PROFILES —-
NICODEMUS
BORN AGAIN BY BELIEF
Nicodemus was a kind of religious leader called a Pharisee and was knowledgeable about the Old Testament Scriptures. He was like the people in our day who go to church regularly and know a lot about religion. Those who lived in Nicodemus’s society would have considered him one of the most perfect, closest-to-God people around. He and his fellow Pharisees acted as Israel’s teachers and set the bar for following God. But when he met Jesus one night in secret, it changed everything.
Nicodemus had heard Jesus talking day after day, mostly while observing his friends trying to trap and punish Jesus for His teachings. The other Pharisees were threatened, but Nicodemus was intrigued. He wanted to learn from Jesus, so even though it was countercultural, counter-clique, and counter-religious, he sought after Him. On the night they finally spoke, Jesus broke down what the Scriptures say about how to be made right with God—being born again in the Spirit by belief in Jesus.
THINK & PRAY
IS YOUR FAITH IN CHRIST GROWING BOTH PUBLICLY & PRIVATELY?
Nicodemus is well known for not understanding the truth of Scripture—specifically, what it means to be born again by the Spirit of God. When Jesus heard this, He exclaimed, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things?” (John 3:10). Obviously, Jesus knew that Nicodemus’s eyes had not been opened to what many Old Testament passages had been pointing to. Knowledge about God’s Word and obedience to the rules wouldn’t give Nicodemus a place in God’s Kingdom or family. His misguided knowledge couldn’t save him, even though he appeared to be religious. He needed to learn from God—Jesus Himself—that the secret to being born again and made into a new person free from sin isn’t about outward appearance; belief in Christ is what saves.
We know that Nicodemus responded in faith at some point because we see him changing little by little. At one point, he defends Jesus to the other Pharisees (John 7:45-52), and later, he steps up with another religious leader, Joseph of Arimathea, to boldly care for the body of Christ after His crucifixion (John 19:38-42). The slow, hidden faith that came to Nicodemus gradually grew bolder and more public. He had met the person whom the Scriptures all point to, the person whom we all need—Jesus Christ! Do you know Him? Have you been born again by belief in Him as your Lord and Savior?