Jesus said to the Pharisees, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God” (John 8:37-47).
Nicodemus could not comprehend how Jesus’ words could be right. He does not understand the spiritual rebirth of man by the Holy Spirit, though God revealed it throughout the pages of the Old Testament.
Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things” (John 3:9)? Jesus confronted Nicodemus. How did you become the teacher of Israel, a tutor, and one who sits in Moses’ chair if you did not understand these things?
Jesus said it was inexcusable that a man in a position like Nicodemus did not understand the distinct works of God, like regeneration.
One of God’s first distinctive works was an election. It took place in eternity past. Then, God wrote His elects’ names in the Lamb’s Book of Life. He chose those who would be followers of God and Christ before the foundation of the world. He predestined them to become His children.
In Ephesians 1:4-6, Paul wrote, “Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love, He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”
Theologians have a difficult time explaining the dichotomy of election and that God gave men and women free will to believe. God does wish all mankind would be saved from eternal hell. God sent His only Son, Jesus, to the cross to die for the sins of mankind. He was raised from the dead so all men and women who believe could have eternal life and access to the Father.
While the Lord knows whom He chose in eternity past, believers do not have insight into His electing work. Instead, all believers must pursue every person with the true gospel while there is still time to repent.
Spiritual birth
Another unique work of God is spiritual birth. It is a subsequent work of God to regenerate believers spiritually. Regeneration takes place in the present time. The Spirit of God creates a new man and a new woman. The Spirit enables them to become spiritually alive and see and understand the truth.
Jesus was going throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and sickness among the people (Matt. 4:23).
Jesus told Nicodemus He was teaching him about “earthly things” in scripture. He had not even discussed “heavenly things” with Nicodemus yet, like Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. These things were beyond man’s understanding.
Nicodemus reacted as if he had never heard about the saving work of the Holy Spirit, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
Jesus questioned how Nicodemus, a renowned master teacher in the nation of Israel, did not recognize this teaching on spiritual cleansing and transformation grounded precisely in the Scriptures.
An example of transformation and new life is in Ezekiel 37:12-14; “Therefore, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, my people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. I will put My Spirit within you, and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and done it,” declares the Lord.’”
Giving a new life is the sovereign work of God. That is His promise and plan for salvation.
Nicodemus studied the Old Testament. He knew some facts about salvation, the Messiah, and Christ, but he had limited revelation and knowledge from the Scriptures.
In 1 Peter 1:10, the Bible says that the prophets wrote about the coming of Christ, though they had limited knowledge. Peter wrote: “As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries.”
In 2 Corinthians 3:14, the Apostle Paul said, “There was a veil over the people who studied the Old Testament which veil is removed in Christ.”
Nicodemus and the other Pharisees were painstaking students of Scripture, and they never fully understood it. They had a veil over their eyes and minds, hiding the truth. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and scribes for their Scripture misinterpretations. He told them, “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scripture” (Matthew 22:29).
Why could they not interpret the Bible correctly? They had a veil on and were dead spiritually. They rejected Jesus and His teachings. And if a person rejects Jesus Christ and God’s plan, the Scriptures make no sense. They rejected the Messiah! They did not understand the Scriptures because God had blinded their eyes to the truth because of their unconfessed sin.
They rejected their God and bowed down to the creature and their idols, rather than to the Creator. Their objective was to persecute, punish, and kill their Messiah, the “Holy One of God.” They thought they were doing God’s work by getting rid of this so-called “blasphemer and false prophet.”
Jesus claimed to be equal to God
Jesus walked on the water … Then Peter got out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, x“Truly you are the Son of God.” (Matt. 14:22-33)
Jesus confronted the Jewish leaders and Pharisees when they began to persecute Him. They believed Jesus had violated the Sabbath by healing a man at a pool near the Temple’s Sheep Gate. When confronted, Jesus rebuked them and claimed to be equal to God. The conflict with the Pharisees intensified.
And then Jesus told them they could not honor the Father without honoring the Son. The Pharisees and leaders became even more enraged.
John 5:19-24 states, “Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing, and the Father will show Him greater works than these so that you will marvel. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so, the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.’
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”
The Messiah revealed
Jesus told them He was the Messiah in unequivocal terms. In John 5:25-32, Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so, He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself, and He gave Him authority to execute judgment because He is the Son of Man.
Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee. He saw two brothers. They were Simon (his other name was Peter) and Andrew, his brother. They were putting a net into the sea for they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, “Follow Me. I will make you fish for men (Matt. 4:18-22)!
“Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.
“I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. If I alone testify about Myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who testifies of Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true” (John 5:28-32).
Searching for eternal life in the Scriptures
Nicodemus and the other Pharisees were seeking eternal life. They were trying to get an answer to their question, “How do I earn my way into the kingdom?” They are trying to earn their way. They were still searching for an entrance into the kingdom. They were outside, and God had closed the door on them.
If they had accepted the Scriptures, they would have embraced Jesus Christ. Jesus said they were unwilling to come to Him so that they may have life.
John 5:30-44 states, “You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy His light. I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard His voice nor seen His form, nor does His word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
“I do not accept glory from human beings, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in His own name, you will accept Him. How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”
Shocking Indictment
What an indictment! They did not have a love of God in their hearts, and they did not know God because they did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah. He said they were without excuse. The Scriptures would judge them for their unbelief, and Moses would be a witness and an accuser against them.
In John 5:45-47, Jesus said, “Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”
The Pharisees and scribes rejected Jesus’ and Moses’ teachings as well. The Pharisees knew from the Old Testament that God was holy, and God could not look on evil and tolerate sin. They knew God was the creator, the judge, and the lawgiver. They knew God was the one who cursed humanity.
They knew God demanded punishment for sin. It was death, a separation from God. They knew man was fallen, sinful, and headed for judgment and destruction. The problem was their pride and arrogance. They could not admit their system of religion separated them from God. They could not see the light in the darkness.
Saved by faith, not by works
God received and saved the Old Testament saints because of their faith, not for their works. Abraham is a great model of faith. He believed in God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness.
God tested Abraham by telling him to sacrifice his only son, Issac. Abraham stepped out in faith. He knew God would fulfill His promises, even if that meant doing what seemed impossible. He knew God could raise Isaac from the dead (Hebrews 11:19). He built an altar. “But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ “So he said, ‘Here I am.’ “And He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.’ “Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son” (Genesis 22:3-13).
The Old Testament saints also understood that forgiveness, reconciliation, justification, and granting of righteousness by faith would be made possible through a substitute sacrifice who would receive the punishment.
When Adam and Eve had eaten the forbidden fruit and sinned against God, they realized their nakedness. They tried to cover themselves with leaves. God later kills an innocent animal and sheds its blood to cover the sins of Adam and Eve.
This act was the beginning of Israel’s sacrificial system. Abel pleased God by offering an animal sacrifice on the altar for sin. It symbolized the need for the blood and death of a substitute. His brother Cain offered the fruit of the ground. It was an offering that God rejected.
“So, it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part, also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering, but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So, Cain became very angry, and his countenance fell.” (Genesis 4:3-5). Later, Cain murdered Abel because of his jealousy.
In Exodus 12, the Lord instituted the Passover Lamb. Every single day, God commanded the morning sacrifice and the evening sacrifice according to the Mosaic system. There was the shedding of blood and death because of sin. God, however, promised to provide the final sacrifice one day for sin.
Exodus 12: 2-14 states, “Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, a lamb for each household. Now, if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; according to what each man should eat, you are to divide the lamb. Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight. Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that same night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather roasted with fire, both its head and its legs along with its entrails. And you shall not leave any of it over until morning, but whatever is left of it until morning, you shall burn with fire. Now you shall eat it in this manner: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste—it is the Lord’s Passover. For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. ‘Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance.’”
Jesus was the Lamb of God
“By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all. Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. For by one offering, He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them After those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, And on their mind I will write them,’ He then says, ‘And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’ Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin” (Hebrews 10:10-18).
However, none of those animals – the lambs, bulls, goats, or doves could finally be the satisfaction for the holy God and Father. They merely pointed to the perfect sacrifice that had to come. The Holy Spirit gave John the Baptist these words when he saw Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29)
Saving faith comes by hearing Scripture. Every man can be held accountable for the testimony of the Old Testament.
In John 3:11-12, Jesus told Nicodemus, “We speak what we know and testify what we have seen, and you do not receive our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
The Pharisees rejected the witness of the prophets and their writings, John the Baptist, Jesus, and later the apostles.
