| From the TeachingtheWord Bible Knowledgebase |
Part four (final) of a series. Read part three.
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The account of Nicodemus' conversion holds many important lessons for Christians today - especially those yearning for the work of the Spirit in the life of a friend or loved one.
In concluding our brief study of the conversion of Nicodemus, let me suggest some lessons for Christians today, especially those who may have been praying for and witnessing to lost loved ones, friends, and acquaintances for many years, seemingly without result, and who have often come to consider such people to be hard or impossible cases.
The Spirit Controls the Timing of Salvation
Notice, first of all, the time gaps on Nicodemus' road to the narrow gate of conversion. In John chapter 3 we see Nicodemus coming to Jesus at an early point in His ministry, soon after He had begun to publicly preach and to perform signs and miracles attesting His deity. Nicodemus was at first confused and even offended by Jesus' declarations.
And then, in John chapter 7, in the middle period of Jesus' ministry, we see Nicodemus clearly under conviction - not only willing to listen further to Jesus Himself, but also urging his fellow Pharisees to give Him a fair hearing.
And then, at what Nicodemus and others must have thought was the sad and bitter end of things, we find Nicodemus a convert, along with Joseph of Arimathea, preparing Jesus' body for burial in a way that would soon provide physical evidence that the Lord had risen from the dead.
Unlike Nicodemus, some people come to saving faith on their first hearing of the Gospel. With others, as with Nicodemus, conversion may not take place for years or even decades. I once knew a lady who prayed for the salvation of her husband, who led an evil life in organized crime and abused her for her faith in Christ, for 24 years before he was finally saved. Truly, as Jesus said to Nicodemus, "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8).
The Spirit of God performs His unseen work in each person. In some, salvation is to our limited vision immediate. In others, it is a matter of months, years, even decades. In still others, the work of the Spirit in convicting the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:8) will, in the end, magnify the condemnation of the one who is "condemned already" because of unbelief and refuses to come to the light (John 3:18-21). But we must never stop praying and witnessing, and trusting the Spirit to do His sovereign work in each heart, just as He did in Nicodemus.
Even the Most Religious Person Needs the New Birth
Secondly, we must note that Nicodemus' conversion demonstrates that even the most religious person needs the new birth. In John 3:10 Jesus calls Nicodemus "the teacher of Israel," a term indicating that Nicodemus was recognized as the master religious teacher in Israel, the theologian of theologians. And yet in the beginning, and in fact for some time, he did not understand the new birth or his need of it.
Understanding and submitting to Christ meant putting aside the false, man-made theology in which Nicodemus had been trained and had for so many years studied and taught, and bowing the knee to the person and authority of the Messiah. Even the most religious man on earth needs the new birth, equally as much as the most vile sinner.
Even the Most Legalistic Person Needs the New Birth
Thirdly, Nicodemus' conversion demonstrates that even the most legalistic man needs the new birth. Nicodemus' religion before his conversion was a religion of works, and of laying the burdens of legalism on others:
Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.'
But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." (Matthew 23:1-12)
Nicodemus' conversion came about because he was willing to hear "the One [who] is your Teacher, the Christ," and was willing to humble himself.
God May Use a Convert in Unexpected Ways
Finally, let us note God's use of a new believer to perform an unexpected act that would bring glory to Christ in a most unique way. The day on which Jesus was crucified was the Day of Preparation for the Sabbath (John 19:31). In Passover week this was a particularly high day in the estimation of the Jews under the Law. But we find Nicodemus not preparing himself for this high Sabbath by making sure with meticulous certainty that he was ceremonially clean, but deliberately making himself ceremonially unclean by preparing a dead body for the grave.
Nicodemus, the now-humbled master teacher of the ceremonial law, served as a mortician for the Savior - preparing His body, as we have seen, in a way that would soon give unmistakable evidence that Christ had risen from the dead. No man such as Nicodemus would have done this apart from the regenerating work of the Spirit.
Trust in the Work of the Spirit of God
Do you have loved ones, friends, or acquaintance to whom you have witnessed, but there seems to be no change, no hope? The Spirit of God is nevertheless at work, accomplishing His purposes. Trust in the work of the Spirit who has said these things:
And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. (Revelation 22:17)
For our Gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance... (1 Thessalonians 1:5)
But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our Gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14)
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