The Simple Truth

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“You must be born again” (John 3:7).

I doubt that this was what Nicodemus expected when he arrived under cover of darkness to talk to Jesus.  According to the record given to us in John 3, Nicodemus hardly got through the pleasantries of a polite introduction before the Lord went right to the point—the religious leader and member of the Jewish ruling council, needed a Saviour.

In this most famous chapter of the Scriptures, the Gospel is laid out in graphic detail.

No one can be part of God’s kingdom unless he is born again (3:3).

Being born again is the work of the Spirit of God (3:6).

The Son of Man, Jesus, would be the instrument of that new birth (3:14).

Belief is required (3:15, 16).

God made the supreme sacrifice to make it possible for us to be born again (3:16).

The first coming of Christ happened so that we would have the opportunity to be saved (3:17).

Those who reject Christ have already condemned themselves (3:18).

Sin keeps people from being born again (3:19, 20).

If we ever needed a simple plan to present to a seeker of truth, here it is, wrapped in just a few short verses of Scripture all in the same chapter of the Bible.

There are layers and layers of truth to be peeled back from these verses, but as a statement about the Gospel in its most basic form, John 3 and the message Jesus delivered to Nicodemus, is it.

Nicodemus was a highly educated, prominent religious leader, but the simple truth was all he needed to hear. The truth of the Gospel needs no packaging to be effective. Jesus said: “The wind blows where 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” (3:8).

The simple truth, carried by the Spirit of God, results in profound and inexplicable change.