As we begin to look at the biblical records on conversion, we will simply note a few things to start. It must be stated at the beginning that when a text of Scripture gives us a historical account of a conversion, that is not necessarily all that there is to the story. In other words, a historical account may not give all the doctrines of Scripture on that subject and may just give the bare bones of the facts. This is why, for example, it is certainly biblical to tell someone to repent and believe, but it is not biblical to just leave it there. Other places in the Bible tell us what it means to repent and believe. The first biblical record concerning conversion that we will deal with is Nicodemus. He is a fascinating subject who was and is in the hands of God.
John 3:1 – “Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; 2 this man came to Jesus by 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.’ 3 Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ 4 Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?’ 5 Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again. ‘ 8 The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.'”
Nicodemus was quite probably very aware of Jesus from His cleansing the Temple (John 2:14-20) and the miracles or signs that He did during Passover (John 2:23). Many believed when they saw those, but the text indicates that they were not truly converted when it says that Jesus “was not entrusting Himself to them” (John 2:24). But at least one man saw the signs and recognized something very different here. When this man, who was a leader among the Pharisees and the Jews, came to Jesus he said this: “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” (John 3:2). This leader came to what would have been for him an educated man and yet called him “Rabbi.” He saw the signs that Jesus had been doing and he knew that this man was sent from God.
Jesus, however, was not awed by the attention focused on Him by this religious and political leader, but instead went to the real issue of this man’s heart. This man, as a very religious Jew at that time, would have trusted in his birth, his keeping of the law, and perhaps his status in life. But Jesus went straight to the issue of the need for a new heart even in this very religious man. Jesus did not tell the man that he needed to pray a prayer or make a decision. He did not tell the man that he needed to make a moral reformation. He did not tell the man to do anything at all. He did not limit himself to direct language that he must repent and believe. What He told the man was that He must be born from above (again) or he could not even see the kingdom of God. He told him in clear terms what must happen to him and told him that it was the Spirit who must change him.
The Jewish people at that time were waiting for someone to come and defeat their enemies. They were looking for a military leader and one that would bring the restoration of the kingdom of God much like it was during the time of David and Solomon. We can assume that Nicodemus saw the signs that Jesus did and wondered if He was the man who was to establish the kingdom once again in Israel. But Jesus went to the man’s heart and the true nature of the kingdom which is spiritual. Clearly Jesus as Messiah came to set up a kingdom and as King He would reign over it, but the kingdom that He came to set up was an inward kingdom. “And He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father– to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen” (Rev 1:6).
The meeting between Nicodemus and Jesus is one that has massive ramifications for the way we evangelize and view conversion. The older Reformed writers did not push people to make a decision or to pray a prayer, but instead they told them that they must be born from above. George Whitefield, the great eighteenth century evangelist, preached on the new birth over and over. People are born with sinful natures and hearts and they must have a new nature and a new heart to truly be saved. People are born spiritually dead and they must be spiritually born if they are to have true life which comes through Christ and is by the Spirit.
The promise of the Gospel is that God will give a person a new heart which is seen in the New Covenant: “I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS, AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS. AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE” (Heb 8:10). The writing of the law on the heart is the work of the Spirit. For a person that sees the plague of his heart and the desperate wickedness of it, salvation is not good news unless it includes being saved from a sinful heart. For the person that loves God, salvation is not good news apart from receiving a new heart and the Spirit pouring out the love of God in that new heart. For the person that loves holiness and hates sin, salvation is not good news apart from being delivered from a sinful heart and receiving a heart that is conducive to holiness. The act of God in giving a new heart is part of the really good news of the Gospel of grace. It includes making a person a new creature. The Gospel of grace is not limited to delivering a person from hell, but it delivers a person from the cause of hell which is sin. If a person could go to heaven with a sinful heart that person would hate heaven. If a person went to hell with a new heart hell would no longer be hell. Hardened sinners will say a prayer in order to escape hell because they love themselves, but a person who has his heart broken and sees that sin is a wicked and vile thing has a desire to be delivered from his own heart.
The biblical record concerning Nicodemus is scant. We know that the chief priests and Pharisees were speaking against Jesus and Nicodemus (“being one of them”) said this: “Our Law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?” (John 7:51). In this we see something going on in the heart of Nicodemus. He came to Jesus in the darkness the first time, but now he is defending Jesus (just a little) in front of others. Scripture tells us that many of the rulers believed in Him but were afraid of the Pharisees. “Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue” (John 12:42). This was a powerful motive in the religious and political world during the time of Jesus on earth. They still thought in terms of clean and unclean as set out in the Old Testament. They still thought in terms of theocratic rule, though they were ruled over by the Romans. To be kicked out of the synagogue meant to be separated from the forgiveness and favor of God and to be a social outcast.
Later on in the book of John (19:37-41) we have more on Nicodemus: “And again another Scripture says, “THEY SHALL LOOK ON HIM WHOM THEY PIERCED.” 38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body. 39 Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.”
The small amount of teaching on Nicodemus does not leave a lot of room for making deductions, but it does leave some room. This is especially true in light of other Scriptures. What we do see is a tremendous change in the heart of Nicodemus. He went from visiting Jesus after dark (John 3) to asking a question before the chief priests and the Pharisees in sort of a defense of Jesus (John 7). He then went to take the body of Jesus after His death by crucifixion in order to bury it (John 19). He came out in the open to take the body of Jesus and make sure that it received proper treatment. This is a sign of a new heart. John 5:44 gives evidence of this: “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?” Nicodemus had been turned from desiring glory from the leaders of the people to being one that sought to do what was right out of love for God. As long as men seek glory from each other, it is a sign that they are still in the grip of a selfish heart. But Nicodemus appears to have had a new heart so that now he loved Christ more than the applause of men. He now loved Christ more than he loved the world and the honors the world gives.
Jesus declared that a mark of discipleship was to deny self, pick up the cross, and to follow Him. Nicodemus became willing to do that. He became like Paul who viewed his former life as a Pharisee as rubbish compared to having Christ (Phil 3:1-11). What we have, then, is the story of a converted man. We can see that he believed because he turned his back on the glory he could have received from men. He believed (had faith) because he chose to deny self and take up his cross (the ridicule of men) in order to follow a dead Messiah. The one who came in darkness out of the fear of men now loves Christ and is willing to accept ridicule for a dead Messiah. That is a sign of one who now sees and has entered the kingdom. Jesus taught Nicodemus about the need of a new heart and then gave him one. Conversion, as seen in Nicodemus, is to be born again and to be turned from self to Christ.
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