John the Baptist’s mission was to announce and proclaim the coming of Jesus, the Messiah. The Pharisees sent a group to inquire of John. They wanted to know who he was and what he was preaching. They did not accept John’s testimony and message of repentance. They refused to be baptized by John.
The Pharisees also assembled in large numbers to hear Jesus and to judge His message and ministry. They did not submit to Jesus as their Messiah. The Pharisees rejected the witness of both John and Jesus.
Jesus knew the things of the Spirit of God were foolishness to the natural man. As God and man, Jesus said he bore witness of the truth from heaven with the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Father was always with Him, and the Holy Spirit was on Jesus at His baptism. Therefore, Jesus speaks in the plural we – the trinity.
Nicodemus addressed Jesus as a prophet, but Christ was more significant than all the Old Testament prophets. They wrote by divine inspiration, and not by their knowledge. Moses ascended into the Mount, but not into heaven.
Jesus was the manifestation of God. God came down from heaven to teach and to save humanity.
He spoke to Nicodemus about things accomplished on earth by the power of God – such as the doctrine of regeneration and entering the kingdom of God. Nicodemus did not understand these things. Then, Jesus said, ” How can you understand the heavenly things? “
Paul wrote later about heavenly things. In 1 Corinthians 15:48-54, Paul wrote: “As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the heavenly image. Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. This perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?
“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”
Jesus spoke to His apostles about heavenly things – the divine decrees for man’s redemption and that He was the Son of Man. He talked about His death and resurrection, which were difficult for His apostles to understand.
The Son of Man was the Messiah
Our Triune God … Genesis 1:26; Genesis 19:24; Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 110:1; Isaiah 6:8; Isaiah 61:1; Matthew 3:16–17; Matthew 26:39; John 1:1–2; John 10:30–33; John 14:16–23; John 17:5; Romans 8:9; Romans 8:26; Romans 15:16–30; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 1:21–22; Ephesians 2:18; 1 John 2:1
Nicodemus and the other Jews always understood the Son of Man as the Messiah. By calling himself the Son of Man, Jesus pointed out that He is the second Adam; the first Adam was the father of man. In all the Old Testament titles of the Messiah, Jesus chose to use this because it was most expressive of His humility.
Nicodemus did not believe Jesus’ witness
In John 3:11–12, Nicodemus’s failure to understand Jesus’ words centered not so much on his intellect but on his failure to believe in Jesus and His witness. In John 3:11, Jesus said, you do not receive our testimony. Nicodemus was speaking as a representative of his nation, Israel. Jesus replied with “you,” indicating that Nicodemus’s unbelief was typical of the nation as a collective whole.
Jesus told Nicodemus He was creating a new people, giving them a new Spirit, a new heart, washing them, cleansing them, and purifying them. Nicodemus knew God acted sovereignly by giving believers a new heart and a new disposition by washing and purging them from sin.
Apostate Judaism had ignored the truth of salvation by grace and faith. Jesus confronted Nicodemus. How can you be the supreme teacher of Israel and not know about salvation by the washing of regeneration? How do you not know about the washing of the Word and the giving of a new heart and a new spirit by the Holy Spirit? How can you not know that is a work of God and not an achievement by man?
What does the Old Testament teach about salvation? God justified those who will be saved through faith by grace.
God said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever because he also is flesh.”
The flesh is the word for fallen, corrupted, sinful humanness. Salvation rids men and women of their sinful nature. It is a sovereign act of God by grace. Man requires a spiritual re-birth. God washes and transforms man. God replaces man’s cold, stone heart with a new one. God replaces a man’s spirit with a new Spirit. God plants the Holy Spirit within men and women.
“So, Nicodemus, how can you be the teacher in Israel, and you don’t know this?” Jesus said, “Don’t be amazed” (John 3:7) Why would Nicodemus be amazed? This is denouncing all religions apart from the sovereign grace of God and the gospel of Christ. Nicodemus knew the Old Testament, but Satan had blinded him into believing false doctrine and lies, and not in God’s truth.
(E-Book: Born from Above; Introduction; Chapter 1; Chapter 2; Chapter 3; Chapter 4; Chapter 5; Chapter 6; Chapter 7; Chapter 8; Chapter 9; Chapter 10; Chapter 11; Chapter 12; Epilogue)