John 3: 1-18 “Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a
ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus at night and said to Him,
“Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can
do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus responded
and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born
again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can
a person be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb a
second time and be born, can he?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say
to you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter
the kingdom of God. That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and
that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that
I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it
wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it is
coming from and where it is going; so is everyone who has been born of
the Spirit.” Nicodemus responded and said to Him, “How can these things
be?” Jesus answered and said to him, “You are 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 testify of what we have seen, and you people
do not accept our testimony. If I told you earthly things and you do not
believe, how will 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 just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so
must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes will
have eternal life in Him. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His
only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have
eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the
world, but so that the world might be saved through Him. The one who
believes in Him is not judged; the one who does not believe has been
judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son
of God.
Here Jesus speaks to Nicodemus who was a member of the
ruling Sanhedrin based in Jerusalem. He came to Jesus by night so as not
to be seen and Jesus explained to him the means by which the New
Covenant would function and the means by which He would become a
sacrifice for the sins of all the World (mankind), by being lifted up on
the Cross.
In John 3:16-18 He explains that those who believe on
Him would not perish but inherit eternal life and that He came not to
judge the World but to save it. Mankind and through mankind all of
creation. The one who believes will not be judged but those who don’t
believe are already dead in their sins.
Romans 3:21-23 “ But now
apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been revealed, being
witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, but it is the righteousness of
God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there
is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God...”
So in Christ Jesus the righteousness of God is revealed
apart from the Law and is for all who believe and have faith in Jesus
Christ. It is also necessary for all of mankind to believe because we
all fall short of the glory of God.
Acts 4:11-12 “He is the stone
which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief
cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no
other name under heaven that has been given among mankind by which we
must be saved.”
So Christ Jesus was the stone the builders rejected and yet He is the only begotten Son of God and the Saviour of all
mankind. In fact, His is the only name under heaven by which you must be
saved. Such that salvation is available to all who believe on His name
and that belief is reckoned by God as faith and results in eternal life
to those who believe on Jesus Christ.
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