he came to Jesus by night. The most likely reason is so that Nicodemus could have a private conversation with our Lord. He may have feared rejection by his fellow Jews in the synagogue should they discover he had this meeting with Jesus.

This conversation between Nicodemus and our Lord is one of the most important in all of Scripture. Nowhere else in the Scriptures do we find such strong statements about two of the most important teachings of Christ, the new birth, and salvation by faith in the Son of God.

We ought to notice the great importance Christ places on the new birth in this chapter and its necessity for eternal life. He says to Nicodemus, “Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God”. To inherit the blessings that are associated with being a Jew a man must merely be born of the seed of Abraham after the flesh. To gain access to the Kingdom of God and its blessings, a man must be born again of the Holy Ghost.

This new birth is not merely a change of morals or a change of worldview. It is a complete change of heart, will, and character. It is the birth of a new creature, with a new nature, new desires, new opinions, new hope, and a new direction in life. This is what it means to be born again.

This change of heart is necessary, without such a change salvation is not possible. We have no natural inclination to serve God or obey Him. We are by nature children of the devil and born into sin. Left to himself no man would ever turn to God. This is why the Holy Spirit works in the hearts of sinners to bring them to an understanding of their need for salvation. When that understanding has been given it is then the sinner’s responsibility to place faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us solemnly consider the words of our Lord in these verses. Have we been born again? Can we see any evidence of salvation in our lives? Happy is the man who can give a satisfactory answer to these questions! A day is coming when those who are born again will rejoice in Heaven and the day is coming when all those who are not born again will wish that they had never been born at all.

The Gospel Explained (Verses 9-21)

In these verses, we have the second part of the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. They show us that there can be deep spiritual blindness and ignorance in the minds of great and learned men of religion. We see, “a master of Israel” completely ignorant of the first element of saving faith. Nicodemus is told about eternal life and asks, “How can these things be?”

This ignorance of Nicodemus is very common in the world today. We must never be surprised if we find no answer to our questions from those, we might have expected to know. The Bible states in 1 Corinthians 2:14, “ But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him; and he cannot know them because they are spiritually discerned.” The natural man, which means an unconverted man, is not receptive to the things of God. Spiritual discernment comes from the Spirit of God. The capacity to know spiritual truths is beyond the innate powers of the natural man. In 1 Corinthians 2:14, the apostle Paul makes the point that the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who have not been converted. The Lord Jesus Christ also makes this point in John 6:63, “It is the Spirit which quickens, the flesh profits nothing: the words which I have spoken unto you are spirit and are life.” The Spirit of God enables man to understand spiritual truths.

These verses show us the source from which salvation comes. The source is the love of God, the Father. Our Lord says to Nicodemus in verse 16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believes on him may not perish, but have life eternal.”

God loves all whom He created. However, He does not love their sin, but their souls. Christ is God’s gracious gift to the whole world. We must hold firm to the biblical teaching that God hates wickedness and all who continue in wickedness will be destroyed in Hell. It is not true that God so loved the world that all mankind will eventually be saved, but that He so loved the world and gave His Son to be the Saviour of all who believe. His love is offered to all men freely. He who cuts himself off from God will be cut off from His love and gifts. Christ is God’s gift to the whole world. In Christ, God offers salvation to the whole world. If Christ is rejected, then so is the gift of salvation.

God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. God’s will is that all men are saved and that none should perish. God loves the whole world (John 4:32, Tit. 3:4, 1 John 4:10, 2 Pet. 3:9, 1 Tim. 2:4, and Ezek. 33:11).

Our Lord said to Nicodemus, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.” By “lifted up” our Lord meant His death on the cross. It is the payment required by the Father for the forgiveness of sin. He was made “sin” for us. He was made “a curse” for us (2 Cor. 5:21 & Gal. 3:13). By His death Christ purchased pardon and redemption for sinners.

Lastly, these verses show us the condition of man’s soul without saving faith. Our Lord states in verse 19, “And this is the judgment, that light is come into the world, and men have loved darkness rather than light; for their works were evil.”

Although man’s salvation is entirely of God, his ruin, if he is lost will be entirely of himself. He will reap the fruit of his own sowing. Verse 17 reads, “ For God has not sent his Son into the world that he may judge the world, but that the world may be saved through him.” There is no unwillingness on God’s part to receive a sinner for salvation. God has sent the “light” into the world but men “loved darkness” and therefore darkness will be their eternal portion. Whosoever believes on Him will not perish but will have his sins forgiven and enter eternal life.

He Who Believes Has Eternal Life (Verses 22-36)

In the remaining verses of chapter 3, we read the last testimony of John the Baptist concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed is that church whose members are as steadfast, bold, and faithful as John the Baptist. We are told that John’s disciples were offended because Christ attracted more followers than John. “And they came to John and said to him, Rabbi, he who was with thee beyond the Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, he baptises, and all come to him. (verse 26)
There are among God’s people those who see no good except in their own assembly or denomination. There are men and women ready to shut out souls from Heaven if they will not enter under their banner. Christian souls must watch and pray against the spirit manifested here by the disciples of John. Nothing gives the enemies of the Gospel such cause to blaspheme as pride among Christians. Wherever the grace of God is shown we should be willing to rejoice, even if that grace is shown outside our own circle of fellowship. May we not forget the words contained in 1 Peter 5:5. “Likewise ye younger, be subject to the elder, and all of you bind on humility towards one another; for God sets himself against the proud, but to the humble gives grace.” John the Baptist was a humble, obedient, and faithful man of God. Note verse 30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

John the Baptist teaches his followers the greatness of the Lord Jesus Christ. He proclaims Him as the one worthy of honour and praise. John speaks of Christ as the, “bridegroom” of the Church, “Him that cometh from above”, and “Him whom God hath sent.” These among other words of honour and praise.

We can never make too much of Christ. We can never love Christ too much. We can never worship Christ too much. He is worthy of all the love, worship and honour we can give to Him. John the Baptist said, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.” These words are words of great comfort and joy to the believer. The Scriptures say that all who believe on the Son have eternal life. We have eternal life when we depart this life. From the moment a believer places their trust in Christ they have the greatest gift a soul can have, eternal life.

This is one of the glorious truths of the Gospel. There is no work to be done to earn the gift of salvation. The price has been paid by Christ. All that the sinner is required to do is acknowledge his need of a Saviour and reach out in faith and receive Christ as his own. By Christ, all who believe are at once justified from all their sins and received into the family of God.

It is faith in Christ that justifies a soul before God. So lack of faith in Christ is what damns a soul before God. The Lord Jesus Christ offers salvation to all who hear the Gospel, but alas not all who hear the call to repent and believe will do so. The Bible says in verse 36, “He that believes on the Son has life eternal, and he that is not subject to the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides upon him.” The last verse of this chapter is a direct echo of verses 15-18. The passage clearly and boldly declares that whosoever believes on the Lord Jesus Christ shall have everlasting life, but whosoever does not believe shall not have everlasting life and on those the wrath of God abides.

The last verse in this portion of Holy Scripture is plain and clear for all to understand. May we never rest until we find the Saviour. May we seek Him daily and give Him the honour and worship that He is worthy of. If we are among those who do not believe may we seek the Lord and receive everlasting life. If we are among those who are called Christians may we never cease from loving, serving, honouring, and worshiping our great Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.