John 3:1-21
Jesus Teaches Nicodemus
1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
Jesus taught the Pharisee Nicodemus about the gospel...
The gospel refers to the good news of Christianity, which are the teachings and message of Jesus...The gospel isn't just a set of doctrines or beliefs that we just want to memorize or remember and not do much about or with these Teachings...The gospel is a Way of Life...In fact, the Gospel is the Truth, the Way of Life...The Gospel is an internal message for our entire being and allowing it to transform our actions and the Way of our being...
The Good News goes beyond reason and memory...Understanding the gospel isn't simply an intellectual exercise of reason and memory...I think Nocodemus understands this after Jeuss talked to him...It requires a deeper connection that goes beyond just knowing facts about God and His Son...Even though I do not fully understand the Gospel, I believe that once the Great Saints fully understood the Gospel, they had/have a closer connection with God and His Son...The process of fully understanding the Gospel possesses amd penetrates the whole soul...It affects your entire being, your emotions, your will, your Holy Spirit, and your intellect...The Gospel penetrates the heart...And touches your inner recesses of your, soul, Spirit and heart...It touches the core of your character and motivations...
The gospel shouldn't just be something we believe; we want it to help change us and who you are...The gospel helps us be more like Jesus...I believe that is why Jesus said we will see the Kingdom of God when we are reborn...We then will be more like Him, after our rebirth...
The author of Proverbs tells us to seek God: "From there you will see the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search after Him with all your heart and soul."...Moses in Deuteronomy 4:29 wrote: "There you will look for the LORD your God, and if you search for Him with all your heart, you will find Him."...St. Matthew 7:7-8 wrote and Jesus said: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."...And in Jeremiah 29:13-14 we read that: "You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart...I will be found by you declares the LORD and will bring you back from captivity."...
So let us seek God with our hearts and He will let us find Him...This tells us that true faith is a Gift from God, and realize that is not something completely achieved by human effort alone, we need God's help -just as we need Jesus' help to be saved from our sins...So our faith is part and parcel on us and God drawing us near Him and us wanting to seek Him...There is this transformative power of faith in seeking God and being saved...
Overall, faith highlights the idea that true faith is more than just intellectual assent...It's a deep, personal transformation that affects your entire being...There will be a Spiritual Transformation that happens during our lifetime when a person accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior...Then we are reborn...