John 3:1–15
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “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.”
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?”
Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except He who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.” (ESV)
Prayer: O Lord God, save us from ourselves, from our foolish pride and unbelief. We thank you for revealing yourself to us through Your Holy Word, that we may know we have a gracious God, who sent His only begotten Son to be our Savior, that we who believe in him by the work of the Holy Spirit may see the kingdom of God. Amen.
Only the Triune God Saves
Dear Friends in Christ,
If you do not believe in the Triune God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, you are not a Christian. All Christians confess their faith in one God with three distinct persons. Jesus said, “No one can come to the Father except through me.” While Christ died for all and invites all people to come to him, if you deny who he is and what he has done, he will have no part with you. This truth is offensive. Christianity is exclusive. But God has spoken it, and so we confess it so that others might believe in the Father who created us, in the Son who redeemed us, and in the Holy Spirit who makes us holy by working faith in our hearts.
In college, I had friend who came from the Republic of Congo. While the majority of those in the Congo are Christians, 20% of the population are Pentecostal Christians. This particular group denies the teaching of the Trinity. They believe that there is only one God, who reveals himself in different modes—sometimes as the Father, sometimes as the Son, and other times as the Holy Spirit. They do not baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Instead, they baptize “in the name of Jesus.” One night, my friend and I were in a discussion over the Trinity and he said, “Why would you believe in something that is not in the Bible. The word Trinity or Triune is not in Scripture.” My friend had an incredible grasp on the Bible and could quote verse after verse, and it was somewhat intimidating.
This is how I responded. I said, you’re right, the word Trinity or Triune is not found in the Bible. However, the doctrine of the Trinity is found in the Bible. I then walked him through the Scriptures. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, “and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2). When God created man, he said, “Let Us make man in Our image” (Genesis 1:26). Notice the plural? Later the Lord instructed Moses to bless the people of Israel with these words: “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24–26). How many blessings were there? Three! It’s Trinitarian! But then fast forward to Deuteronomy when the Lord Says, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!” (6:4). We don’t have many gods, we have One. After a few more examples, I then went to the baptism of Jesus. As Jesus came up from the waters, the heavens opened and the Father declared that Jesus was his beloved Son in whom he was well pleased and then the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove. All three persons in one place at the same time. They can’t be the same. They are distinct, and yet, they are one. This is why we believe in the Holy Trinity: three persons in one God. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Triune simply means: three in one. Does it make sense? To my mathematical mind, it does not. But we cannot fit God into our puny minds. He is God, we are not. He is who he is. And by his mercy and goodness, he has revealed himself to us. The Trinity is a mystery we could not understand or come up with on our own, but God has revealed himself to us in Scripture. This is why we worship “one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity.” Those who deny this are denying the Christian faith. We cannot reason our way into believing in the Trinity. We don’t try to figure out how God can be who he is. When Moses asked God his name the Lord replied, “I am who I am.” We believe in him as he has revealed himself to us in Jesus. Faith is a miracle of God.
We cannot believe in God unless we are born from above. This birth is brought about by the power of the Holy Spirit. When we were born, we were flesh. We are born in spiritual darkness, blinded by sin. We need new life. We need to be born from above. Only the Holy Spirit is able to enlighten our darkened hearts so we can believe in the true God. This is what Jesus was trying to make clear to Nicodemus.
So, what do we know about Nicodemus? Even before we are given his name, John mentions he was a Pharisee. He was a ruler of the Jews, a member of the Sanhedrin. He came to Jesus by night. Perhaps he was afraid to be seen with Jesus in daylight. He was an intelligent, successful, observant, and well-educated man. He knew that Jesus was a true teacher sent by God. He saw the miracles of Jesus and concluded he was no ordinary man. He doesn’t seem to be as jealous or legalistic as many of the other Pharisees. He was concerned and wanted to learn. But he was spiritually blind.
Jesus and Nicodemus were coming from two completely different views of salvation. These two views represent the two religions of this world: the religion of works and the religion of grace. Nicodemus was a Pharisee. He believed that membership in God’s kingdom required outward obedience—you need to live a good life and follow the laws. The Pharisees loved the man-made traditions they had created because if they kept these laws, they believed they were assured entrance into the kingdom of God. But they were wrong! They were so focused on the little and minor details of law, that they totally missed what God truly demanded: perfection. Hence, Jesus’ description: “You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!” (Matthew 23:24).
But there is a little Pharisee within all of us. Of course, there are those who claim that they can make their decision for Christ. Of course, there are some who blatantly teach that their salvation is assured by their holiness of living. But the devil is working on us too, to make us think there is something inside of us which makes us different or more deserving. One person, looks at what they abstain from and uses it to judge others and lift themselves up. Another looks at their sacrifices and heartaches, and reasons they deserve heaven because of their suffering or devotion. Just think of the ways the devil and your sinful flesh has made you have unfair or judgmental attitudes towards your fellow Christians—even the fellow members of your church.
The devil will tempt us till the day we die to put our trust in our efforts and good intentions. Why? Because then you are not trusting in Jesus. This is why Jesus teaches us again and again that our only hope and assurance is in him. If we want to stand righteous before God on the last day, our only hope is Jesus. “You must be born again.” The first time we were born—it was not because of our own efforts or doings. When it comes to being born again, conversion, and regeneration, it is not because of our doing or efforts. It’s God’s work: just as we had no part in our first birth, we also have no part in our rebirth or conversion. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
Faith is a gift of God. Just as we don’t know where the wind comes from or where it goes, we can’t see faith coming to us or to others. But what we do know, is that God is the one who brings it about. He does it by the water and the Spirit in Baptism, when he makes us his own dear child, forgiving our sins and working faith in us. Scripture says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing of the word of God” (Romans 10:17). And why is faith so important: because it believes in Jesus. As we sing in the hymn, “Faith looks to Jesus Christ alone who did for all the world atone.”
And what a comfort! Look to Jesus and you will be saved! Your past doesn’t prevent you, the greatness of your sin does not condemn, because Jesus saves. The devil tempts us to be naval gazers—constantly looking at ourselves, our faith, our life, our good deeds or failures. He causes us to look inward to distract us and condemn us. But Jesus heralds the good news—look to me and be saved. Jesus said, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.”
When the Israelites were traveling in the wilderness they grumbled and complained against God and so the Lord sent poisonous serpents to bite them. But when the Israelites repented and called out for help, the Lord instructed Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” If an Israelite was bitten and they looked to the bronze serpent, they lived!
If an Israelite was bitten and then decided to look at themselves and come up with a cure, they would die. If we see our sin and try to fix it ourselves or try to enter the kingdom of God on our own, we will be condemned. But if you look to Jesus, you will be saved. If you trust in Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, who was born of the virgin Mary, who lived a perfect life for you and suffered the punishment you deserve on the cross, you will be saved. You will be given life from him who is LIFE. He who rose from the grave has the power to raise you. He who has ascended into heaven has the power to bring you there as well.
Does it make sense? No! But I for one am glad that it is true. This is why we confess the Triune God. Because he is the God who loves you! God the Father created you, God the Son redeemed you from all your sins, and God the Holy Spirit has worked faith in your heart to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, so that by believing, you may have life in his name. This is the message we believe. This is the message we want to share with others who are in our life, our community, our world. As the Psalmist said, “I believed, and so I spoke.” Amen.