For God So Loved the World

John 3:1-21

Key verse 3:16

1.  Verses 1-2. Why do you think Nicodemus came to Jesus at night? In modern times, how might someone come to Jesus "at night"?

We can break this first question down into two parts: (1) Why did Nicodemus come to Jesus? and (2) Why did he come at night?  

Regarding the question of why he came to Jesus, Nicodemus did not clearly say why he came. He said to Jesus, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” Apparently Nicodemus wanted to talk to Jesus because he was “a teacher who has come from God,” which suggests that he had a question in his heart. Perhaps Nicodemus did not even understand why he came to Jesus or what question he wanted Jesus to answer, but Jesus knew. In verse 3, Jesus answered Nicodemus' unspoken question by saying, “You must be born again.” Nicodemus came to Jesus because he wanted to know God personally and be saved. 

Why did Nicodemus come to Jesus at night? To understand this we should take a look at who Nicodemus was. The passage tells us that he was both a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council. He had a very high and honored position. He was supposed to be one of the most righteous men among all the Jews. He was supposed to have a perfect relationship with God. Yet coming to Jesus would show that he was in need.  He probably didn't want anyone to think that he had a problem. 

Nicodemus' problem is that he was afraid to be exposed as a needy man, and he definitely did not want anyone to think that he had any sin problems or needed salvation. He did not even want to admit these things to himself.

Nicodemus went to the temple regularly, prayed regularly, and did many other spiritual things, yet he could not come to Jesus openly in the daylight for fear that he would be exposed as a sinner in need of salvation. 

Like Nicodemus, people who have been in church for a long time, and especially those in leadership positions, are often afraid to come to Jesus openly and let people see that they are needy. There are also many people who try hard to live “good” lives and be recognized by others as good people. Instead of coming to Jesus openly, we often come to Jesus hidden under the shadow of our “good deeds” and the appearance of godliness.  But underneath our outward godliness and good deeds, we are actually sinners in need of salvation. 

2.  Verses 3-8. What did Jesus say to Nicodemus? What did this mean?

Jesus said to Nicodemus, “You must be born again.” 

Nicodemus needed to begin a whole new life as a child of God. Being reborn means a whole new beginning. This birth comes through water and the Spirit. Water refers to the water baptism of repentance. When a person is baptized, the old self goes under the water and dies, and when you come out of the water you are a new creation. But this work is really done through the Holy Spirit which God gives to everyone who repents and believes in Jesus. Through the Holy Spirit, we are born of God and begin new lives as children of God.  

3.  Verses 9-13. Why do you think Nicodemus had difficulty accepting Jesus' message?

This was a big shock. He had invested so much in this world and achieved a lot by human standards. But Jesus told him that he needed a whole new life. The more we invest in this world, the more difficult it is to be born again. Many people are not truly born again because they are not willing to begin a new life and leave behind the old. 

4.  Verses 14-15. How is Moses lifting up the snake in the desert related to Jesus' message to Nicodemus of new birth? (Numbers 21:4-9)

The bite of snakes is like the bite of sin—its poison spreads through your body and leads to death.  Nicodemus looked like a very spiritual man, but the reality was that he was a poor sinner, doomed to die from the sting of sin. How could he be saved from his sins? He needed to look to Jesus on the cross. Jesus was lifted up on the cross just as the snake was lifted in the desert. Jesus was lifted up for Nicodemus' sins. What must Nicodemus do to be saved? He must look to Jesus for salvation. There was nothing else he could do to save himself. He needed to give up on himself and believe in Jesus as the only way to be saved from his sin. 

5. Verse 16. Why did God send Jesus to be lifted up on the cross?  How might this message help Nicodemus to be born again? What does this message mean to you?

God's motive was love.  

Nicodemus had to understand what God had done for him and why. If Nicodemus could begin to understand God's love for him, he could begin to be set free from the world. Very often, not even the fear of God's judgment can motivate us to leave this world behind. Yet the love of God moves our hearts and turns us to Him. 

God loves each of us so much that he gave his one and only Son so that we would not perish but heave eternal life. This is how much God loves us. If we can understand this, even a little, we have hope to be born again and live as children of God. 

6. Verses 17-18. What does it mean to "believe in the name of God's one and only Son"? What are the consequences of believing or not believing? 

We easily talk about believing in Jesus, but what does it mean? Based on this passage, believing in Jesus means to believe that Jesus is God's Son whom He sacrificed for our salvation. Jesus is the ultimate evidence of God's love, and Jesus is the only way of salvation. If we look to him and believe in him, we can live a new life as children of God, free from the curse of sin. 

The consequence for unbelief and for rejecting God’s way of salvation is condemnation for our sins. The consequence of believing is freedom from condemnation.  

7. Read verses 19-21. Why do people reject Jesus' offer of new life? What must we do in order to be saved? 

People reject Jesus' offer of new life because they don't want to be exposed as sinners, nor do they want to give up their sin. Nicodemus didn't want to say, “God have mercy on me, a sinner.” 

In order to be saved, we must come into the light. We must overcome the fear of condemnation and the fear of what others think. We must be honest by holding on to the truth of God's word. When we confess our sins, we come into the light, and we come to Jesus for salvation.

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