“There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”-John 3:1-3
Christianity is about a personal relationship with God rather than a series of religious acts..
In John 3 we see the story of a man who was religous but was lost. Nicodemus was a religious leader of his day, a Pharisee. He had studied the Old Testament scrolls and had even memorized many of them. His life revolved around keeping the law and obeying the rules of the Old Testament. He was extremely religous but was spiritually lost.
Nicodemus approached Jesus at night, perhaps in fear of what the other religous leaders would think. Christ was not accepted by the Pharisees because of His teachings of salvation through faith, not through the keeping of the law. He wanted people to have a relationship with Him rather than follow a religous system.
Nicodemus had religion, but he didn’t have a relationship with the Lord. Jesus told him, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Salvation comes through trusting in Christ, not through performing religious acts.
Of all the people who could have claimed religion, Nicodemus was one. He had more than likely studied the Bible since he was a young child. Another man who was extremely religious was the Apostle Paul before his conversion. As he said, “Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless (Philippians 3:5-6). Paul was an elite religious leader, yet until he put his faith in Christ, he was without salvation.
Do you have a relationship with Christ or do you simply perform religious acts? God wants to have a one-on-one, daily relationship with you, and that relationship comes through belief in His Son’s sacrifice on the Cross. If you’ve never accepted Christ as Saviour, take time now to find a Bible, even online, and read through John 3. View Nicodemus’ questions as coming from a religious person who realized eternal life was not gained by religious works.
If you are saved, remember that God desires a personal relationship with you. He wants you to serve Him, but more so, He wants you to spend personal time with Him each day. Don’t let your faith become a religion rather than a relationship with God. (By Paul Chappell)
